UAEU’s Budding Artists Recognized for their Achievements
The Department of Fine Arts from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) held the 2nd Annual Student Art Exhibition at the UAEU campus under the patronage of Professor Mohamed Al-Baili, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. There was an impressive number of submissions this year compared to the previous year as the competition was open not only to students from the Department of Fine Arts, but to all students from UAEU to showcase their artistic talents.
There was three award categories which included 2D Painting and Drawings, 3D Sculptures and Photography. The winning students were presented their prizes during the award ceremony by Professor Mohamed Al-Baili, who said, “The standard of art this year has escalated and this exhibition showcases the diversity of visual art forms and young artists that are present within the UAE. I believe that such art initiatives are essential for building innovative thinkers who will be the worlds’ leaders tomorrow and that creativity is a special gift for us all.”
The winners were selected by a distinguished judge’s panel comprised of prominent figures from the University who are playing a critical role in the encouragement and promotion of Fine Art among students. Dr. Mohammed Al Sadoun, lecturer and a member of the judging panel said, “Selecting the award winning works from so many quality submissions was an immense challenge. The selection process was based upon: skills; freedom of expression; and evaluation based on the criteria of originality, technique, and the appearance of a personal vision or voice.”
The prize winners for the 2D category was as follows: 1st place Raga Saif Ali, 2nd place Jameela Khamis Al Hammadi and 3rd place Salwa Salem Al Braik; for the 3D category; 1st place Ahmed Saeed Al Hassan, 2nd place Leila El Najjar and 3rd place Ala’a Alhrout; and for the Photography category, 1st place Yousef Al Tenjani, 2nd place Maryam Al Kaabi and 3rd place Fatima Mohammed.
The Department of Fine Arts intends to send some of the winning pieces to be displayed in an Art Gallery in Dubai. One of the winning students, Jameela Khamis Al Hammadi said she intends to sell her artwork and will donate some of the money she receives to a charity. Currently there is only a minor specialization offered in Fine Arts at UAEU, however the University plans to introduce a major specialization in Fine Arts from next year.
