Paving the way for the ‘Artists of the Future’

By Mai Al Abria — With all the right support and comprehensive tools at their disposal, how far can young artists develop their talents?

If you give Primary school students — those from Grades 1 to 4 — a challenge to simulate the work of famous artists both in local and international levels, will they rise to the occasion and deliver?

It may seem a daunting task but such has been the initiative taken by Al-Amaal Primary School based in Muscat led by Art teacher Bushra al Zuhaimia.

And the recent art exhibition titled ‘Artists of the Future’ is the testament to what young students can do.

Inaugurated on May 9, 2016 at Bait Al Dalaleel in Bait Al Zubair, the event was graced by the presence of Janab al Sayyida Mayya bint Hamoud al Said. The event aimed to develop and highlight the creative strengths of the students.

Students who participated in the exhibition showed their talents by displaying paintings as established artists. Each student chose a pioneer artist from the Sultanate, the Gulf and some of the artists globally to study and simulate their works. They successfully analysed the concepts of pioneers, sensed the aesthetics of the paintings, and then emulated the pioneers work through their own personal creations.

Each student explored the elements in the artwork of pioneer artists such as Hassan al Meer, from the United Arab Emirates, Najat Makki, from Kuwait, Samar al Badr from Qatar, Ibtisam al Saffar from Bahrain, Adnan al Ahmad and Zakia al Mutab from Saudi Arabia.

Upon presenting the idea to the pioneers, Bushra started to work on the project for three months, targeting six students.

In Al-Amaal School, teachers invest in capturing students’ high potential. Internally, they encouraged a mobility culture that allows students to grow, and externally, by relying on different young talent integrating programmes, designed to accelerate the development of competencies that are crucial for personal and professional growth.

The output was 42 paintings of different style and subjects.

“I hope that Omani art will develop with small Omani talents, and I am very thankful for the cooperation of all those who stood by my side and make this project come true,” Bushra said.

“I think this exhibition is like a talent show where students have great opportunity to show off their talents to their friends, parents and the school community. It helps build the students confidence and opens them to new horizons of development. In our school, we nurture the next generation of artists who are well prepared to take on the various challenges in the future,” she added.

Bait Al Dalaleel at Bait Al Zubair is an art space created for young Omanis to display their work to new audiences in a relaxed and beautiful environment. Artists and audiences alike can explore a wide variety of art books and magazines as well as discover some new creativity and talent in Oman. Throughout the year, Bait Al Dalaleel offers workshops and meetings for young creative artists to explore their work and develop their talent.

The exhibition “Artists of the Future” will continue in Bait Al Dalaleel till May 18, 2017 and can be visited during working hours from Saturday till Thursday from 9.30 am till 6.00 pm, at Bait Al Zubair Foundation.