2006-2009 Arab artists in schools

Since January 2006 the Arab World Education Programme at the British Museum has been running an artists-in-schools project in London. Funded by the Said Foundation, it aims to promote a better understanding of the Arab world.

The artists work with the Museum to raise students’ awareness of Arab artistic media, counter misleading impressions of Arab achievement and enrich and extend their curricular experience and skills.

Specially selected artists with Middle Eastern heritage, whose work demonstrates a response to their background and contemporary issues, visit schools for up to six weeks to contribute to school enrichment programmes and the curriculum. The artists explore the historical and socio-cultural background to their medium and perform, present or demonstrate the medium to the students. The students develop special projects while working closely with the artists and making good use of British Museum collection.

During the first three phases, eleven schools in the London boroughs of Hounslow, Newham, Camden, Enfield and Greenwich participated in the project. More than 250 young people explored Arab culture through photography, calligraphy, puppetry, screen-printing and other media and developed many new skills to use in their art and design work.

In an exciting development, the British Museum has recently taken the project out of London, working successfully in partnership with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery in 2008.

Here you can find case studies of creative work carried out in individual schools since 2006 as part of our Arab artists in schools project.

Phase 1: January–April 2006

‘My World’
Artist: Sadiq Toma (British-Iraqi)
School: Brentford School for Girls (Hounslow)
Group: Year 10 GCSE
Outcome: painted tiles

‘Middle East Maps’

Artist: Maria Kheirkhah (British-Iranian)
School: Heston Community School (Hounslow)
Group: Year 9 (Gifted & Talented)
Outcome: mixed media map on canvas and felt

‘Headgear’
Artist: Rashad Salim (German-Iraqi)
School: Langdon School (Newham)
Group: Year 10 GCSE
Outcome: animations, flip books and photographic portraits

'Habitations'

Artist: Taha Al-Hiti (British-Iraqi)
School: St Angela’s Ursuline Convent School (Newham)
Group: Year 12 AS
Outcome: mixed AS level exam pieces

Phase 2: June–July 2006

‘Word into Art Murals’ 
Artist: Satta Hashem (British-Iraqi)
School: South Camden Community School (Camden)
Group: Year 8
Outcome: painted murals on board

‘Identity and Photography’

Artist:   Saeed Farouky (British-Palestinian)
School: Forest Gate Community School (Newham)
Group: Year 10 GCSE
Outcome: collaged photographs and 2D work

‘Identity and Place’

Artists: Khosrow Hassanzadeh (Iranian)
Rima Farah (British-Jordanian)
School: Plashet School (Newham)
Group: Year 9
Outcome: painted, stitched and screen-printed cloth banners

Phase 3: March 2007

‘Exploring Calligraphy and Arab Design’
Artist: Lulwah Al-Homoud (British-Saudi Arabian)
School: Chase Community School (Enfield)
Group: Year 10 GCSE
Outcome: painted plates

‘Deconstructing images and words’

Artist: Athier Mousawi (British-Iraqi)
School: Winchmore School (Enfield)
Group: Year 9 (Gifted and Talented)
Outcome: 2D mixed media drawings

‘Arab World Pop Art’
Artist: Rana Salam (British-Lebanese)
School: Eltham Green School (Greenwich)
Group: Year 10 BTEC
Outcome: large Pop Art mural for permanent display in the school

Umm Kulthum’s life through shadow puppetry

Artist: Mahmoud Al Hourani (British-Palestinian)
School: St Thomas More RC School (Greenwich)
Group: Year 9 (Gifted and Talented)
Outcome: shadow puppetry play

Phase 4: June 2008

Artworks of the imagination
Artist: Athier Mousawi (British-Iraqi)
School: Bishop Vesey's Grammar School (Birmingham)
Group: Year 7
Outcome: 2D drawings and collage on a collaborative poster

The Arab World through photomontage
Artist: Saeed Farouky (British-Palestinian)
School: Turves Green Girls' School (Birmingham)
Group: Year 9
Outcome: photography, collage and 2D work

Phase 5: October–November 2008

'Calligraphy murals'
Artist: Mo Ouammi (German-Moroccan)
School: St Mary Redcliffe and Temple CE School (Bristol)
Group: Year 10 BTEC
Outcome: painted murals on board

'Calligraphy murals'
Artist: Mo Ouammi (German-Moroccan)
School: Bristol Metropolitan College (Bristol)
Group: Year 10 BTEC
Outcome: painted murals on board