JEDDAH, 23 June 2006 — Renowned women artists yesterday honored all the children who had participated in the art workshop held at the House of Artists at Jamjoom center last week.
“Every child has received an encouragement prize for the effort and the enthusiasm he or she showed,” said a woman artist. Despite financial crunch the organizers successfully held the workshop and gave the awards.
More than 470 children attended the three-day summer art workshop held last week to engage children and mothers and emphasize the value of art.
Women members of the Jeddah-based House of Artists formed a group called “Eshraqat Faniya” with an aim of engaging children and mothers alike in art to explore talents and reinforce the value of art in society, said artist Wafaa Yarimi, the head of the group.
Children who participated in the workshop were divided into three age groups and were allowed to choose from a range of different activities involving painting and similar crafts.
With a view to giving children time away from their parents, mothers were given a special mothers’ corner where organizers briefed them on the art of flower arranging and other crafts.
Organizers say the women’s group has not received any financial support from the House of Artists but were allowed to hold the workshop on their premises.
Members of “Eshraqat Faniya” looked for sponsors themselves to buy basic items to conduct the workshop. After asking around, Yarimi’s husband managed to secure SR2,000 from the local division of PepsiCo, Inc. The artists said that they barely managed to operate with the tiny budget and had to give some of their own cash.
According to the organizers the response and enthusiasm of children and parents alike was encouraging and many people asked for a similar workshop to be arranged next summer.
The 15 members of “Eshraqat Faniya” hope to organize and hold similar public events. They believe that the message of art should not be locked behind closed doors.
“Art is not a privilege it’s a way of life,” said Yarimi.
