Diriyah Art Futures Launches Creative and Training Workshops

 Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), the MENA region’s first centre dedicated to New Media Arts, has announced a series of hands-on practical workshops and in-depth masterclasses for children, youth, and adults in April.
 Led by local, regional, and international artists, the creative programming in April runs alongside Of the Earth: Earthly Technologies to Computational Biologies, DAF’s fourth major exhibition, which continues until May 16, 2026. Curated by Director of Exhibitions at DAF Irini Papadimitriou, the exhibition examines how the relationship with the natural world is reshaped in the digital age. Spanning diverse mediums, Of the Earth addresses the environmental impact of digital systems on finite resources, highlighting the interconnectedness of machines, humans, and nature.
 Designed for artists, enthusiasts, and kids alike, DAF’s April programming offers something for every creative mind, from digital fabrication and abstract watercolor workshops to a masterclass in performance arts.
 Events start on Friday, April 10, with a youth workshop held in Arabic and English from 4 PM to 6 PM. This playful hands-on workshop invites youth aged 13 to 18 to explore the intersection of sound, technology, and nature.
 Activities continue on Saturday, April 11, with a series of workshops designed for the same age group. The first “Print, Cut, Collage: Exploring AI in Mixed Media,” runs from 3 PM to 6 PM. It explores the intersection of AI and mixed-media art. Using AI image-generation tools as a starting point, participants will create digital compositions and bring them into the physical world through collage, layering, and eco-printing with botanical materials.
 This is followed by “Prints from Nature,” from 4 PM to 6 PM. This hands-on workshop introduces young participants aged 13 to 18 to printmaking with natural materials. Using leaves, fruits, vegetables, and other organic textures, the session encourages observation, creativity, and a deeper connection with the forms and textures found in the natural world.
 In the evening, the “Between Land and Stars” workshop takes place from 7 PM to 9 PM. This workshop explores the night sky as a living system and an early form of technology through which humans have long understood time, movement, and place. Through storytelling, observation, and discussion, participants will consider how Arab communities historically read the stars to navigate landscapes, mark seasons, and structure daily life.
 From April 24 to 25, the centre will host a two-day masterclass titled “Material Literacy: The Date Palm,” running from 5 PM to 9 PM. The masterclass invites participants to move beyond viewing materials as inert resources and instead engage with them as carriers of identity, culture, memory, and possibility. The masterclass includes an in-depth exploration of the date palm as a culturally resonant material system, considering its historical, ecological, and material intelligence across scales – from food systems and craft to architecture and objects.
 The program concludes on Wednesday, April 25, with a workshop on mold-making using 3D printing, held from 5 PM to 9 PM. Participants will learn to design and 3D print mould and master the ancient technique of clay slip casting to create custom ceramic forms. Personal and creative touches can be added through painting and decoration, with each participant leaving with a ceramic plant pot crafted using a 3D-printed mould.
 For more information on Of the Earth: Earthly Technologies to Computational Biologies and its upcoming public programming, please visit www.daf.moc.gov.sa . Advance registration will be available via DAF’s social media channels and tickets are purchased at the door.