Tashkeel has announced the recipients for its inaugural scholarship fund, which provides financial support to artists and designers of the UAE to pursue their postgraduate education.
The Dh500,000 fund, granted every two years, covers tuition fees for postgraduate studies in visual art and design within the UAE and worldwide. Currently, the fund is open to Tashkeel alumni and members only, and there is no limit to the number of recipients chosen.
Selected by an internal committee, the recipients for the 2021-2023 Tashkeel Scholarship Fund are Alia Bin Omair, Lina Ghalib and Faissal El Malak.
The inaugural grantees, all of whom have been members of Tashkeel for several years, have diverse practices, from interior design to jewellery.
Palestinian-Canadian fashion designer El Malak, who studied at Paris's Atelier Chardon Savard, will undertake an MFA Fine Art at Goldsmiths University of London in September 2021 as a way to expand his practice into visual art.
Ghalib, a student of interior architecture at the American University of Sharjah, will pursue a master’s in interior design at Savannah College of Art and Design in the US, while Bin Omair, who is an Emirati jewellery designer, will study Contemporary Jewellery at the Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School in Florence, Italy.
The Tashkeel Scholarship Fund is one of several programmes run by the organisation, which was established by Lateefa bint Maktoum in 2008. Its Critical Practice Programme, launched in 2014, offers mentoring, critiques, production support and studio access to artists in the UAE and culminates in an exhibition at the centre in Dubai's Nad Al Sheba.
In addition, its Tanween Design Programme from 2013 has provided nine-month professional training in product design to local designers, helping them manufacture products, including furniture and lighting pieces.
Tashkeel’s programming for members also includes training, residencies, workshops and talks, and its facilities and studio spaces in Nad Al Sheba and Al Fahidi are available for practitioners to use.
“Our mission has been to empower and enable art and design practitioners who call the UAE home and established their careers here,” said Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel. “By investing in their professional development, we not only nurture them but also build a legacy of skills, knowledge and expertise that shall benefit the UAE art and design sector in years to come.”
Tashkeel will begin accepting applications for the next fund in 2023. Applicants must be valid members of Tashkeel for at least one year or have participated in the Critical Practice Programme or Tanween Design Programme. Recipients must also commit to specific teaching programmes at Tashkeel after their studies.
More information on the Tashkeel Scholarship Fund can be found on tashkeel.org
