Ministry of Culture's Visual Arts Commission in Collaboration with Fashion Commission Launch Innovative Residency Program for Local and Internation-al Visual Artists and Fashion Designers

The Saudi Visual Arts Commission in collaboration with the Saudi Fashion Commission are pleased to announce the launch of the Intermix Residency Program, with the support of the Quality of Life Program, which will take place from September to November 2022, for the first cycle of the program at Ad Diriyah Biennale Foundation spaces in JAX District located in the his-torical city of Diriyah on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh.
The program will provide a platform for local, regional, and international fashion designers, visual artists, and creatives to come together to engage in discussions, exchange creative ideas, and take part in unique immersive experiences. Participants will get a chance to explore and work around a range of themes including innovation, transformation, and sustainability during their 3-month residency that will finish with open studios.
Intermix Residency Program will offer four main tracks: skill development workshops, the-matic and educational training sessions, guest speaker events, and cultural experiences. The workshops will focus on skills such as dyeing, weaving techniques, while the educational sessions will provide in-depth information about textile innovation, as well as environmental, so-cietal, and global challenges in the visual arts and fashion design industries by experts in the field. Leading visual artists and fashion designers will be invited as guest speakers, providing mentorship and real-life solutions to some of the challenges in the industry. In addition, visits to cultural sites, exhibitions and events will be organized for the guest artists and designers every other week.
Artists and designers from Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and Europe, were selected for the first round of the program: Chakir Hani, Claire Dartigues, Elham Dawsari, Hana AlMilli, Helena Bajaj Larsen, Huda Beydoun, Jana Ghalayini, Malik Thomas Jalil Kydd, Mashail Faqeeh, Noor Ebrahim, Sara Abdu, Shaima Saleh and Qwan.
An open call for applications will be announced for the second round of the program and a committee of visual arts and fashion experts will evaluate the applications and make the final selection. Members of the committee include: Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission; Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Fashion Commission, Dania AlSaleh, Visual Artist; Emily Marant, Functional Art Editor At French Cliché; Jean Pierre Blanc, Founder of the Annual International Festival of Fashion & Photography in Hyères; Jordan Nassar, Visual Artist; and Tara Aldughaither, Internal Resident Curator.
Developed by the Saudi Ministry of Culture's Visual Arts Commission in collaboration with the Fashion Commission, the program will be carried out by ATHR Gallery, a leading contemporary art gallery based in Jeddah. The program offers two fully funded series, each covering a period of three months.