Culture & Education | Tuesday 10 October, 2017 2:46 pm |

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has announced its cultural partnership with the prestigious L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels (L’ÉCOLE) – the Paris-based school of jewellery arts that will be making its Middle East debut at Hai d3 in Dubai Design District from 7th to 24th November 2017. The partnership was announced recently at the Etihad Museum during an event that was attended by Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture; Alessandro Maffi, Managing Director of Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East & India; and a number of other representatives from both parties.

In the spirit of the Year of Giving 2017 launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, all funds collected from course registrations during L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels Dubai will be donated to Dubai Cares. 

The 17-day programme will see L’ÉCOLE presenting a full set of classes led by professional jewellers, art historians, gemmologists and watchmakers, including 13 adult classes around three main themes: ‘Savoir-Faire’, ‘Art History of Jewels’ and ‘The Universe of Gemstones’. The classes will be complemented by six creative workshops for children and a range of other jewellery related activities including evening conversations, exhibits and activations. 

Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture, commented: “We are delighted to be welcoming L’ÉCOLE to the Middle East and are pleased to announce our cultural partnership, which will bring some of the world’s foremost design experts to Dubai and enrich the general public with a deeper understanding of the fine art of jewellery and watch making. The partnership demonstrates Dubai Culture’s commitment to collaborating with the private sector to support the UAE’s design scene, inspire a new generation of design talent, and establish Dubai as a global centre for creativity.”

The partnership will see the Authority supporting L’ÉCOLE at all stages of implementation, including educational guidance through a series of workshops and classes, and helping to spread an intellectual appreciation of the art of jewellery design among UAE citizens and residents. Dubai Culture encourages collaboration between the government and private sectors in not only the UAE and the region, but also internationally. Over the course of the exhibition, Dubai Culture will dedicate its regional design expertise to ensuring that the L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels Dubai collaboration is an outstanding success, and that it engages the wider community to support art and culture from all over the world.

Saeed Al Nabouda concluded: “L’ÉCOLE complements the ongoing calendar of activities and initiatives that the Authority has launched in support of the Year of Giving 2017, which encourages partnerships like this. Our collaboration with L’ÉCOLE is just one example of our dedication to bringing the community together to enjoy these beautiful arts and give back to a worthy cause. We continue to fulfil the philanthropic vision of our wise leadership while also furthering our mandate to enhance UAE’s design scene. L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels Dubai promises to be an uplifting programme in every sense.”

“It is with great pleasure we announce the cultural partnership with Dubai Culture today,” commented Alessandro Maffi, Managing Director of Van Cleef & Arpels Middle-East and India. “The three weeks program, filled with workshops, evening conversations, and curated exhibitions with local partners, is our way of welcoming the public to explore our world of joaillerie. Everyone is welcome to our campus in November.”

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the Emirate’s rich heritage with a variety of initiatives that take place throughout the year. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures, through enriching initiatives that benefit the Emirate’s citizens, residents and visitors.

L’ÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels was created in 2012 as the world’s first school to initiate the public into the savoir-faire, history and culture of fine jewellery and watchmaking. The school is based in the Place Vendôme – the cradle of Parisian jewellery – but travels around the world to share its knowledge and passion for these arts. Having previously visited Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong, the school is set to bring its most ambitious programme ever to Dubai.