Hafez programme unlocks students' creative potential in the arts

Yesterday saw the conclusion of ‘Hafez’, the highly successful arts programme organised by the Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) in collaboration with the Sharjah Educational Zone. 

The two-month project featured a series of programmes and activities designed to hone the skills and develop the abilities of talented students in the field of the arts. A total of 29 students from Sharjah’s public and private schools participated in the programme during which they competed to create paintings inspired by the collections of SMD’s museums. The participants were encouraged to explore the rich diversity of Sharjah’s museums to create original artworks from which a judging panel composed of officials from the Sharjah Educational Zone and SMD selected six winning pieces. 

Manal Ataya, Director General of SMD, and Saeed Musbeh Al Kaabi, Director of Sharjah Educational Zone, opened an exhibition at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum showcasing the students’ works during which the creators of the winning artworks were honoured and the other participants were presented with prizes and certificates.  

Speaking on the occasion, Manal Ataya, Director General of SMD, said, “The Hafez Programme forms part of the continued cooperation between SMD’s museums and the Sharjah Educational Zone that aims to make use of the annual calendar of temporary exhibitions and the permanent collections, in their diversity.

SMD will continue to provide students with an ideal platform that will motivate talented students to unlock their potential".

She added that SMD gives great care and attention to fostering talented students in schools out of its conviction that all gifted students have the right to equal opportunities to develop their abilities. 

A first of its kind collaboration between Sharjah’s museums and schools, the project aimed to provide a special cultural environment for students to practice and learn new things away from the standard school curriculum, so that they may acquire new skills and in an exciting and appealing manner. The participating students thoroughly enjoyed the programme and expressed their appreciation for the freedom they were afforded to select their topics and media as well as for the challenge that the programme’s competitive aspect provided. 

The Hafez project was designed to allow school going students of the arts to brush up their skills and unlock their potential. It also aimed to promote the culture of museums among the school community, create a channel of communication between museums and educational institutions, and encourage the utilisation of museums and their valuable treasures to serve the field of education.