| To support Lebanon’s devastated arts and culture industry |
| On August 4th 2020, the Beirut Blast at the port of Beirut shattered half of the city, killing over 200 people and wounding 6,000. The most tragic event perhaps in Lebanon’s history made an already dire situation far worse than it was. The area is home to many of Lebanon’s art galleries, designer studios, cultural and creative spaces. Because of the blast, most of them have lost their creative spaces and all sources of incomes, in addition to their homes. Many have been injured, have lost members of their households or other relatives. Because Art has the power to unite and connect in times of crisis Because it energises and mobilises people Because amid chaos and disaster, art can bridge communities, can help these communities to heal Because Art is a human response to catastrophe, and its diverse expressions restore hope and prompt us to look forward But for Art to have this healing effect on individuals and their communities, the artist needs an audience, a public, to share the experience. We are happy to share with you our latest initiative “Reviving Beirut through Arts and Culture” It would be wonderful if you can help us in spreading the word about this initiative! |
| Our Mission 1) Respond to the needs of artists, galleries and art spaces to communicate about their art initiatives 2) Support them in reaching their target audiences to send a message of hope and contribute to the collective healing process, but also, to promote fundraising initiatives The project will provide communication and outreach support of art projects and initiatives comprising visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance, writing, poetry, movie, acting, architecture, design, fashion, among others, to reach their audience. Our ObjectivesReviving the arts and culture scene: by bringing audiences and artists together, be it online or offline, the project will show the revival of Lebanon’s arts and culture scene. It will communicate widely the different art initiatives. This would rally all creatives to create, to rise again and to trust that their city can come back to lifeSaving Beirut’s identity: helping save Beirut’s identity as creative, vibrant and diverse, which has been ravaged by the blast while communicating this to the regional and international publicHope: creating a sense of positivity and hope to a population devastated by crisis after crisisMobilization: engaging the community and mobilizing interest around art, culture, and the Lebanese heritage. Targeted activities will be developed to inspire artist and build the connection between them and the publicSocial cohesion: highlighting the message that arts and culture can support a sense of social cohesion within a community/ across communities and help consolidate itIncome generation: securing new income for creators, galleries or creative space, allowing them to rebuild, restart and come back to life this in attracting potential buyers, donors and investors from Lebanon and beyond |
| Two initiatives that we are already supportingToday, I would like to be a Tree by Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri, directed by Marc Mouarkech, attempts to counter the devastation we feel after the Beirut port explosion. The work consists of two murals divided into eighty 100x70cm drawings on cardboard displayed at Galerie Tanit. All proceeds directly benefit BASSMA, an organization committed to rebuilding the homes of Beirutis most affected by the destruction. www.iwouldliketobeatree.com Hope Takes Shape With Art born after the Beirut Port explosion when Le Gray, Beirut had all its façade windows and doors broken and has had to cover it with a metallic fence. This fence came out very black, unlike its interior full of colours and life. This is where the inspiration to let art give shape to hope originated and then the idea became a reality when Le Gray asked three graffiti artists; Alfred Badr @apocaleps, Spaz @spazuno and Exist Ai @exist_ai to put their creativity into beautiful forms and colours to send a positive message to the world. “Reviving Beirut through Arts and Culture” is initiated by MIRROS Communication in partnership with EMPOWER NGO. |