“Education, intercultural dialogue, and global collaboration have always been the driving force behind Dubai Culture’s vision. Since our inception, we have strived to bring together Emirati, UAE-based, regional and international artists to further strengthen the cultural framework of the region through creative exchange. Campus Art Dubai is a testament to Dubai Culture’s mandate of providing substantial platforms, such as our own multi-faceted Art Services, to bolster the growth of our aspiring and emerging talent, putting them on par with their international counterparts.”

 Khalil Abdulwahid, Manager of Visual Arts, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) 

 

Campus Art Dubai, held in partnership with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts and heritage, launches its second season on October 26, and grows in stature to include both an intensive Core course for career artists and curators, plus a wider Membership program for the arts community at large. Running from October 2013 through to March 2014, the course culminates during Art Week 2014, Dubai’s premier umbrella arts initiative which includes Art Dubai, SIKKA – the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority’s artist-led contemporary art fair and Design Days Dubai.

The first, pilot, session of Campus Art Dubai concluded in June 2013, with 32 artists and curators graduating from an intense six-month course. The program included a series of workshops, seminars and one-on-one mentoring sessions and was met with broad attendance and positive feedback from participants and community members. Campus Art Dubai invited members of the local arts community o apply for places on the 2013-14 courses; over 230 applicants applied, with over 100 competing for just 15 places on the Core course—this is more than double the number applying to the first course.

Cultivating an extensive base of participants and attendees, Campus Art Dubai is designed to bridge between formal education and professional practice. The program provides a platform for participants to engage with experts, tutors and leaders in the field and benefit from their experience and guidance to develop and hone their knowledge, appreciation and skills.

 

Campus Art Dubai 2.0

 

Building on the success of its first edition, Campus Art Dubai 2.0’s theme is Mediation and has been developed with lead tutor Tirdad Zolghadr, who has previously lectured at Bard College in New York.

The lectures, workshops and seminars will be led by a local and international cast of academics, critics, curators and artists including Aaron Cezar, Salwa Mikdadi, Uzma Rizvi, Oraib Toukan and Murtaza Vali.

Campus Art Dubai 2.0 will be split into two concurrent levels of programming—a Membership level, open to all, with monthly lectures and quarterly workshops; and another Core level of more intense tutoring for the fifteen retained participants.

The Core program is designed to give theoretical and practical skills to a group of upcoming AE-based artists, curators and writers, and to “fast-track” towards a career in the arts. With meetings occurring twice a month on alternating Saturdays, the Core group participants will engage in regular group critiques, one-on-one advising, lectures and workshops, and work together with the tutors towards a thematic innovative publication, set to launch during Art Week 2014.

The Membership programme is open to all upon registration, and allows attendance to a larger group of participants who are passionate and interested in contemporary art. This constituent of Campus Art Dubai, devised after the large success and popularity of Campus Art Dubai1.0’s public programme, provides access to engaging discussions with international experts in the fields of art, curating, writing and cultural production, and takes place once a month. Campus Art Dubai is still welcoming applications for its Membership programme until the end of October. All interested arts community members and arts enthusiasts residing in the UAE can visit or download the application here.

Cheers