Exchange scheme for Emirati women artists

Sheikha Manal Al Maktoum, wife of Dubai’s minister for foreign affairs, launched an exchange programme for female artists from the Emirates at Art Basel yesterday. According to the programme’s director Nazneen Shafi, the scheme is open to undergraduate students of fine art, visual communication and design, and has been created to introduce them to contemporary and historic art, via partnerships with international institutions. The first partner in this pilot phase is Art Basel. “We have art schools, and we will soon have major museums, so we want to build a bridge between the two,” says Ms Shafi. Fourteen students aged 19 to 23 are currently in Basel, with a new intake expected every one to two years. “This is a long-term commitment,” says general manager Muna Bin Kalli. “The programme will last several years, as long as necessary. It is not just about supporting artists, but developing the arts managers and curators of the future.”