The Middle East Institute and The Arab Gulf States Institute are pleased to co-host a talk about the growing visual arts sector in the United Arab Emirates featuring H.E. Hoda Al Khamis Kanoo, founder of Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), a leading non-profit organisation that nurtures the arts and culture of the Emirates through education, professional development, and community programs.
Ms. Kanoo will be joined by Mr. Mohamed Abdul Latif Kanoo, artist and advisor to ADMAF, and Ms. Lisa Ball-Lechgar, advisor to the founder. The featured guests will explore the diversity of the UAE's dynamic visual arts sector and its contribution to the strategic vision of the country. They will also introduce a recent publication, The Art of the Emirates, profiling some of the leading pioneers in this sector. Kate Seelye will moderate the discussion.
The event will begin at 3:00pm, followed by refreshments at 4:15pm. To register, please click here.
Speakers:
H.E. Hoda I. Al Khamis-Kanoo is the founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and a dedicated philanthropist for the arts. She is also the founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, which she established in 2004. The annual festival is a world-class, celebratory experience that seeks to broaden cultural understanding through the arts and heritage of the UAE. Awards and commendations bestowed upon H.E. Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo include: The Abu Dhabi Award & Abu Dhabi Medal, and the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France.
Mohamed Abdul Latif Kanoo holds directorships in several GCC based companies. Mohamed was born in Bahrain into a family with a long interest in the arts. Co-owner and founder of Abu Dhabi's first private art gallery, the Ghaf Art Gallery, he is an internationally noted artist and an advisor to ADMAF.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar has been the advisor to H.E. Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo since 2009. Ms. Ball-Lechgar's duties cover artistic programming, international affairs, publications and advocacy at the foundation. Prior to moving to the Gulf in 2004, she worked in theater, festival and visual arts management, training and research in Scotland, England, Morocco, Egypt and Lebanon, and was head of international affairs & information for Arts & Business, a leading NGO in the UK on cross-sector partnership development.
Welcome Remarks: Amb. Marcelle M. Wahba was appointed by the board of directors on December 10, 2014 to serve as the first president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW), an independent, non-profit organization established in 2014. Prior to her appointment, Wahba held several leadership roles assisting American businesses seeking to establish or expand their presence in the Middle East. Ambassador Wahba retired from the U.S. Department of State in May 2008, after a 22-year career spent mostly in the Middle East
Moderator: Kate Seelye is senior vice president of the Middle East Institute (MEI), where she oversees communications, outreach, and programs, including the institution's growing arts and culture program. Prior to joining MEI in 2009, Seelye worked as a radio and television journalist covering the Arab world from 2000-2009 from her base in Beirut, Lebanon.
Photo courtesy of ADMAF/Motivate.
