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As part of a public art and charity project being supported by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, Dubai will be converted into an outdoor art gallery this month as artists paint and embellish life-size Arabian horse sculptures into unique works of art.
These diverse horse artworks, known collectively as Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse, will be showcased in a multitude of high-profile locations in Dubai until they are sold at a gala public art auction at the end of May 2005, with the proceeds going to children's charities across the region and for the development of arts and culture in Dubai.
His Highness recently opened the project with his visit to the 'Pride of Arabia' exhibition at the Emirates Towers Boulevard. 'Pride of Arabia' is made up of twenty-one small Arabian horse sculptures, with each unique, hand-painted work of art created by artists from more than 15 countries. The 'Pride of Arabia' exhibition will tour Dubai until the end of May when their life-size counterparts will be sold at a gala public auction.
'Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse brings together the classic symbol of one of the region's most noble animals with the latter day success story that is Godolphin, all in aid of humanitarian and arts-focused charities,' commented Patricia Palmer, Director of ArtWorks and founder of the project.
'In addition to showcasing the elegant lines of the Arabian horse, the 'Pride of Arabia' exhibition is targeted at generating awareness about the arts and charitable causes in Dubai while attracting corporate sponsors to complement the support that Godolphin is lending to the project,' Ken Palmer continued.
The spirit of the event is to merge art and commerce while benefiting charity and the larger community. Local companies are being given the opportunity to join Godolphin in backing this initiative. Sponsors underwrite the costs of making the sculptures and help to defray the costs associated with bringing the project to the public. In the process, they help raise money for charities while also improving their company's exposure and involvement with the community.
Among the charities who will receive the proceeds from the sale of sculptures featured in Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse are the Dubai Autism Centre; Dubai Centre for Special Needs; Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre; Emirates Children's Symphony Orchestra; Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, Al Noor Centre For Special Needs, Medicins Sans Frontier and the Riding for the Disabled Centre of Dubai.
Godolphin's multi-faceted philosophies and ambitions make the Dubai-based international racing stable the ideal headline sponsor for the innovative Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse. Godolphin is known as much for winning major races in the name of Dubai as it is for raising the profile of Dubai around the globe and celebrating the return of the thoroughbred horse to its original Arabian home.
The sponsors hope that the people of Dubai will derive great pleasure from Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse. Not only will the exhibition directly benefit the needy, but the entire project represents a glorious mix of the historic and the modern, putting it in perfect harmony with the aims HH Sheikh Mohammed set out when he founded Godolphin.
Dubai Municipality, which provided considerable support for Dubai's Camel Caravan, is also backing Dubai's Celebration of the Arabian Horse. Under Dubai Municipality's auspices, the horse artworks are being painted on the second floor of Children's City in Creek Park, providing the public with an opportunity to observe the public art firsthand while it is being created. It is particularly appropriate that Children's City is the home of the 'horse stable' because students from all over Dubai are involved in the project and they, their families and friends, as well as any interested visitors are welcome to come down and watch the creativity and beauty of this project unfold.
Dubai's Camel Caravan, the model for the Arabian horse project, was a tremendous success, with more than 80 painted camels put on display around the city. Visitors and residents thoroughly enjoyed the public art, while businesses reaped the public relations and advertising benefits of sponsorship. More than seventy artists from thirty countries raised their profile in the art world and received attractive honorariums. Schools, embassies and civic institutions participated in the project in many ways that benefited their students and constituents. Government officials praised the project as helping to enhance Dubai's image around the world. Most importantly, a public art auction raised AED 4.8 million for children's charities and for the development of arts and culture in Dubai.
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