The Museums Commission organized a virtual meeting titled “Black Gold Museum: Connecting Art, Heritage, History, and Sustainable Development”, as part of a series of cultural meetings aimed at enhancing public awareness of museums' role in Saudi society and highlighting their importance in preserving national heritage and cultural identity.
The meeting featured the participation of Chairman of the Saudi Association for Energy Economics Dr. Majid Al-Moneef, Director of the Black Gold Museum Jack Persekian, and artist Dr. Ahmed Mater. The session was moderated by Atiyah Al-Rajhi, SPA reported.
Discussions explored the story behind the establishment of the Black Gold Museum and its role in showcasing the evolution of the oil industry and its profound impact on societies and the environment.
The museum presents an innovative artistic narrative that reflects the relationship between humans and oil, from its discovery as a raw material to its contemporary implications for life, the economy, and the environment.
The dialogue also addressed how the museum embodies historical and economic transformations and incorporates contemporary art methodologies to present its exhibits with the principles of sustainable development.
The Ministry of Culture, represented by the Museums Commission, is preparing to open the Black Gold Museum in the near future. The museum will be the first of its kind globally to present the story of oil from a humanistic perspective, illustrating its influence on people’s lives. They emphasized that petroleum has been a cornerstone of human progress and quality of life, contributing significantly to the advancement of modern civilization.
The speakers highlighted the museum’s role in documenting the history of oil and demonstrating its economic and environmental impacts on humanity. The Black Gold Museum offers a distinctive experience that sheds light on the Second Industrial Revolution through a rich and mature concept combining beauty and knowledge. Its contemporary artistic exhibits portray the human–oil relationship through an integrated artistic narrative inside a temporary exhibition hall.
Visitors will journey through the stages of oil discovery and development, its connection to human life, and its role in improving the quality of life, offering an informative experience that enables them to appreciate oil’s significance and future influence.
The participants also discussed the museum’s role in promoting cultural and environmental awareness about oil, reviewing future projects and programs to educate future generations, encourage research and innovation, and deepen understanding of the relationship between energy, the economy, society, and the environment.
They underscored the importance of collaboration between cultural and research institutions and the private sector—such as the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC)—to contribute to documenting oil’s history, envisioning its future, and fostering dialogue among the fields of art, technology, and economics in support of sustainable development goals.
This initiative is part of the commission’s strategy to activate the role of regional museums as community institutions that connect the past with the present and open avenues for cultural interaction, thereby strengthening national identity and contributing to building a vibrant cultural future for the Kingdom. It also falls within the series of monthly public meetings organized by the commission as part of its general cultural program.
