The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate's dedicated authority for culture, heritage and the arts, and Bidoun Projects, an arts organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting contemporary artists from the Middle East, successfully concluded the first of its kind 'Writing About Art' workshops offering unique insights into art critique to professionals and aspiring writers.
More than 50 writers with a keen interest in the arts took part in the workshops held over the past five months. Experts from around the world engaged the participants in various aspects of writing about the arts, including art criticism, analysis against global benchmarks and a wider perspective of the evolution of the arts across the world.
Alia Al Hashimi, Senior Specialist at the Projects Department in the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority said: "The response to the 'Writing About Art' workshops, held for the first time ever in the region, has been overwhelming. The event offered a unique platform for artists, art professionals and art writers to come together, brainstorm and promote the standards of art writing. A genuine appreciation of the arts, followed by insightful writing, will help in shaping a stronger arts community."
She added: "As the first group of art critics graduating from this initiative, the participants will help to engage the community in understanding and appreciating the arts. These art critics will in turn educate the general public about art, thereby facilitating greater interaction between the arts and its audience. They will also play a key role in further reiterating Dubai Culture's goal to strengthen the cultural scene in the region by promoting original content creation from Dubai. "
Dubai Culture and Bidoun Projects will explore opportunities in networking with regional publications, gallery directors, and publishing houses to promote the writings done by the workshop participants, to further strengthen art appreciation and awareness, thus creating a vibrant cultural scene in the Emirate.
