ABU DHABI // Six months ago, most of them had never owned a camera other than the one embedded in their mobile phone. But last night 40 students from the UAE University in Al Ain displayed a collection of their digital photography in a groundbreaking exhibition at the Ghaf Gallery.
The students developed their skills in the Smart (Seminar in Mastering the Arts) programme, a joint initiative between the university and the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF). "It may seem like an average photo exhibition, but the significance of it goes beyond the pictures on the wall," said the foundation's founder, Hoda Kanoo. "It is the beat, the passion behind each shot. Considering that most of these photos were taken by local Emirati girls, you have to consider the huge amount of work that went into each one."
She called the exhibition "history in the making"; it was the first time work from the Smart programme had been made public. Amani al Ameri, 23, said knowing her photographs would be shown to the public encouraged her to try harder. "It made me work harder and want to improve my skills," she said. "Maybe after this one we can have exhibitions in other galleries or even in other countries." Ms al Ameri, who is studying marketing, said she has always loved photography but never had a chance to practise it before.
The Smart programme was launched at the beginning of last year. The university devised a number of short courses in subjects such as photography, drama, film writing, poetry and theatre, which ADMAF agreed to sponsor. The photography seminar took place in March when Bruce West and Gwen Walstrand, professors from Missouri State University, visited the campus. Since then 40 students, 30 of them female, have been working on their skills and collaborating on the exhibition.
Donald Baker, the dean of the college of humanities and social sciences college at UAE University, said this kind of exposure was invaluable to his students. "These programmes were specifically designed to prepare our students for the cultural centre that Abu Dhabi is set to become," he said. "They already have a natural and very strong aesthetic sense in their culture and tradition, so the Smart courses were aimed at encouraging that.
"We hope that having the opportunity to show their work in public will give them an extra dimension to their work in terms of experience and forging future careers." Mrs Kanoo said without such ventures, creative thinking would not flourish. "It is our obligation to invest in the young," she said. "They need to be able to express themselves. The most important thing about this exhibition is that people are having their voices heard and that is boosting their creativity and confidence. This is just the start; in two or three years these students will still be benefiting from this and hopefully be on their way to successful careers."
The idea for the exhibition came after the week-long workshop earlier this year. The visiting professors noted the natural talent of the students, and over the summer the students united and decided to host an exhibition. The students' work will be exhibited until September 26. aseaman@thenational.ae