A. M. Qattan Foundation and the Swedish International Development Agency represented by the Consulate General of Sweden signed the ‘Visual Arts: A Flourishing Field’ project agreement yesterday. Dr. Johan Schaar, Head of Development Cooperation at the Consulate and Ziad Khalaf, Director General of the Foundation, signed the agreement in the presence of Mr. Abdel Mohsin Al-Qattan, Honorary President of the Foundation and senior staff from both parties.
Ziad Khalaf said “This agreement is another step in the long standing Swedish support to cultural development in Palestine, and builds on a successful work relationship with the Foundation over the past ten years”.
The sub-granting project with a budget of $4 million for four years (2017- throughout 2020) aims at contributing to a more sustainable, vibrant and innovative visual arts field in Palestine, through providing visual arts organisations with support, including core support, that would free up resources and leave the organizations more time for planning, implementing and reflecting on their basic work, including production, education programmes, dissemination and audience build-up.
Dr. Schaar stated, “This project comes as a result of a shared vision and long discussions with the Qattan Foundation. He also commended the efficiency of the Foundation and its approach in developing the proposal through a participatory process that involved with a significant number of visual arts organizations and practitioners”.
In turn, Mr. Al-Qattan praised the agreement and the Swedish role in the development of the cultural sector in Palestine. He noted, “we look forward to continue this partnership, especially when the Foundation’s new building is ready to provide spaces for creativity and arts”.
