The children of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurate ladies day at “Art Dubai” 2016

Under the patronage of HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Dubai: 20 March, 2016 – As part of the ongoing support provided by HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and the leading role she plays in driving the cultural and artistic movement in the region, particularly through initiatives and art projects including the Art Exchange Program, the Young Artist Award, the Little Artist Program and a number of other programs developed for youths and children; the children of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurated ladies day at “Art Dubai” 2016, which is being held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, from 16 - 19 March 2016, at the Madinat Jumeirah.

Mohammed, Hamdan and Fatima, sons and daughter of HH Sheikh Mansour, toured the exhibition, which is the leading international art fair in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia; and participated in inaugurating the ‘Sheikha Manal Little Artist Program’ on ladies day, accompanied by representatives of The Cultural Office of HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Women Establishment and a number of prominent Emirati women leaders.

Sheikh Mohammed, Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikha Fatima also participated in the Discovery Tours of “Art Dubai”, which are available for children aged 5 - 17 and being led by UAE-based and international artists, providing young people with an opportunity to discover the exhibition with art works brought to life though maps and story-telling.

They also participated in the “Little Artist Program”, which is now in its fourth and largest edition in partnership with “Art Dubai”. This year’s program centres on a range of “Mobile Variety Club” workshops, led by London-based artist and educator Polly Brannan, which focus on children and their families creating sets, props and visuals for a number of acts including songs, comedy, poetry, puppet shows, dance, quizzes, demonstrations and magic tricks.

The workshops span across six zones, including ‘welcome’, ‘planning’, ‘props & costumes’, ‘set building’, ‘backgrounds & visuals’, and ‘posters & flyers'. A number of UAE-based and Emirati artist apprentices including Asmaa El Afifi, Alia Lootah, Isabella E. Toledo, Zahia Abdul and Maryam Saffarini are also supporting the workshops. During the program, children and their families are encouraged to work together to develop the production, assigning all members of the family various roles in order to make the performance possible.

Launched in 2013 as part of HH Sheikha Manal’s belief in the importance of art and culture within the community, and her commitment to fostering young, creative minds, the ‘Little Artist Program’ focuses on using play, conversations and performance as a tool for developing children’s social and emotional skills, enhancing their academic performance, stretching their minds and helping them to see what they look at, hear what they listen to, and feel what they touch. The Little Artist program is open to children and teenagers aged 5 – 17 years throughout  the event.