DIAC’s Green Umbrella offers shade for art, community and sustainability

In a city known for its fast pace and furious rhythms, an initiative by Dubai International Art Centre (DIAC) is attempting to increase connectivity through creativity and community gathering, in Dubai. Welcome to Green Umbrella, a weekly celebration of art, sustainability, and community that has just completed its first season, bringing people together to slow down, create, reflect and engage in meaningful conversations. Spearheaded by Diyali Sen Bhalla, DIAC Chairperson, in collaboration with Barkha Bahirwani, founder of YES (Your Eco Souq), Green Umbrella has evolved from being an event to becoming a movement. “This isn’t just an event,” said Diyali Sen Bhalla. “It’s a tradition in the making.”

Held every Thursday from 3PM onwards at DIAC HQ in Jumeirah, Green Umbrella offered a space where people of all ages could bond over nostalgic board games, pottery making, upcycling workshops and mindful conversations. “DIAC has always been a place for creativity and expression,” said Diyali Sen Bhalla. “With Green Umbrella, we’re expanding that vision — bringing people together not only for art, but for shared experiences that build a stronger, more connected community.”

Green Umbrella put upfront the genuine joy of human interaction. “We wanted to create something that felt like home,” said Barkha Bahirwani. “A place where you can come as you are, make new friends, and rediscover the joy of making things with your hands.” DIAC has been a long-standing hub for artists and creatives, and Green Umbrella blended tradition and innovation, just as the institution does. At Green Umbrella, hands shaped clay amidst the shuffle of board games and discussions on sustainability. The games brought back childhood memories — long evenings spent with family and friends, strategising, laughing, and bonding. Green Umbrella rekindled this magic, inviting people of all ages to put their mobiles down and engage in honest play.

Combing through a table.

Upcycling workshops showed attendees how to transform waste into aesthetic, functional items. Groups learnt here about creativity with a purpose, since sustainability was at the heart of the Green Umbrella programme. Led by YES, those taking part were taught how to create products from fabric scrap, refashion discarded jewellery and make glass bottle lanterns from overlooked items. “Upcycling isn’t just about reducing waste — it’s about shifting perspectives,” said Diyali Sen Bhalla. “It’s about seeing value where others see trash.”

Pottery sessions led by Guddi Bajaj, owner of Innara and Coterie Pottery, became the place where participants could shape, mould and glaze their own creations, guided by expert artisans. Diyali Sen Bhalla emphasised that “pottery is more than an art form. It teaches patience, focus, and the beauty of imperfection.” The takeaway was that there could be perhaps nothing that encouraged a meditative mood more than working with clay.

Mindfulness and community conversations were held with the support of All is Mindfulness, incorporating guided meditation, mindful creativity sessions, and discussions on conscious living. Participants interacted with guest artists and storytellers, even as Green Umbrella turned into a platform for local artisans and eco-businesses, for showcasing their work. Green Umbrella was a space for families to reconnect through shared experiences. It was a classroom for sustainability education and hands-on learning through sustainability projects. With the first season behind it and with the response it has won, the initiative is looking forward to the next season.

DIAC Chairperson Diyali Sen Bhalla.

Diyali Sen Bhalla expressed her enthusiasm for the programme. “It was amazing to see families sitting together, laughing over a game of Scrabble or Monopoly,” she said. “It reminded us how important these small moments are. Beyond the fun and creativity, Green Umbrella made a real impact.” Most importantly, she said, “it’s a community-driven initiative, built on the belief that small moments — playing a game, shaping clay, sharing a story — can create lasting change. We saw that with every passing week, Green Umbrella was growing. Not just in attendance numbers, but in spirit.”

DIAC, along with their founding partners, are now exploring ways to expand the initiative by introducing more hands-on sustainability projects, more guest artists and storytellers and unique themed editions of Green Umbrella. “The dream is to make Green Umbrella a long standing tradition, a place where community comes together, once a week. In a world that moves so fast, we all need spaces where we can pause and breathe. That’s what Green Umbrella is — an invitation to slow down and connect.”

But how do arts, crafts and ecology come together? Diyali Sen Bhalla had the answer. “The arts have always been an integral part of ecology,” she said. “We at the DIAC have encouraged themes of sustainability that are enmeshed with art and craft. Art and ecology may seem like separate worlds, but they come together beautifully through sustainable crafts and environmentally conscious creativity.”

Art has always been a powerful tool for communication, self-expression, and cultural preservation, she added. When combined with eco-consciousness, it becomes a vehicle for environmental activism, education, and sustainability. Crafts, often rooted in traditional skills and handmade techniques, also align with ecological principles by promoting slow production, natural materials, and the reuse of resources.

Diyali Sen Bhalla pointed out that in a world facing climate change, resource depletion and excessive waste, sustainability was no longer just an option — it was a necessity. “But sustainability is not only about large-scale environmental policies or corporate responsibility. It’s about the choices we make every day and how we, as individuals and communities, can contribute to society. And sustainability efforts are most effective, when communities come together.”