INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF ART PALESTINE

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Articles "Clarifying Vision for Contemporary Art in Palestine"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. Published April 2007 The International Academy of Art Palestine sponsored a Contemporary Art and Higher Art Education seminar in Ramallah on March 27 & 28, 2007 bringing together all stakeholders in the arts and culture sector including many international speakers with the opening address by the Minister of Culture, Mr. Bassam Al Salhi and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art, Mr. Mazen Qupty.

The local and international experts helped widen the scope of research on contemporary art organized by Reem Fadda, cademic Officer and Khaled Hourani, Arts Director at the Academy. Representatives from the partner institute in Oslo included Dean Stale Stenslie, Dean of Art, Oslo National Academy of Art and Henrik Placht, advisor and manager for the academy project.

The goal is to instigate questions related to applying curricula in higher art education to he reality in Palestine in order to help the Academy create a custom designed curriculum for experimental teaching this September for the first set of studentsto enter the four year Bachelor of Arts program. Establishing an Academy of Art to specialize in contemporary visual arts in Palestine will not solve the problems of the country but it will be investigational in providing open room for hope. The Academy will foster understanding for the importance of art for humanity and its relationship to culture advancement while encouraging artistic expression and creativity.

Dr. Bashir Makhoul, Head of the Winchester Art School, University of Southampton, UK, presented the Formation of Curriculum while Dr. Tina Sherwell, Dean of Art at Winchester addressed the topic of cultural contexts for Contemporary Palestinian Art and Education. Other speakers included Dr. Munir Fasheh, Harvard University; Salwa Mikdadi, independent curator and art historian; Nabil Anani, local renown Palestinian artist and Head of Palestinian league of Artists; Vera Tamari, Artist and Director of Virtual Gallery, Birzeit University; Adila Laidi-Hanieh, Cultural Studies Department and fine Arts Program, Birzeit University and Dr. Abdul Karim Barghouthi, Chairperson of Cultural Studies Department, Birzeit University served as moderator. Valuable contributions were made by many participants including well known artist Tayseer Barakat and leading Palestinian artist Suleiman Mansour, both board members of the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art establishing the new International Academy of Art Palestine as their main project funded for the first three years solely by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented at the seminar by the program advisor from the Representative Office of Norway, Ms. Raheek Ranawi. Supporting board members also include Mohammed Odeh senior advisor in the President’s Office; Sameh Abboushi, active artistically and culturally having worked on many prominent architectural projects and Iman Aoun, Director of Ashtar currently performing: Theatre of Oppressed Season in many extraordinary performances throughout Palestine having a magnificent opening April 12th with a full house at the Ramallah Cultural Palace. Alia Rayyan, writer and critic gave an excellent presentation on Image and Perception in Local Context while the multi media artist Samia Taktak Zaru presented Art Domains in Higher Education, while her participation in International and Arab Exhibitions has won her three reputable medals and many awards. This successful seminar included phone conferences with artist and writer Kamal Boullata from France and Egyptian artists Mohammed Abla and Adel El Siwi. The International Academy of Art Palestine aims to produce professional artists while aspiring to be a progressive and productive artistic space within the Palestinian and Arab context that constantly promotes and prompts cultural change and advancement. Academic Art Education will be used as an alternative standard of thought and action and as a means of transforming cultural attitudes and outlooks.