The Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF) has announced today the launch of its second edition for the year 2014-2015. The program which supports and encourages emerging artists in the UAE has selected 15 fellows for its second cohort to participate in a year-long Fellowship running from November 2014 – September 2015.

The fellowship program, in partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) received an overwhelming interest of 40 UAE nationals and residents who applied to the program. These 40 applicants submitted a dossier that included their CV, a personal statement, and samples of their work.  Next, finalists were interviewed by two judging panels, and a final number of 15 emerging artists were selected, of whom 10 are females and 5 are males. These talented artists represent different nationalities residing in the country including Syria, Jordan, Canada, India, and the UAE.

Through this Fellowship, the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation (SHF) aims to support emerging and future artists in the UAE by developing their talents at the earliest stages of their growth, and help in building the next generation of artists who will have a strong art practice as well as a network of fellow artists to draw knowledge and support from.

“It is so inspiring to be able to identify great talents in the UAE, and at the Foundation we are honored to be supporting each one of them,” said Khulood Al Atiyat, Manager of the Arts, Culture, and Heritage at the Foundation. “We were thrilled to receive double the number of nominations and strong applicants this year, which speaks to the rich and thriving art scene in the UAE,” added Al Atiyat.

In partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the world’s most prestigious art universities, SEAF provides these 15 selected artists a holistic and innovative curriculum which includes but is not limited to a suite of academic courses, technical workshops, peer critique, and a trip to the United States to visit Providence, Rhode Island and New York City.

“RISD is thrilled to work in partnership with the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation to embark on a second year of this extraordinary fellowship program. The project supports and nurtures emerging artists in the UAE,” says Anais Missakian, RISD Professor and SEAF Academic Program Director, and seeks to foster conversation and exchange between RISD and the flourishing artistic community in the UAE.”

The Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists of 2014-2015 are: Abdul Azim Al Ghussein, Alaa Edris, Alia Zaal Lootah, Ayah Al Heera, Hadeyeh Badri, Khalid Mezaina, Khawla Darwish, Maitha Al Mehairbi, Mays Albaik, Mouza Al Matrooshi, Reem Falaknaz, Saeed Khalifa, Saif Mhaisen, Talin Hazbar, and Vikram Divecha.

The judging panels were made up of seven members. From RISD: Anais Missakian, Professor and Department Head of Textiles and Academic Program Director for SEAF, Rachel Berwick, Professor and Department Head of Glass, Kevin Zucker, Associate Professor of Painting, Agnieszka Woznicka, Associate Professor of Film Animation Video, and Amy Horschack, Global Online Learning Designer. The SHF members were Khulood Al Atiyat, Program Manager, and Shamma Al Mheiri, Program Coordinator.