Working on an art project or curious about the ideas behind an exhibition? Sharjah Art Foundation’s Reference Library offers free membership to artists, students, researchers and anyone interested in art and culture.
Its collection has more than 5,000 holdings. Alongside books and art magazines, you’ll find exhibition catalogues, digital archives and audiovisual material. It is a useful place to look for background reading when a quick online search only gets you so far.
What can you explore?
The library’s collection and services include hard-to-find exhibition catalogues and reading on history, philosophy and cultural studies. The Curator’s Shelf brings together references that helped shape the Foundation’s exhibitions.
Members can request individual consultations with the library team. For a student building a reading list or an artist researching a new subject, that help can provide a starting point. Staff can also help locate digital references elsewhere when the library does not hold what you need.
How to join and plan your visit
Start with the Foundation’s online membership application. The form asks for your name, email, phone number and institutional affiliation.
The library is in the Foundation’s Bank Street Building in Sharjah. Its membership announcement lists access from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday. Members show their digital card to the ground-floor security guard. For visits outside those hours, contact [email protected] to arrange access.
Need an image or passage for your project? The team offers scanning help for selected material, subject to copyright restrictions.
For more art-related reading, see our guide to Focal Point’s open call for zines and prints.
