Abu Dhabi Festival 2019 announces Youth Platforms and Community Programmes

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Festival 2019, organised by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), has once again presented a multidisciplinary calendar of events through the Youth Platforms and Community Programmes to engage, empower and nurture the UAE’s young creatives. Throughout March, the Festival continues to engage the community and families, demonstrating its commitment to cultural development and empowerment. In addition to the exciting line-up of public events held across multiple venues, aspiring young artists also have the opportunity to participate in educational initiatives presented at local schools and universities.

Accompanying this year’s exhibition, entitled Distant Prospects, presenting the history of European landscape painting with loans from the world-renowned LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections exhibited here in the Middle East for the first time, the Abu Dhabi Festival also features a Visual Arts Education Programme. Aimed at aspiring and emerging artists, including university and school students, the workshops and panel sessions aim to encourage engagement with the Abu Dhabi Festival exhibition, and include a series of talks, exhibition tours and practical creative sessions inspired by the works on display in Distant Prospects.

H.E. Huda Ibrahim Alkhamis, Founder of ADMAF and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival said: “At ADMAF and the Abu Dhabi Festival, we have an unshakable belief that investment in our youth is the best way to secure the future prosperity of our nation. When it comes to education, the arts play a vital role in stimulating our young ones, inspiring them to express their individual creativity and to achieve greatness – the qualities of true leaders and influencers.

“Arts and culture link our past, present and future, and by engaging with young people, assisting them and reaching out to them, we build bridges in communities, whether at grass-roots or international levels. Our Youth Platforms and Community Programmes are specially designed and structured to do exactly that, by creating a thirst for knowledge that leads naturally to life-long learning and broadened horizons that bring enormous benefits to society. In this Year of Tolerance, there is no finer pursuit.”

VISUAL ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Perfect for budding art enthusiasts and creative practitioners, the programme of events and activities accompanying this year’s headline exhibition provide diverse creative platforms for university and school students to encourage engagement with the Abu Dhabi Festival Exhibition.

The exhibition programme commenced with a Panel Discussion and Curator’s Tour, exploring 15th – 19th century European landscape painting and the influence of the Islamic world on artists in Europe. With a keynote discourse by Manual Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, the session featured insights from Dr. Johann Kräftner, Director of The Princely Collections; Rose-Marie Mousseaux, Chief Curator for Early Modern Art at Louvre Abu Dhabi and Dr. Rocio Coletes-Laspra, a Museum Assistant Curator for the Ministry of Culture in Spain.

The educational events continue with a Sketching Perspectives Workshop on 19 March, a second Landscapes in Layers Painting Workshop on 24 March, and a Riwaq Al Fikr Talk by Manuel Borja-Villel, Director of Museo Reina Sofía on 21 March, before concluding with a Guided Tour and Art Dubai Road Trip on 23 March.

YOUTH PLATFORMS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES

Abu Dhabi Festival’s Youth Platforms and Community Programmes empower Emirati youths to develop their skills and explore their futures, assisting them to contribute to the progress of the country.

Commencing Abu Dhabi Festival’s Community Programmes, Festival in the Park invited families for an outdoor cultural celebration on 28 February and 1 March with eclectic and diverse activities in visual, community and performance arts. The two-day event featured exciting live performances of theatre and comedy, as well as workshops and musical performances for the whole family. The first day invited visitors to explore children’s craft workshops with the Korean Cultural Centre, and catch a film screening at the Cinema Club, before rounding off the evening with an exceptional stand-up comedy performance by the hilarious Wonho Chung. This was followed by a stellar line-up of events on the second day, including book readings with ADMAF-supported Emirati authors, a heart-warming UAE Theatre Circle performance by people of determination and a second stand-up show by Wonho Chung, who delivered his material in Arabic.

Back by popular demand for its fourth edition, Ministry of Science returned to welcome children on a scientific quest, bringing incredible inventions to audiences across the Northern Emirates.

For aspiring theatre makers, the UAE Theatre Circle is ADMAF’s initiative to nurture creativity in theatre. It plays a major role in incubating the industry’s talents by providing support to budding actors with an appetite for stage performance, writing and other disciplines, while developing the skills of people of determination, providing them with local opportunities to actively participate in society. This year, it culminates during the Special Olympics and falls in line with the Festival’s theme of ‘Culture of Determination,’ to join the nation in celebrating a spirit of inclusion.

Continuing the Festival’s pioneering work in raising awareness of the importance of arts and culture in patient healing and recovery, Music in Hospitals made a welcome return with Emirati musicians performing exclusively for patients in Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

In partnership with Emirates Writers’ Union and leading publishing houses Dar Nabati and Dar Hamaleel, Riwaq Al Adab Wal Kitab continues to stimulate, reward and celebrate Arabic literary expression and, during 2019, has made possible the publication of 14 new works by young Emirati writers.

The Festival’s annual debate series, Riwaq Al Fikr, is another constant feature of Abu Dhabi Festival, offering insightful dialogue by diplomats and cultural leaders on popular cultural topics in different universities across the UAE. The 2019 series will host Manuel Borja-Villel, Director of Madrid’s Museo Reina Sofía on 21 March, as well as sessions by Mariam C. Said, wife of the late Edward W. Said, and the Abu Dhabi Health Authority.

The Festival will also host a series of events to further support independent Emirati filmmaking, as part of the fourth edition of the Young Filmmakers’ Circle, a professional programme in collaboration with Film Academy Baden-Württemberg and Orient Meets Occident. Incorporating workshops and film screenings at NYU Abu Dhabi, its aim is to help young directors from the UAE develop their own cinematic language with the help of award-winning, seasoned industry professionals from the world of independent film, with the goal of having student ‘Oscar’ nominations for Best Short Film by 2021. The programme will showcase teasers of their short film productions as part of Abu Dhabi Festival 2020 and will connect the young filmmakers with corporates, TV companies and production companies to enhance employment opportunities in the filmmaking sector in the UAE and beyond.

Continuing with its extensive platforms for creative training, Young Media Leaders has been specially designed to mentor young Emirati university students and graduates, and help develop their careers, and those of emerging leaders, across multiple media. In partnership with the Syndication Bureau and DW Akademie, this year’s participants will undertake two intensive modules over a period of three months, where they will learn, gain skills, and engage with international media figures, acquiring hands-on experience during the Abu Dhabi Festival.

The Festival also offers the chance for school pupils and university students, including children of determination, to attend open rehearsals as part of Festival in Focus. Designed to inspire an appreciation and enjoyment of music, dance and theatre among young people, it provides access to world-class artists – such as members of Korean National Ballet, Korean Symphony Orchestra, the cast of Tosca, Sara Baras, and the Paris Opera Ballet.

Encouraging a continued appetite for learning across the entire educational spectrum, the Festival will also host workshops, master classes, talks and lectures to facilitate creative expression in educational institutions. This year’s Back to School programme will be hosted in partnership with Ministry of Education – Schools Activities Sector, Zayed Higher Organisation for Special Needs and Korean Cultural Centre and, as with Festival in Focus, provides personal access to artists including members of Korean National Ballet, Korean Symphony Orchestra, the cast of Tosca, Sara Baras, and the Paris Opera Ballet, to inspire and inform through a series of once-in-a-lifetime workshops and master classes with school students and people of determination.

AWARDS

The Festival’s awards portfolio continues to celebrate artistic innovation and outstanding creativity by students and recent graduates across the arts through prestigious platforms.

In 2019, the 23rd edition of The Gulf Capital – ADMAF Creativity Award recognised the outstanding creativity of young arts practitioners. Open to Emirati nationals aged between 18 and 35 years old, the award’s criteria are based on artistic merit, evidence of original and creative thinking and personal application of technical skills. This year ADMAF has focussed the award on literature, with the winning artwork being displayed at Emirates Palace Auditorium Foyer throughout the Festival.

The Gulf Capital – Abu Dhabi Festival Visual Arts Award recognised an Emirati student for outstanding creativity in an original artwork inspired by the Abu Dhabi Festival exhibition. Marking its seventh year in 2019, the award supports the growth of the UAE visual arts scene by encouraging emerging Emirati artists (undergraduates, postgraduates and recent graduates) to engage with the Abu Dhabi Festival exhibition by creating a visual artwork (any medium) inspired by what they see on display.

The Abu Dhabi Festival also hosted the TOTAL Design Commission to recognise outstanding innovation and achievement by young Emiratis in the fields of applied arts. The competitive award seeks to encourage creative practice among emerging designers and architects across the UAE by providing a launch-pad across applied arts in interior design, industrial design, graphic design, and architecture.

Abu Dhabi Festival 2019 will launch the new ADMAF Design Fund, to support young Emirati designers and innovators in developing their skills, maximising their market potential and adding value to a knowledge-based economy in the fields of fashion design, jewellery design, architecture, applied arts and technology. The 2019 edition focusses on Jewellery and is being supported by the legendary L’Ecole Van Cleef and Arpels. The winner, announced in May 2019, will be awarded the ADMAF grant of AED 50,000, which will be used to develop each designer’s business across areas including marketing, public relations, production and sales. In addition to mentoring sessions led by industry experts who will guide the designer’s journey to market, the

award will also include a fully-funded ten-day visit to the prestigious L’Ecole School of Jewelry Arts in Paris, where the winner will receive invaluable one-to-one guidance from established masters in the art of fine jewellery.

–Ends–

Abu Dhabi Festival 2019 Ticket Information

Tickets will be available to purchase at: https://www.800tickets.com/abudhabifestival 

Students receive 50% discount by using the code STU50 (ID required).

TICKETED PERFORMANCES

TICKET PRICES

Sara Baras (21 March 2019)

Diamond (AED 350); Gold (AED 250); Silver (AED 175)

The Paris Opera Ballet (29, 30 March 2019)

Diamond (AED 350); Gold (AED 250); Silver (AED 175)

About Abu Dhabi Festival
Patron: H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister for Tolerance
Founded in 2004, the Abu Dhabi Festival was held initially under the patronage of the then Minister of Information and Culture (and now Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This was followed from 2007 to 2011 with the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Today, the Festival is held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister for Tolerance.

The Abu Dhabi Festival is now acknowledged to be among the world’s best, successfully positioning Abu Dhabi as a cultural destination and the region’s leading celebration of creativity and the arts. Reflecting the vision of the UAE capital as an international cultural crossroads, the Abu Dhabi Festival is rooted in the principles of the country’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahayan: tolerance, respect and enlightenment. As a thriving metropolis that places art, education and culture to the fore, the Festival plays an intrinsic role by further expanding the boundaries of creativity and innovation through the arts. Through its Headline Programme as well as youth platforms and community initiatives, it permeates the farthest reaches of the UAE, engaging children, young people and adults while providing memorable and meaningful experiences that unite visitors, residents and citizens alike.

Strengthened by a growing network of 30 international partners, each year, the Festival brings audiences together to enjoy unique experiences that testify to our common humanity and the deep bonds we share. Always growing, always innovating, it brings the best of the world to Abu Dhabi and takes the very best of Abu Dhabi to the world.

For more information please visit our website at: www.abudhabifestival.ae 

About the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation
Patron: H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister for Tolerance
Founded in 1996, ADMAF is one of the oldest, not-for-profit cultural organisations in the Arabian Gulf. Pioneering new artistic practices, it seeks to deepen global cross-cultural dialogue and inspire a renewed interest in the creativity of the UAE and Arab world. Often in partnership with leading national and international institutions, it delivers multidisciplinary initiatives for people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities through the Abu Dhabi Festival, year-round youth platforms and community programmes.

For more information, please visit www.admaf.org 

© Press Release 2019