The A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme & Art Collection return for Art Dubai 2022

March 9, 2022 – Dubai, UAE: The second edition of the A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme is taking place at Art Dubai, bringing together artists and designers to collaborate with local schools through bespoke workshops. From March 11–13, a range of artist-led workshops are available for children aged 5-17, within a purpose-built space at Madinat Jumeirah.  

“The A.R.M. Holding Children’s Programme reflects our commitment to invest in, and nurture, the next generation. Schools often put an emphasis on STEM subjects, and we also want this current generation of students to excel with their creative skills and sense of expression” explained Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, CEO of A.R.M. Holding. 

“We are facilitating a number of bespoke, artist-led workshops for the benefit of local schools and thousands of young people. This provides children with opportunities to grow and develop their creative thinking and imagination, introducing them to a wide range of art and design practices,” he added. 

Cyrus Kabiru, a Nairobi-based, self-taught artist and sculptor known for his elaborate spectacles known as ‘C-Stunners’, commented: “Every young person can become an artist. We simply need to show them that ‘art’ isn’t always what they think it is. It can be playful, exciting, different and whatever they want it to be.” 

Devising the programme’s theme, curating the children’s activities and designing the workshop décor, Cyrus Kabiru will work with young artists to retrieve and repurpose everyday materials from their homes and schools, and transform them into works of art. The concept is designed to alter our perspectives on everyday objects and our wider surroundings. 

The programme will feature drop-in sessions as well as workshops that can be pre-registered for. To accommodate children of differing ages and educational levels, the activities will be adapted and prepared in three formats to suit the following age groups: ages 5-7, ages 8-12 and ages 13-17. The Programme will also incorporate a competition, rewarding the children for the best work that is produced during the workshops. Immersive workshops curated by the artist will take place at the Art Dubai Fair. 

For 2022, the programme will expand through in-classroom workshops taking place after the fair in March. UAE schools are invited to provide opportunities for children to grow and develop their interest and understanding of the arts. The activities will be available to 5,000 children across 80 schools – more than doubling the number of participants in 2021. 

A.R.M. Holding is a private investment firm and a multi-focused economic enabler investing in partnerships that reinforce Dubai’s position as the global capital of culture and innovation. It collaborates to that end with Art Dubai on a number of initiatives that foster young talent and creativity in the emirate. 

In addition to the Children’s Programme, The A.R.M. Holding Art Collection is a unique and singular collection and a leader in the landscape of corporate art collecting in the UAE. Last year, a number of works from the A.R.M. Holding Art Collection were lent into the Dubai Collection, making A.R.M. Holding the first corporate Patron of the initiative. 

Featuring some of the most prominent names in Middle Eastern and international contemporary art, the collection highlights the company’s ethos of building communities as well as being an enabler of multicultural dialogue and innovation. It is key element within the company’s wider commitment to supporting art and culture in the UAE.