2011 was a year of celebrations for Kuwait and for the DAI. February marked the 50th anniversary of independence, the 20th anniversary of liberation from Iraqi occupation and the fifth anniversary of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah’s rule. Later, in November, HH the Amir officially opened the Amricani Cultural Centre in the historic American Mission Hospitals. It is worth noting that while parts of the buildings were in use as earlier, the full restoration wasn’t complete until October 2011.

The DAI was very busy in Kuwait during this year of anniversaries. In addition to the cultural seasons activities (the end of Cultural Season 16 and beginning of Cultural Season 17), three exhibitions were mounted at the Amricani Cultural Centre. The Story of Amricani, a multi-media presentation telling the story of American Mission and the evolution of healthcare in Kuwait and Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals opened as the first DAI exhibitions in the Amricani. Late in the year, a third exhibition Japanese Pottery – the Rising Generation from Traditional Japanese Kilns was executed in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan and the Japanese pottery associations. Then, to wrap up the celebrations, the DAI hosted a three-day Amricani open house for all the staff and families of all the embassies in Kuwait.

During the year, DAI friends visited excavation sites on Failaka Island, the Subiya dig site and the camel races – all in Kuwait. The DAI participated in a national environment/conservation event and the 5th Islamic Arts Forum at Grand Mosque. Two new programmes were started: Visiting Classrooms, a multi-lingual, grade specific programme for classes coming to the Amricani Cultural Centre and DAI Docents, a volunteer programme that supports the activities of the organisation. DAI staff were also involved in training, participating in a two-week museum management course offered by Australian College Kuwait and Durham University (UK).

On the road, the DAI was involved in exhibitions, expeditions and an informal exposition. The DAI’s Al-Fann: Art from Islamic Civilization closed in Italy and moved to The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. India’s Fabled City: The Art of Courtly Lucknow, with loans from The al-Sabah Collection, travelled from California to the Musee Guimet in Paris, France.

Gifts of the Sultan, again with objects from the collection, replaced India’s Fabled City at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), before moving to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, in Texas, USA. Pathways to the Modern World: Travelling the Silk Road, also with loans from the collection, opened at the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung, Taiwan. And while the exhibitions represented the organisation in the US, Europe and Asia, DAI’s cultural expedition to Georgia introduced friends to new sites and cultures. Sheikha Hussah visited Utah in the US and held talks with Brigham Young University officials regarding the DAI loans to the university’s forthcoming exhibition: Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture.

At home and abroad, 2011 was a year well worth celebrating.