All year long, the School of Life initiative launched by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority offers educational and interactive programmes in such fields as Life Skills, Art, and Literature, which take place at Dubai public libraries. This month’s theme is Design & Jewelry, so everyone can participate in chess, leadership, jewelry, visual arts, and languages club organised by the initiative. However, this article will cover the art and jewelry workshops held at the Al Safa Art & Design Library.
Theme Club Design & Jewelry offers three events:
Jewelry Designing Workshop (22 January, 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm) curated by Farah Pervez Bharucha (a designer, jewelry professional, and gemologist) is dedicated to jewelry drawing and design. The minimum age of a participant should be 18 years old. The workshop will be held in English and Arabic.
The second workshop is Future Sparks: Designing Smart Jewelry for Tomorrow (25 January, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm). Multi-disciplinary designer and researcher Joanne Hayek will teach participants how to blend technology with traditional jewelry design. They will learn about the principles of smart jewelry and sketch their designs using AI tools. The age of an attendee should be 16-18 years old. The workshop will be held in English.
The participants of the Benches: Reimagined Furniture Design workshop (27 January, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm) curated by Prof. Chadi El Tabbah will create a concept of a futuristic bench considering human scale alignment with furniture design. The minimum age of a participant should be 16 years old. The workshop will be held in English and Arabic.
Fine Art Club offers two workshops for those who are 16+ years old. They are curated by Egyptian artist Magdy El Kafrawy and held in Arabic.
In What Can Color Say? (20 January, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm), participants will learn about techniques and sketching skills by exploring the primary colours. The minimum age of an attendee should be 16 years old. The workshop will be held in Arabic.
In Position of Black and White in the Color Wheel (27 January, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm), one will focus on the primary colours, but the subjects will vary based on the technique being learned throughout the workshop.
The Painting Club invites children (6+ years old) to take part in the Painting Cheerful Blooms Workshop (27 January, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm) held in English. Guided by Nanyombi Margaret, young art lovers will paint colourful flowers inspired by Brazilian artist Romero Britto’s works.
Jewellery Club features a series of workshops led by illustrator and graphic designer Fatma Almheiri. Held in English and Arabic, each workshop will begin at 10:30 am and end at noon. The minimum age of an attendee should be 15 years old.
In Part I: Gemstones Drawing and Rendering (20 January), participants will acquire the skill of drawing gemstones and learn how to design their jewelry. In Part II: Drawing and Rendering Cabochon (21 January), they will draw gemstones and shade cabochons, focusing on enhancing details. In Part III: Drawing and Rendering Pearls and Beads (27 January), one will draw gemstones and shade pearls and beads, highlighting their beauty. In the last workshop, Part IV: Drawing and Redesigning a Necklace (28 January), the attendees will draw an artistic necklace and then redesign it, improving details and adding personal touches.
To learn more about School of Life’s programme this month, please visit its official web page.
You might also be interested in Art History Walks at the Louvre Abu Dhabi and online masterclasses with Emirati artists.
