Prestigious Abu Dhabi awards now accepting entries

Abu Dhabi - The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award for arts is now open for 2017 submissions. The awards are presented by the New York University Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation

The sixth Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award, presented by New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF), is now open for 2017 submissions.
The Award aims to cultivate emerging artistic talent in the UAE by annually recognizing the creation of an artwork that, in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, can be publicly exhibited.
"Producing a work of public art is among the most challenging and rewarding projects an artist can undertake," said Maya Allison, NYUAD's Art Gallery director.
"NYUAD's Visual Arts department, Art Gallery and Institute are proud to mentor the awardee and produce the award, made possible by our partnership with ADMAF and Christo," she added.
The Award is open to all young artists in the UAE, who have graduated in the past five years. Applications are open until November 30, 2016. Entrants may select any medium, including, but not limited to photography, sculpture, installation, land art or video. The artwork will be exhibited publicly and the winning artist will be awarded US$ 10,000.
Established in 2012, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award is designed to encourage the creation of new artwork in the UAE, act as a launch pad for visual artists across the Emirates and offer the winner an insight into professional life as an artist from conception to exhibition.
"Creativity is the lifeblood of civilization, and supporting creativity in the UAE is so important. The experience this award offers young artists is tremendous," said Christo, a Bulgarian-born American artist most famous for his public art installations such as the Wrapped Coast, which involved literally wrapping 2.4 kilometres of Australian coastline in 92,900 square meters of fabric.
The 2016 Award honoured American University of Sharjah students Mohammad Abualhuda, Khalid Khairi Al Tamimi and Ghanem Mohamed Younes for their project Silk Road.
The winners were also invited to the unveiling of Christo's first major installation in ten years, The Floating Piers in Italy in June 2016. Previous winners include Shaikha Maryam bint Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2013, Erin Meekhof from NYUAD in 2014 and architecture students Salwa Al Khudairi and Nada Al Mulla from the American University of Sharjah in 2015.
"The unveiling of The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award has become a highlight of the Abu Dhabi Festival. There is so much artistic talent grown and nurtured in the UAE and the quality of the submissions we have seen in the past has really been a credit to this," mentioned Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo, founder of ADMAF.
The selection committee will meet on January 8 and 15, 2017 and the winning artwork will be unveiled at NYUAD on April 27, 2017.
To apply, entrants must complete an online application form, including a proposed budget, available at nyuad.nyu.edu/christo.
- silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi