Summer Academy

In 1999 we launched our Summer Academy, which provided a key opportunity for artists from the Arab world to study and work with their peers under supervision of the late Berlin-based Syrian artist Marwan Kassab Bachi. From 1999-2003 over 60 artists from Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq attended the academy. The intensive platform not only focused on technical skills, but immersed the participants in a setting that stimulated the entire artistic process from conception to creation. For many of these artists it was a formative experience in their career.

In 2019, Darat al Funun relaunched the Summer Academy with a new concept, offering 10-15 participants from the region the space to develop their practice within a critical setting that encourages experimentation, knowledge-sharing, and communal learning. Grounded in the Arab world, artists have the opportunity to exchange knowledge with their peers, and to hear and learn from artists, curators, and academics. The program is built around a specific topic each year. While there will be a basic guiding structure, the program is designed to allow participants to shape the trajectory of their individual and collective experiences.