Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 21 2007: World Famous Artist, Robert Lovett and his film crew, descended on Uptown School yesterday to document his work with a select group of students for his upcoming documentary.

Robert Lovett has been painting for over 50 years. He has exhibited work at the Sydney Opera House and has illustrated and written numerous books and articles for art magazines in Australia and the USA.  With such a wealth of experience, Robert is a popular figure on the international circuit, teaching seminars and instructing other budding artists on overseas painting trips.

Mr. Lovett is in Dubai as special guest of the Dubai's Department of Tourism to film the documentary, "Robert Lovett, Artist and Traveler - UAE," to promote tourism in the UAE. He was commissioned for his unique perspective as an artist to give potential visitors a different view of Dubai. "As an artist I see objects in terms of shapes, sizes and colours and things excite me that are probably not recognised by the general public," explained Mr. Lovett.  His video will offer a unique perspective to the typical documentaries that focus primarily on the Burj Al-Arab and Dubai's infamous shopping centres.

For his documentary, Mr. Lovett intends to give viewers his perception of the UAE, taking them on a journey of his favorite and most artistically intriguing locations across the region. "The film will take people to different places, highlighting the architecture, animals and people of Dubai," described Mr. Lovett. "My film will be more individual by nature, I want the viewer to feel as though they are with me, seeing it (the scenery) as I see it," he continued.      

His documentary will debut at the Cannes Film Festival later this year.

Though Mr. Lovett lives thousands of miles away in Australia, he is regarded at Uptown School as their "artist in residence." As an International Baccalaureate school, Uptown focuses on the development of the whole child offering a holistic approach to education that stresses both artistic and academic development. This is the second time that Mr. Lovett has worked with Uptown students adding to their already extensive arts programme.

Yesterday, Mr. Lovett worked with a small group of students aged seven to eleven from Uptown's Primary Years Programme (PYP). The selected students were chosen due to their overwhelming enthusiasm for art. Mr. Lovett worked with the students for two hours showing them techniques, entertaining a barrage of questions and encouraging students to add creativity in their work. "Remember you are the artist, you are the creator so have fun and use your imagination," advised Mr. Lovett.

Many of the students had recently studied a unit on "Art and Artist" where they explored how people express themselves in different ways. "Communication involves more than verbal or written forms. During this unit we stress the importance of art and dance as methods of communication," explained Angela Spence, PYP Coordinator at Uptown School.

Uptown Schools believes in "bringing their curriculum to life" by inviting experts in particular fields to host workshops or taking the students out of the school to explore their surroundings and understand how concepts learned in class apply in the real world. As Ms. Spence explained, "We want our students to be global and active citizens who understand different perspectives. For this to happen, we must present the students with opportunities, such as a visit by a professional artist, to help the students apply the theory and knowledge they have acquired to real life situations."  

Mr. Lovett's visit represents more than an art lesson; it also provides the students with a concrete example of the power of different perspectives. As part of the IB programme, Uptown encourages their students to understand that one subject can have many different perspectives and that opposing perspectives are not right or wrong, simply different. "Robert's documentary will offer viewers a completely different outlook on Dubai than has ever been seen. It is wonderful that our students can be apart of his creation to see and understand that though his perception is completely different, it is still respected and valued," noted Ms. Spence.

Mr. Lovett's artwork will be displayed at the Majlis Gallery starting 26 February.

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About Beacon Education:
Beacon Education was established to address the growing need for high quality schools in the Middle East. Dubai is the platform from which Beacon Education launched its initial projects, with four schools that opened in September 2005. Beacon Education is financed by Taaleem, a unique Private Joint Stock company, that over the next six to eight years will invest over AED 1 billion in educational ventures across the region.

With quality at the forefront, Beacon Education will tailor each project to answer the specific educational needs of families by offering a comprehensive choice of outstanding international curricula from American to British to the International Baccalaureate. The following schools fall under the Beacon Education banner: Al-Mizhar, American Academy for Girls, The Children's Garden, Dubai British School, Raha International School (Abu Dhabi), and Uptown Primary.

For more information, please contact:
Alice Markson
Beacon Education
Tel: +971 43498806
Fax: +971 43498807
E-mail: amarkson@beacon.ae
Website: www.beacon.ae

© Press Release 2007