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Art Dubai Announces The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program

Art Dubai, the leading international art fair in the Middle East and South Asia, announces The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program, a set of artist-conceived projects for children and teenagers.

Held under the patronage and guidance of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment, wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, UAE, the program is an initiative promoted by The Cultural Office of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which was established in 2013 to serve as a platform to develop and activate substantial art movements as milestones within the region.

Part of Art Dubais long-standing commitment to arts education for all ages, The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program was launched in 2013 to promote art appreciation among children, through specially-designed and artist-led educational activities. This years programme expands to include activities for teenagers as well as children (covering ages 5-16), with the projects led by both international and UAE-based artists. There are more than 15 events throughout the week of the fair (March 19-22).

Mona Bin Kalli, Director of The Cultural Office said: "Inspired by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoums longstanding belief that arts education is an integral part of a child's early development, we are pleased to organize The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program for a second year in partnership with Art Dubai. Moreover, in line with Dubai's vision to establish this nation as an international hub for the arts, our objective for this program is to introduce a new generation of creative thinkers to the powerful world of art and give them the confidence to pursue a career; thus adding to the every growing and evolving UAE arts community."

Art Dubai and The Cultural Office have invited Australia-based artist Dylan Martorell as featured artist for the Sheikha Manal Little Artists programme in 2014. Dylan works in drawing, installation and sound: for The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program in Art Dubai, he has devised a set of dynamic and innovative workshops (for ages 5-8 and 9-12) that will have the young artists creating sounds from drawings and instruments from upcycled materials. Assisting him will be the UAE-based artists Reem Falaknaz and Sara Naim.
Dylan is also running a workshop for UAE-based artists interested in developing their skills in both sound art and childrens art education, sharing his knowledge and experience in this innovative area.

The Sheikha Manal Little Artists Program also features the return of Discovery Tours, which proved a hit at last years fair. Led by UAE-based artists Rania Jishi, Athier Moussawi and Khawla Darwish, and specially designed for ages 8-12 and 13-16, these tours enable young people to discover all aspects of the fair, with the works brought alive via a series of maps and the story-telling of the guides.

We take Art Dubais spirit of innovation and discovery right through to the programming for children and families: through these unique, artist-led projects, children get immersed in art and develop their ideas and skills in a fun environment. Last year more than 120 children participated, and this year we hope to welcome even more little artists to take part, says Antonia Carver, Art Dubai Fair Director.

For more information and the latest updates, please visit artdubai.ae, become a Fan of Art Dubai on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/artdubai.artfair and follow us on Twitter @artdubai.

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