Saudi-Based Misk Art Institute Teams Up With Crossway Foundation
It may be new on the regional art scene, but Misk Art Institute is on a roll as it’s latest partnership with UK charity Crossway Foundation is announced
Saudi Arabian Misk Art Institute, under Misk Foundation, has partnered with UK-based Crossway Foundation to send select Saudi artists to California’s Silicon Valley to work with Apple, Google and Facebook for the latest edition of its initiative Journey to, reported The Art Newspaper. Previous Journey to editions included artists Japan in 2016, Spain in 2015 and Brazil in 2014.
Following a preview of Saudi’s impending emphasis on arts and technology in the form of Reframe Saudi at Art Dubai, several emerging Saudi artists will be travelling to the US in December for the two-week programme. Run by the Crossway Foundation, which supports emerging creative and fosters relationships across borders, Valeria Mariani, head of projects, shared in a statement to The Art Newspaper: “It seems very timely to be travelling to California—the place of ultimate innovation, from the hippy movement of the 1960s to Silicon Valley’s 21st-century tech revolution—as Saudi Arabia experiences its own creative awakening, shaped and fuelled by the expressive power of technology. We will challenge these artists to look at this theme through a creative lens.”
Saudi nationals or residents aged 18-25 are invited to apply until the open call closes 8 July. Along with deriving inspiration from the pioneering tech companies, the winners will tour a variety of sites including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the De Young Museum. Their experiences will be encapsulated in a series of works created as a result of the trip.