Art showcase to raise awareness

Bahraini artists and children with special needs presented their colourful creations in a charity art exhibition, showcasing their talents while raising awareness and much-needed funds for their societies.

The exhibition, organised by the Women’s Professional Network (WPN), a non-profit volunteer group, was staged at Al Riwaq Art Space in Adliya and featured paintings by artists, such as Rabab Aldurazi, from the Bahrain Mobility International Centre (BMI) and students of the Down Syndrome Care Centre (DSCC).

Mariam Al Umran, a 28-year-old artist, creative director of Vogue Group and the founder of fashion outlet, Meemo Space, worked closely with the organisation to set up the DSCC display at the exhibition.

Mariam said: “I started working at the Down Syndrome Care Centre in 2008, aiming to learn more about the work being done there and also to use art therapy to help the students improve their physical abilities.

“For the first three months, I learnt more about the students and their difficulties. I attended all the teachers’ lectures, went with the students on their field trips and participated in their holiday events.

“This experience was beyond beautiful and I believe that I learnt so much more from these students than they had learnt from me. They are talented, full of life and always ready to work on something new and challenging.”

Down syndrome is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically. The physical features and medical problems associated with it can vary widely from child to child.

The DSCC was opened in Adliya in 2002 by the Bahrain Down Syndrome Society to provide an array of services such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, dental care and motor therapy as well as development and vocational therapy, for people afflicted by the condition.

Amal Almoayyed, WPN co-founder and Mariam’s mother, initiated the event and invited her daughter to showcase the centre’s hard work alongside the other artists.

Mariam said: “We both thought that this would be a great opportunity to feature their work. I thought the students’ paintings were amazing and it was such a great event to be a part of. I’m proud to say it was a great success.”

The work featured collaborative pieces from Mariam and her younger students, along with independent pieces by older students.

Of the 40 paintings that were displayed, priced from BD15 up to BD250, 30 were sold on the night. All proceeds will be donated to the centre. The BMI Centre will also receive donations from every painting sold by its featured artists exhibiting at Al Riwaq Art Space.

Mariam’s stint at the centre gave her the chance to teach students aged three to seven about shapes, lines, colours and collage, helping them to focus and concentrate on details.

They also learnt how to differentiate between colours, draw lines, shapes and letters.
 
Mariam said: “That’s why I created a project where the students could design their own backgrounds made out of newspaper collage and stamp it with different shapes. It was a good way of teaching them about the colours and shapes they were using.

“During my observation period, I noticed that the main difficulties the students were facing included muscle movement, vision and hearing. The sticking of newspapers required a lot of muscle movement, which allowed the students to understand their abilities. The stamping of the coloured shapes helped with their vision and understanding of lines.”

For students aged between seven and 12, Mariam used art to improve their social and speech development as well as teaching them how to rely on themselves.

They took part in finger painting on canvases using paint mixed with sandy textures to create shapes and improve their hand-eye co-ordination.

The oldest students, who were 13 and above, took part in a number of different projects to improve their hand-eye coordination, muscle movement and help with concentration.

Mariam said: “We worked on making pompoms that required a lot of concentration and hand movement. We had a number of life-drawing classes using pastels, charcoal and graphite pencils so that they can see the difference of textures and how to use them. We also made a decorative tree made with colorful leaves. They worked on small individual paintings as well as joint canvases between students.”

The concept for the tree was then brought to life at the exhibition. Mariam encouraged the students to colour a leaf however they liked. She then drew a small tree in their classroom for them to stick the leaves on.
 
She said: “I thought that it would be nice to make it a part of this exhibition on a larger scale with all their leaves. It also represents many things including unity, love and planting a seed.”

The art event also acted as a platform to launch Ali Mohammed Musa’s biography entitled A dream without limits – my story with disability.

Ali’s memoirs, published in English and Arabic, was recently featured in GulfWeekly.

The book was funded by the Yousif and Aysha Almoayyed Charity, which offers support to the poor, the needy and the disabled. His story had moved Mrs Almoayyed and her family so much that they encouraged him to tell his tale and share his story at the event.

The art will be on display until the end of the month.

For details, contact Al Riwaq Art Space on 17717441.