Educating the Culture, in an Educational Culture

Education – especially in culture and the arts, is a lifelong journey. There are a growing number of formal further education options in Dubai for those wanting to pursue a career in the creative industry, and they are increasingly making connections from the world of academia to the professional art world. 

The American University in Dubai’s Visual Communication department offers a four-year undergraduate degree covering studio art, graphic design, digital media and advertising. The current Chair of the Department is acclaimed ceramicist Michael Rice who has presented his work in venues across Dubai and internationally.

Zayed University’s College of Arts and Creative Enterprises offers majors in Interior Design, Graphic Design, Visual Art and Animation Design and a minor in curatorial studies, with a large faculty including artists and researchers such as Janet Bellotto.

It supports its students via exhibitions outside the college gates – from the annual ‘Showcace’  in Dubai Design District (d3) and the Zayed University Urban Satellite Space (ZUUSS) which has had pop-ups in Alserkal Avenue and Foundry in downtown Dubai, to exhibitions abroad alongside the Venice Biennale.

Crafted in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Parsons School of Design, it offers a four-year BDes as well as workshops and short courses. Its first full year students presented their designs as part of Dubai Design Week.

The Global or MENA Grad Show, an important component of Dubai Design Week each year, provides a platform for innovative design solutions from design students, developing further the connection between student projects and professional practice. 

 
International universities such as the University of the Arts, London have run short courses in Dubai on curating and interior design, but where Dubai is really leading the way is in the variety of informal learning opportunities. 

Since The Third Line opened its space in Al Quoz in 2005, contemporary galleries across the city have been aware of their collective responsibility to educate their public, running a variety of programmes such as film screenings, artist talks, book clubs and Pecha Kucha evenings. 

Art Dubai has several home-grown educational initiatives, such as the Global Art Forum which gathers together leading experts on a related theme each year, Campus Art Dubai and the Art Dubai Fellowship which offer a sustained programme to selected applicants. 

When non-profit spaces such as Tashkeel and more recently Jameel Arts Centre and Alserkal Foundation took shape, programming of informal education possibilities in Dubai grew thick and fast. Everyone is welcome to participate and be inspired.