Following the success of its CulturAll initiative established last year, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the launch of CulturAll Artists, a platform which will further enrich the homegrown cultural scene by serving as a creative directory that identifies and promotes the community of artists in the UAE. The platform will also act as an important gateway for artists to connect and engage with art practitioners and institutions worldwide.
Located on the CulturAll.ae website, the first phase of the CulturAll Artists platform will provide comprehensive insight into the practices of a wide range of UAE-based artists, whose work spans a range of disciplines of visual arts that includes painting, photography, design and calligraphy. Users will be provided with biographies and imagery of artists’ work and details of their participation in upcoming programmes, as well as with artists’ social media handles and contact information, to encourage visitors to continue to follow their the artists’ work, or to directly connect with artists.
CulturAll Artists will be constantly evolving, and an open submission process will be available on the website, where any practicing artist or creative individual based in the UAE will be able to apply to be featured on the platform. Submissions will be reviewed and selections made by a committee of experts.
Since its launch in April 2020, CulturAll has helped Abu Dhabi’s cultural centres, museums and initiatives reach their audiences by transforming physical offerings into virtual ones, allowing the public to learn, discover and enjoy culture online through content specially created for viewers to consume and engage with via social media channels. To date, more than 6 million online visitors have digitally engaged with DCT Abu Dhabi’s cultural initiatives via the platform.
The CulturAll initiative is in line with the emirate’s five-year Culture Sector Strategy, which aims to cement Abu Dhabi’s position as an innovative, leading cultural centre. This is being achieved by supporting and heavily investing in Abu Dhabi’s culture and creative industries (CCI), aiming to grow and strengthen the local creative ecosystem and infrastructure.
DCT Abu Dhabi recently announced the consolidation of all CCI domains, looking to propel further growth by forming a unified, collaborative environment with innovation at its core. Abu Dhabi is already a major job creator enabling sustainable careers within the CCI, with over 20,000 people currently employed in the sector. To accelerate expansion, programmes are in place which champion youth, provide training and education opportunities to increase the local professional talent pool, and support entrepreneurs looking to launch their creative business in a start-up friendly environment.
