Dubai Culture Launches 1st Edition of 'Talent Atelier' Program for Emirati Designers

The program aligns with Dubai Culture's efforts to strengthen the cultural and creative industries. WAM
The program aligns with Dubai Culture's efforts to strengthen the cultural and creative industries. WAM
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Dubai Culture Launches 1st Edition of 'Talent Atelier' Program for Emirati Designers

The program aligns with Dubai Culture's efforts to strengthen the cultural and creative industries. WAM
The program aligns with Dubai Culture's efforts to strengthen the cultural and creative industries. WAM

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced the launch of the 1st edition of 'Talent Atelier' program, organized in collaboration with L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts supported by Van Cleef & Arpels.

The program aligns with Dubai Culture's efforts to strengthen the cultural and creative industries, reinforcing the emirate's position as a global center for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent. It aims to expand the horizons of creatives and talented individuals, refining their expertise in jewelry making and enriching their knowledge in this field.

The program, which will be held from 2nd September to 30th November 2024, focuses on three main pillars: the history of jewelry, the world of gemstones and the savoir-faire of jewelry-making techniques. Dubai Culture aims to develop the skills of 12 Emirati designers who will participate in a series of jewelry arts courses and workshops at the L’ÉCOLE Middle East campus in Dubai Design District.

The top six designers will be awarded the opportunity to visit Paris for five days in November to participate in an educational program organized at L’ÉCOLE France & Europe’s new campus, Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau on the Grands Boulevards. These designers will be selected based on creativity, material exploration, and application of learning.

Dr. Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, affirmed that Dubai has succeeded in establishing itself as a leading destination for design, attracting distinguished emerging talents in this field. “The Talent Atelier program embodies the Authority's cultural commitments and responsibilities aimed at supporting and empowering Emirati designers and entrepreneurs, encouraging them to unleash their talents and contribute to enriching the creative scene in the emirate," he said.

"This initiative is about building bridges between cultures, dialogues between different arts disciplines, fostering creativity, and supporting the next generation of Emirati Talents,” said Sophie Claudel, Director of L’ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts.



Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
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Egypt Opens More Galleries in Long-Awaited Antiquities Museum

A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)
A King Ramses II statue displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum during the trial partial operation in Giza, Egypt, 15 October 2024. (EPA)

Egypt opened a series of galleries to the public on Tuesday in its flagship new museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located near the pyramids of Giza.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly last week announced a "trial opening" ahead of a formal inauguration. Egyptian officials say a number of world leaders have expressed interest in attending the official opening but have not indicated when this will take place.

Pharaonic statues are showcased at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

The museum's main entrance hall with its stairway of Pharaonic statues and an annex for commercial shopping opened to the public in February 2023.

Ali Abu Al-Shish, a member of the Egyptian Archaeologists Union who attended Tuesday's opening of almost a dozen galleries, said the trial operation of the vast museum was evidence Egypt now had the space to exhibit its antiquities, including those being returned by Western states and museums.

It's an "important message that we can recover our antiquities, which are spread across various countries in the world," he said.

Visiting Russian tourist Kseniia Muse said: "We are so happy to be here, to have visited these beautiful sculptures... It is very modern and at the same time you can touch the ancient."

Pharaonic statues are displayed at the Grand Staircase of the Grand Egyptian Museum during a partial trial in Giza, Egypt, October 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Tourism is an important source of foreign currency revenue for Egypt. The government has been trying to increase tourist numbers after facing a long-running foreign currency shortage that was exacerbated by external shocks.

Until now, Egypt's most famous collections have been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has been largely unmodernized and unrenovated since opening in 1902.