Importance of Nurturing Art Appreciation in Youth

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,” said celebrated Spanish painter Pablo Picasso on the creative ability that each child possesses and how the society fails to nurture this intellectual and artistic repository.

More often than not, the journey of nurturing starts within the four walls of our houses and institutions. At home, parents could create a more inclusive culture experience through after school activities, visit to museums and art galleries, sporting events, creative workshops, etc. As an educational institution, a significant amount of time and attention dedicated to arts and humanities during a child’s formative years goes a long way. Only by supporting our youth and giving them the platform to explore and express themselves, will we be able to raise a generation that creatively tells our story to the rest of the world.

Developing cultural appreciation also offers a gateway to tolerance and dialogue, because cultural exchange represents a real force that creates understanding, strengthens social ties, and builds bridges of intercultural dialogue, thus creating a more understanding future through thoughtful participation by the youth. In the age of artificial intelligence and technology, it is no longer difficult to discover creative abilities in young individuals, and nurture them in their pivotal age of development to reach excellence in creativity and contribute to the global economy.

At the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, it is our top priority to develop youth engagement and encourage them to be more actively involved in creative fields. In 2017, the Ministry of Education launched the first edition of the “Masterpieces” program that saw school and university students exhibit exceptional talent in the fields of visual arts, theatre and music. An ambitious project in its own right, the initiative provided a space for creativity and artistic abilities to flourish across the many forms of culture. The UAE hopes that this platform will continue to serve as a launch pad for identifying and promoting Emirati culture and exhibiting it to the rest of the world through world class theatre performances, festivals and exhibitions.

The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development is currently in the process of establishing the UAE National Orchestra, which will identity young individuals with a keen interest in music, train them with professionals in the field, and offer them the opportunity to perform as part of the National Orchestra at some of the world’s most prestigious theatres.

Last week, Zayed University inaugurated a dedicated Urban Satellite Space in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue to offer university students the opportunity to exhibit their works in a gallery setting. This platform will afford young individuals the opportunity to develop their creative ideas, receive critical feedback from the diverse community of art-goers in the country and refine their practice in the future. The space is also committed to hosting regular workshops, lectures and seminars that will allow the students to contextualize their works with an academic perspective.

During the tour of the exhibition at the Zayed University Urban Satellite Space (ZUUSS), the students introduced us to a range of creative artworks and designs that reflected the essence of our unique culture through the use of modern methods of technology. The ZUUSS programme inspires a generation that is capable of understanding the local art scene and presenting it in a way that is both relevant and up to speed with our fast-changing environment. Such individual and institutional efforts play a key role in strengthening the position of the United Arab Emirates as a hub for cultural and creative growth in our youth.

The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge development hopes to continue to promote creative efforts in the country by supporting talent, raising awareness on the importance of art and its impact on public life, create artistic mobility among different segments of the society, stimulate artistic residency programs in the UAE, and inspire new artistic spirit in the community that makes it more profound and beautiful for the society to thrive.