Art should be viewed as a basic need for all sectors of society – it can build empathy, boost economies and even promote justice and fairness.
This was the message from one of the discussions at the inaugural Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi this week. During a panel entitled The Different Cultures of Funding Culture: A Look at Private Philanthropy, State Support and What Lies Between the Two, the speakers talked about funding – often a pertinent question, particularly when considering non-profit and institutional-level art.
While the differences between private patronage and governmental funding were touched upon, the three speakers all agreed that, in the end, the most important thing was to make art accessible to people of all social and economic levels, while also working on a political level to help a nation mature and develop.
“Artists have always been a part of the narrative of progress of any society,” said Darren Walker, the president of Ford Foundation in the United States. “Without artists it is hard to imagine how America can be America.”
Angela Migally, the executive director of Abu Dhabi’s Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, spoke about the funding of cultural initiatives in the Emirates.
“The UAE is a young country and, as with any developing country, the government is usually the primary driver for cultural advancement,” she said.
“Here, there really is a sincere interest from the government to support art and cultural heritage, and they are widely accepted as a public good.
“Something we try to do is explain how they can affect every-thing else – including innovation, diplomacy and the economy.”
Werner Binnenstein-Bachstein, the director of the community arts lab at Porticus Foundation, added to both points by saying art should be defined as a primary focus and basic need for everyone.
“That means, as private philanthropists, we are all responsible for making sure this is accessible to everyone,” he said.
While all agreed art and culture can have a great effect on all aspects of life, they also conceded there was a long way to go to fully realise this potential.
Binnenstein-Bachstein pointed out the lack of arts education around the world, saying it remains an issue in most countries.
“There is enough money out there, but it is a question of distribution,” he said.
“It’s about where we set priorities and what we do – but we need to do much more.”
Walker picked up the conversation, and made a few points that had the audience clapping in agreement – the only speaker to elicit such an obvious reaction.
“The question is not whether children are receiving arts education – some children are, but they are from elite societies – the question is do poor children, from lower-class communities, deserve access to the arts?” he said.
“We should be clear about what the challenge is. If we see poor and marginalised people as deficits then we won’t invest in them. If we see them as assets ... we will see that it is essential that we invest in them.”
Migally talked about the UAE and why she believes there is not only a sincere focus on the arts and education, but also several private patrons actively looking to invest in the arts. She added that the role of foundations in the country is to connect these patrons with artists.
She mentioned the Salama foundation as being an example of a way to direct funding to places where it is most needed and would deliver the greatest benefit.
Regarding problems with private philanthropy, Walker said: “One of the dangers in the US is that during a time of growing inequality, having the private sector and donors determine priority for culture is problematic. Culture is a national identity, and if left to the elite to determine what the national identity is then there will be people who are visible, who are usually advantaged, and people who are invisible, who are usually disadvantaged, in that narrative. The challenge is to be more responsible.”
Binnenstein-Bachstein closed the session on a positive note, saying he hoped conferences such as this could help to close such gaps by bringing together people from different backgrounds and having them think outside of their comfort zone.
It was a hopeful message to conclude a discussion that strayed far from the differences in funding sources and concentrated more on the ways to use philanthropy and public resources to advance social change through the arts.
aseaman@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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