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Saudi Museums Commission Inaugurates Pavilion at ICOM Dubai 2025

The commission affirmed that its participation in ICOM Dubai represents an opportunity to showcase Saudi Arabia’s experience in building an integrated museum sector - SPA
The commission affirmed that its participation in ICOM Dubai represents an opportunity to showcase Saudi Arabia’s experience in building an integrated museum sector - SPA
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Saudi Museums Commission Inaugurates Pavilion at ICOM Dubai 2025

The commission affirmed that its participation in ICOM Dubai represents an opportunity to showcase Saudi Arabia’s experience in building an integrated museum sector - SPA
The commission affirmed that its participation in ICOM Dubai represents an opportunity to showcase Saudi Arabia’s experience in building an integrated museum sector - SPA

The Museums Commission participated today in the 27th General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), being held in Dubai from November 11 to 17, 2025.

 

The conference, themed "The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities," has drawn a diverse group of museum experts and institutions from across the globe, according to a press release issued by the commission on Wednesday.

On the first day of the conference, the Museums Commission unveiled its pavilion, showcasing the Kingdom's efforts to develop its national and regional museum ecosystem. The exhibit highlights the commission's key initiatives and projects aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, as part of its mission to transform museums into vibrant community hubs that enhance cultural communication and revitalize values of identity and heritage.

The pavilion features interactive and visual displays highlighting the transformation of the museum sector in Saudi Arabia. These displays showcase the diversity of exhibited experiences, the adoption of modern technologies in presentation and documentation, and programs that empower national talent in conservation, research, design, and the overall museum experience.

The release added that the commission’s representatives will also participate in various conference panels and sessions. These speakers will highlight the evolution of Saudi Arabia's museum landscape over the past decade and discuss the crucial role museums play in documenting social and cultural shifts. They will also explore how these institutions are strengthening the Kingdom's presence on the global cultural landscape.

This participation reinforces the Museums Commission's presence in international forums and reaffirms its commitment to fostering professional dialogue within the global museum community. It also underscores the importance of exchanging expertise in areas of museum management, exhibition development strategies, and the adoption of digital solutions that keep pace with the rapid changes in modern communities.

The commission affirmed that its participation in ICOM Dubai represents an opportunity to showcase Saudi Arabia’s experience in building an integrated museum sector that contributes to preserving national memory and safeguarding tangible and intangible heritage. Additionally, it allows the commission to explore the future of museums as open spaces for dialogue, creativity, and education.

The ICOM conference is considered one of the world's most influential events in the museum sector, bringing together distinguished experts, cultural leaders, and museum professionals to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing cultural institutions amidst rapid technological and social transformations. This underscores the Kingdom's growing stature and leadership role on the global cultural landscape.

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Culture

Beyond Pizza and Pasta: Italy’s Culinary Heritage Awaits UNESCO Nod 

Sicilian cannoli are served at Pasticceria Cappello as Italian cuisine awaits a crucial UNESCO decision that could recognize it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Palermo, Italy, December 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Sicilian cannoli are served at Pasticceria Cappello as Italian cuisine awaits a crucial UNESCO decision that could recognize it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Palermo, Italy, December 5, 2025. (Reuters)
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Beyond Pizza and Pasta: Italy’s Culinary Heritage Awaits UNESCO Nod 

Sicilian cannoli are served at Pasticceria Cappello as Italian cuisine awaits a crucial UNESCO decision that could recognize it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Palermo, Italy, December 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Sicilian cannoli are served at Pasticceria Cappello as Italian cuisine awaits a crucial UNESCO decision that could recognize it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Palermo, Italy, December 5, 2025. (Reuters)

Italian cooking, already celebrated around the world, is poised for a new accolade: formal recognition as a cultural treasure from the United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO.

A preliminary UNESCO assessment has cleared Italian cuisine to be added to UNESCO's "Intangible Cultural Heritage" lists and a final decision is expected on Wednesday.

Launched in March 2023 by Italy’s agriculture and culture ministries, the bid casts Italian cuisine - from pasta and pizza to risotto and cannoli - as a social ritual that binds families and communities together.

"There is no single Italian cuisine, but a mosaic of local expressive diversities," the government said.

From Lombardy's ossobuco - braised veal shanks with gremolata, to Puglia's orecchiette con cime di rapa - ear-shaped pasta with turnip greens, each region showcases Italian biodiversity and creativity, it said.

CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC FOOTPRINT

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has championed the effort, calling Italian food a symbol of "culture, identity, tradition and strength."

Industry groups estimate UNESCO recognition could boost tourism by up to 8% in two years, adding 18 million overnight stays. Italian cuisine also connects 59 million residents with up to 85 million people of Italian descent worldwide.

Globally, the Italian food service market hit 251 billion euros ($293 billion) in 2024, or 19% of the global restaurant market, Deloitte said. But imitation products abroad cost Italy an estimated 120 billion euros annually.

CRITICISM AND DEBATE

Not everyone in Italy supports the bid to join UNESCO lists, which already feature almost 800 items including Italian opera singing and truffle hunting.

Alberto Grandi, a food historian, called the UNESCO candidacy "just a marketing operation" in an interview with website Mantovauno last month.

In his 2024 book "La cucina italiana non esiste" ("Italian cuisine doesn't exist"), Grandi argued that many dishes considered traditional, including pasta alla carbonara, are relatively modern inventions influenced by foreign cultures.

Grandi's remarks have sparked a backlash from farmers' association Coldiretti, which called his claims "surreal attacks on national culinary tradition."

'THE ART OF CARING'

For restaurateurs like Luigina Pantalone, owner of Rome's historic Da Sabatino, a UNESCO nod from Wednesday's meeting in India would be a source of pride.

"Authentic Italian cuisine needs to be protected," she said, recalling childhood days washing dishes with her brothers and proudly noting that she is the fourth generation of her family to run the restaurant.

Three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura summed it up: "Italian cuisine is an ancient, daily, sacred ritual – the art of caring and loving without saying a word."

Culture

Louvre Workers Announce Strike Over Work Conditions and Security After $102M Heist

A rainbow emerges over the Louvre museum, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, in Paris, on December 6, 2025. (AFP)
A rainbow emerges over the Louvre museum, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, in Paris, on December 6, 2025. (AFP)
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Louvre Workers Announce Strike Over Work Conditions and Security After $102M Heist

A rainbow emerges over the Louvre museum, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, in Paris, on December 6, 2025. (AFP)
A rainbow emerges over the Louvre museum, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, in Paris, on December 6, 2025. (AFP)

Workers at the Louvre Museum voted Monday for strikes to protest their work conditions, a ticket-price hike for non-European visitors and security weaknesses that a brazen daylight theft of France’s Crown Jewels highlighted in October.

In a letter announcing the strike action starting next Monday, which was addressed to France's culture minister and seen by The Associated Press, the CGT, CFDT and Sud unions asserted that “visiting the Louvre has become a real obstacle course” for the millions of people who come to admire its huge collections of art and artifacts.

The museum is in “crisis,” with insufficient resources and “increasingly deteriorated working conditions," said the unions’ strike notice to Culture Minister Rachida Dati.

“The theft of 19 October 2025 highlighted shortcomings in priorities that had long been reported,” the unions alleged.

The robbery gang made off with loot worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million). The museum director subsequently acknowledged a ″terrible failure" in security. The thieves took less than eight minutes to force their way into the museum and leave, using a freight lift to reach one of the building’s windows, angle grinders to cut into jewelry display cases, and motorbikes to make their escape.

The haul hasn’t been recovered. It includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise, jewels tied to two 19th century queens, Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara.

Upkeep of the museum's vast and historic buildings, which were a former palace for French royals, also hasn't kept pace with its success as one of France's leading attractions.

A water leak on Nov. 26 damaged several hundred publications stored in the museum's library of works specializing in Egyptian antiquities. The damaged works included revues and documents from the 19th and 20th century, the museum said. The opening of a valve triggered the leak in a network of water pipes that are due to be replaced next year, the museum said.

Last month, the Louvre also announced the temporary closure of some employees’ offices and one public gallery because of weakened floor beams.

In their strike notice, the unions said that antiquated facilities and insufficient staffing are impacting the visitor experience, forcing the closure of some displays. They demanded that resources be focused on building improvements and safeguarding the museum, its collections, visitors and employees.

“We are in a run-down museum which has shown its security weaknesses,” Christian Galani, a CGT union official representing Louvre workers, said in an AP interview. He said the strike-action vote by employees on Monday morning was unanimous and that the planned rolling strikes risked forcing the museum's closure.

“We need a change of gear,” he said.

Culture

Diriyah Art Futures Hosts Second Open Studio of Mazra’ah Media Arts Residency

The event, dedicated to digital media artists and held under the theme "High Resolution Dreams of Sand," explores the connections between environment, technology, and culture - SPA
The event, dedicated to digital media artists and held under the theme "High Resolution Dreams of Sand," explores the connections between environment, technology, and culture - SPA
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Diriyah Art Futures Hosts Second Open Studio of Mazra’ah Media Arts Residency

The event, dedicated to digital media artists and held under the theme "High Resolution Dreams of Sand," explores the connections between environment, technology, and culture - SPA
The event, dedicated to digital media artists and held under the theme "High Resolution Dreams of Sand," explores the connections between environment, technology, and culture - SPA

Diriyah Art Futures, the first specialized center for New Media Arts in the Middle East and North Africa, hosted the second edition of the Open Studio for the Mazra’ah Media Arts Residency at its headquarters in Diriyah.

The event, dedicated to digital media artists and held under the theme "High Resolution Dreams of Sand," explores the connections between environment, technology, and culture, SPA reported.

The event was attended by Diriyah Art Futures Director Dr. Haytham Nawar and the center’s Education Director Tegan Bristow.
Visitors were given the opportunity to view the projects that artists and researchers are developing for the Fall–Winter 2025 season, engage directly with resident artists such as Diane Cescutti, Juan Covelli, and Calin Segal, and learn about their creative work and research at the center.

Participating researchers in the program, entrepreneur Dr. Areej Al-Wabil and researcher Rahel Aima, delivered a presentation to attendees. Their presentations reflected the experimental and diverse nature of the Mazra’ah program, which encourages artists to work across multiple techniques and media.

The program provides selected participants with access to state-of-the-art production tools within a dedicated studio, fostering collaboration and the exchange of knowledge within the global artistic community.

The Open Studio represents an important milestone in Diriyah Art Futures’ efforts to play an active role in the global dialogue on New Media and Digital Arts. Resident artists will continue developing their projects until December 2025, with future public showcases planned.

The center also provides opportunities for artists and researchers to take part in its public events, educational programs, and artistic and scientific residencies, thereby enriching the Kingdom’s art scene and strengthening its position as a global destination for New Media and Digital Arts, while highlighting local talents in the fields of art, science, and technology. This reflects the Ministry of Culture’s commitment to preserving national heritage and supporting artistic practices that shape the future of the arts and humanities.