Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Art Jameel, an organization that supports heritage, education and the arts, has launched a summer program of workshops and activities that celebrate the heritage of Jeddah’s historic district, Al-Balad.

Through the program, which opened on Saturday, Art Jameel is participating in the Saudi Art Council’s inaugural 21,39 Summer Edition.

Art Jameel’s program focuses on children and families, especially communities living in Al-Balad, and uses craft and the traditional arts to foster artistic engagement with the rich architectural heritage of old Jeddah, and to address challenges with waste and sustainability.

For the Saudi Art Council’s first summer edition of 21,39, curated by Bricklab, Art Jameel is delivering a program of workshops that use craft to turn waste into art. The program, which supports communities living in Al-Balad, addresses the sustainable management of waste, preventing the degradation of the historic buildings, and reviving traditional crafts in old Jeddah.

Two workshops — using waste paper and card to make lights in traditional geometric styles; and introducing the Islamic tradition of ceramics through clay-pressing — are delivered in partnership with KHAM, a makerspace in Jeddah opened by three alumni of the Jameel House one-year program. A third workshop — using waste plastic bags and traditional Arabian embroidery to make coasters — is delivered in partnership with Kees Chic, a social enterprise established by Diana Rayyan, an alumna of the inaugural short workshop program at the Jameel House. The workshops are delivered by the Art Jameel team at venues in Al-Balad including the Jameel House and Project Space Art Jameel.

Art Jameel has close ties to Al-Balad. As well as the Jameel House, which opened in 2015, Art Jameel opened Project Space Art Jameel in Jeddah in April this year. The Project Space, a stone’s throw from the Jameel House in the very heart of Al-Balad, is a creative space and a venue for collaborations with contemporary and traditional artists, designers and creatives, which aims to foster closer artistic engagement with the heritage of historic Jeddah.

All the Art Jameel summer workshops are open and free. More information on the program, including timings, venues and the subject of each workshop, are available on Art Jameel’s website, artjameel.org, and social media, @art_jameel.