Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Culture announced that the newly established Royal Institute of Traditional Arts will provide training and educational programs for male and female specialists in Saudi traditional arts as part of efforts to upgrade the level of knowledge and academic qualification of employees working in these fields in the Kingdom.

The Council of Ministers has approved the plan to create the institute, which was first announced by Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan, in 2019.

The institute is part of the initiatives of the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The institute’s courses will be divided into three categories: apprenticeships, academic programs, and short courses, which include a variety of specializations such as studies of traditional visual arts, including fashion and textiles, building arts, book art and applied arts, in addition to studies of the performing arts and traditional music, as well as studies in museums, heritage, and restoration.

The institute will start in August this year registration of the short courses, which will commence in September. These courses include the art of weaving, pottery making, traditional hand embroidery, an introduction about UNESCO, in addition to a course on an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage based on the local community.

It is noteworthy that the institute is intended to bring traditional Saudi art to the masses both locally and internationally through educational programs and talent development. The institute is part of the Academies of Arts Initiative announced by the Ministry of Culture in March 2019.