The Association for the Promotion and Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (APEAL) announced this year’s winning recipients of the APEAL/Maria Arida Scholarship Award, during a press conference held at Albergo Hotel.
Three Candidates were chosen among 18, for their excellent academic and professional record and their exceptional artistic potential. Philippa Dahrouj and Natacha Gasparian will be admitted to the Masters in Art History and Curation graduate program at the American University of Beirut, while Nadia Asfour will be admitted at Harvard University for a Masters in Art Design and Public Domain.
While announcing the name of the recipients, Nada Boulos El Assaad, head of the APEAL Scholarship Committee stated that “APEAL strongly acknowledges the importance of arts in building a sound community and the necessity of supporting artistic activity, and the process behind creation. Such endeavors, she added, can only benefit the development of our society and the distinction of our country.” El Assaad also pointed out that “the three winners will largely contribute through their academic journeys and later on, professional achievements, in founding and instigating an artistic culture that reflects APEAL’s efforts to decentralize art and make it a tool for dialogue, a meeting space for all local communities, and a platform that promotes Lebanese arts to the world.” She concluded saying: “This work approach lies at the core of our objectives and constitutes the foundation of the vision of Beirut Museum of Arts (BeMA) spearheaded by APEAL. Our museum, which will be launched in 2023 as a cultural and artistic emblem adjoining the National Museum, has initiated several residency programs and exhibitions that shortly proved their significant value to the artistic field in Lebanon.
Grateful for this opportunity, Dahrouj thanked APEAL, “not only for providing [her] with the financial support to take on [her] lifetime project, but for simply existing and reminding us that our culture is not a myth, rather a reality.”
From her end, Gasparian said “With the Maria Geagea scholarship that [she] was awarded last year, [she] entered the pioneering class of the Masters program in Art History and Curating at AUB. This year, [her] cohort in the program has doubled in size. It is a thrilling time to be active in the field of arts in Lebanon today.”
Asfour confessed that “it was only in the last year that [she] started discovering how art can respond to pressing issues, and can even help facilitate solutions.” She added that she “would like to thank APEAL for propelling [them] past any barriers and paralysis [and] for supporting and inspiring [them] to seek solutions, and seek education.”
APEAL has awarded scholarships every year since 2010, granting to date 23 scholarships to Lebanese art students and budding artists accepted in postgraduate programs related to the fields of arts at prestigious Lebanese and International universities: AUB, ALBA, USEK, USJ, Cal Arts, HEAD Geneva, MIT, Universite de Montreal, La Sorbonne, Yale and Harvard.
Supporting Art education echoes APEAL’s objectives of endorsing and cultivating artistic potential of Lebanese artists by facilitating their access to the global art world.
ABOUT APEAL/MARIA GEAGEA ARIDA ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD:
Since 2010, APEAL demonstrates its support of art education by granting yearly scholarships to talented art students and budding artists. Scholarships are granted for postgraduate programs, both in Lebanon and abroad. The scholarship helps subsidize tuition fees at postgraduate university-level programs related to the arts, in degrees such as: arts, art history, museum studies, curation, etc…
MARIA GEAGEA ARIDA: Maria Geage Arida was a devoted and passionate member of APEAL. Maria was a wonderful human being and friend. Her exemplary integrity, unwavering faith in APEAL’s mission, and her unique sensitivity to all things artistic are truly missed. She was a guiding light in APEAL’s long journey and contributed selflessly to APEAL and lobbied ardently for the support and advancement of young Lebanese artists. She passed away prematurely in 2015, and it was only fitting to name the scholarship after her to honor her memory. Her spirit will live through the younger generations of promising talent.
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION AND EXHIBITION OF ARTS IN LEBANON (APEAL):
The Association for the Promotion and Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (APEAL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing and encouraging Lebanese artists by projecting their artwork beyond conventional borders and onto a larger screen. One of APEAL’s goals is to create a common platform and magnet for creativity by presenting eclectic collections gathered from a universe of gifted visual, literary or performing artists.
APEAL strives to be a point of connection in vital cultural conversations between civilizations. Composed of Lebanese and citizens from around the world, the group envisions launching exchange programs between artists from the Lebanese scene and counterparts elsewhere, from universities and art academies. It is also dedicated to granting scholarships to promising talent, and contributing to the formation of trained curators and professionals to help put them on a par with their peers the world over. By creating this window, APEAL is helping nurture the seeds of Lebanon’s artistic potential and preserving its cultural fabric in a vibrant, forward looking post conflict society.
For more information, please visit: http: www.apeal-lb.org