Dubai: The Palestinian Museum, which is scheduled to openin Birzeit, Palestine by the end of 2014, is seeking several levels of support across the Arab world, including the UAE, say organisers.

The museum will be located 14km north of Ramallah and is dedicated to the exploration and understanding of the culture, history and society of Palestine and its people.

The museum is a project of the Welfare Association — an independent not-for-profit organization providing development and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians since 1983 -- and is set to bring together an innovative mix of exhibitions, research, and education programmes.

Jack Persekian, director and head curator of The Palestinian Museum told Gulf News in a Dubai announcement earlier this month it was good to spread news of the new museum in Dubai “as there is a large number of people from the art scene here, as well as a large number of journalists, and that is a great audience as we would like to start spreading news about the Palestinian Museum and garnering support for it.”

He said that they are looking for support on many levels, including creating awareness and publicity for the museum, building networks of people that will connect Palestine to the rest of the world.

Persekian said that they also want to communicate their ideas, programmes as well as get “financial and tangible support that we will need to set up this project and run it.”

“The museum has already a very generous board from the Welfare Association who secured the money to build the actual museum in Birzeit in its first phase and start covering the running cost for the staff and programme.”

However, he said, as it is a big project they will eventually need to set up an endowment fund that can secure the museum’s continuity and expansion.

He said that they have already started working on the opening exhibition.

The museum, he said, will not be limited to artwork andit will also focus on Palestinian culture and history in general.

The museum will not open with a permanent collection, Persekian said, as they have just started building it and that it will take a few years.

“We are not going to be displaying [the permanent collection] until we reach the phase of the construction, which will add more exhibition space to present our permanent collection.”

Persekian said that in the meantime, they will have thematic exhibitions that will rotate on a biannual basis, and that they want to organise these exhibitions in Palestine and then have them tour other countries where they will have partners. Construction of the museum will be done in two phases. Phase one will consist of a built area of 3000 square meters, and will include a climate-controlled gallery space, an amphitheatre, cafeteria with outdoor seating, classrooms, storage, gift shop and staff offices. Phase two, which will be completed within 10years andwill expand the museum space to 9,000 square meters to include more gallery space for temporary and permanent exhibitions, an auditorium, additional classrooms, and a library.