Creating more avenues for art education in UAE

In line with its efforts to create more avenues for art education, The Cultural Office of Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum signed an MoU with the British multinational auction house and Art Centre, Sotheby’s Art Services Limited (“Sotheby’s Dubai”), a company within the Sotheby’s Group, the international auctioneers founded in London in 1744. The collaboration between the two entities intends to offer a platform to support art education projects and initiatives by organising lectures, art forums and educational workshops.

The MoU was signed by Mona Bin Kalli, Director of the Cultural Office and Katia Nounou, Director, Head of Office, Sotheby’s Dubai.

Mona Bin Kalli highlighted the significance of the MoU with Sotheby’s Dubai which enjoys a global reach and a rich history spanning over three centuries in the field of art.

Commenting on the occasion, Mona Bin Kalli said, “This initiative is testament to the commitment of Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of the Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to further the development of the art and culture scene within the UAE. It reflects the objective of The Cultural Office to support initiatives and projects in art education for aspiring artists of various age groups.”

She added, “The Cultural Office strives to collaborate with entities whose objectives resonate with its vision to promote and deepen a sense of responsible art and initiate a national artistic cultural movement. On the same lines, with this collaboration, we intend to enable exchange of experience and knowledge by bringing to UAE, unparalleled expertise and proficiency in art education and object based learning.”

Praising The Cultural Office for its contributions in the development of the art and culture scene in the UAE, Katia Nounou, Director, Head of Office, Sotheby’s Dubai, said, “Sotheby’s is proud to be collaborating with The Cultural Office of Her Highness Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a collaboration that will allow us to continue to expand our footprint in Dubai’s vibrant evolving art scene. From the moment that we found our perfect gallery space, we have been excited to hold a variety of events through the year, building on our robust existing calendar of exhibitions.”

“This collaboration gives us the opportunity to extend the scope of what we offer – with special educational initiatives ranging from children’s art workshops to jewellery masterclasses – thereby sharing the joys of the art world and championing these amongst the younger generation. Our office in Dubai is a base for our specialists around the world, representing an extremely broad range of expertise, they will travel there throughout the year and dedicate time to partaking in and leading these events,” she added.

Read more: http://www.gulftoday.ae/portal/1f5d2d46-6ae4-49f8-9400-d55ba4439544.aspx