Dubai Culture supports Art Jameel’s Research and Practice Platform to ease the burden on local creative industry

As part of its ongoing efforts to support the creative community, keeping in purview the COVID-19 outbreak and its resulting challenges, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced its association with Art Jameel, an independent organisation that supports arts, education, and heritage in the UAE and across the region. Dubai Culture has joined hands to support and fund UAE national and UAE-based talents successful in their applications to Art Jameel’s recently launched Research and Practice Platform.

Art Jameel’s Platform is a rapid-response programme offering artists, curators and writers through the Middle East and North Africa support through the allocation of micro fees towards their ongoing or new projects. Dubai Culture’s support of the initiative focusses on helping the UAE’s creative landscape, and has led to a broadening of the UAE edition of the programme to include small-scale cultural collectives and organisations and creative freelancers, as well as independent artists. It is hoped that the Platform, through this collaboration between Dubai Culture and Art Jameel, will play a role in enabling practitioners to sustain their businesses and livlihoods during these challenging times.

The association comes in line with Dubai Culture’s efforts to drive the advancement of the Emirate’s creative scene even during challenging times like the current one. Also, as part of the aforementioned efforts and under the directives of HH Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of Dubai Culture, Dubai Culture is currently supporting the creative community with a number of strategic partnerships and innovative initiatives. 

Hala Badri, director general of Dubai Culture, said, “Dubai Culture is happy to be associated with Art Jameel’s initiative, which seeks to support talents and creative people across the Emirates. The contribution will greatly benefit the network of creatives and play an integral role in keeping the spirits of the artists high during these trying times. With this support, we intend to broaden the scope of grants given to the entire creative landscape in the UAE, including small-scale organisations, freelancers, and independent artists.” 

Artists, creatives and small collectives or organisations (of up to 5 people) based in the UAE are invited to apply for a special UAE edition of the Research and Practice Platform, which launches today. Applications for micro grants (of $1000-$3000) are to be submitted via an online form by the deadline of May 13, for consideration by an independent jury, adhering to pre-set criteria that take into account the originality and compelling nature of the submitted project or area of work, plus the extent to which the applicant has been affected by cancellations and postponements of programmes at this time.

The Authority’s participation aims to support creative professionals in the development of existing work as they embark on new projects from home or adapt their practices and ways of working to the current environment. 

Antonia Carver, Director, Art Jameel, said, “We thank Dubai Culture for their support for the Research and Practice Platform – this is highly significant, not only for UAE creatives but for the region as a whole. We were overwhelmed with applications from across the Middle East to the first deadline (of three in total), confirming that even a micro-grant can be transformative for an artist at this time. Art Jameel built the Platform with the intent that it could be a collaborative initiative – and we are thrilled that Dubai Culture, in the city that is home to Jameel Arts Centre, is first to declare its support.”

The new association comes within the framework of Dubai Culture’s efforts to enable and empower the cultural scene and strengthen the community’s interaction with cultural activities by encouraging creative talents to showcase their creations from home for the community to witness. It is also part of the Authority’s efforts to enrich the audience’s cultural experience and add some positivity to the current difficult circumstances.