By Aljohara Zarea

JEDDAH — Art is an essential and integral part of everything around us in this world. It is even considered as one of the strongest examples when we mention soft power. For art is a symbol and a historical tradition inherited from the culture of any country.

The arts canvas in Saudi Arabia is as wide and assorted as the country itself. For the Gulf nation is characterized by great and remarkable cultural diversity, where citizens, residents and tourists, experience distinct transformation as they travel the length and breadth of the country.

They could travel linearly or vertically, tour from the east of the Kingdom to its west or from its north to its south, and the picturesque delight will be unique to behold for they will be able to see the rich and diverse cultural differences as they take in the scenic beauty of the varied regions of the Kingdom.

Despite the rich and great diversity in Saudi arts and culture, it is only now that it has begun to appear larger and wider. This is largely due to the growing awareness within the Kingdom and also the increased presence in many international cultural events.

This growing understanding of the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage is thanks to the wise leadership and the great support of the Ministry of Culture and Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Farhan, who made an integrated effort during the recent years, both inside and outside Saudi Arabia, to put it on the global cultural map.

The richness of Saudi culture is evident by the fact that six sites in the Kingdom were enlisted in the list of World Heritage sites following its approval by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Kingdom’s leadership’s belief in Saudi arts and artists has also led to the arts renaissance and its spread — domestically and globally. The latest example of this is the Jeddah Security and Development Summit’s table, designed by Saudi artist Lulwa Al-Hamoud.

The summit, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, will see the participation of six GCC countries plus Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, in addition to the US President Joe Biden.

The Kingdom’s leadership, meanwhile, has taken great care of Saudi artists and provided them with opportunities in various ways.

Painting a more broader picture, Dr. Lina Kattan, head of the Art and Draw Department of the College of Art and Design at Jeddah University, told Saudi Gazette that several of the Saudi artists have witnessed the country’s rise from a time of artistic isolation to global recognition.

She said, “I believe that the new social revolution of Vision 2030 helped loosen the constraints on artistic expression and allowed artists and creators to discuss and spread worldwide cultural and artistic awareness.”

She noted that the culture of Saudi Arabia is rich and shaped by its Islamic heritage, long-held historical role, and Arabian traditions.

Dr. Kattan highlighted the positive change and the effective impact of the arts in Saudi Arabia, which played a major role in contributing to the increase of several factors.

She emphasized that all of which has aided in creating a significant impact on the economy and the tourism sector. “This positive change will keep growing until the Saudi Vision 2030 is fulfilled,” she noted.

She said that the Ministry of Culture has initiated a strategy of supporting some of the world’s oldest contemporary art in art centers. This has played an incredible amount in the economic sector.

In line with other global arts, Saudi Arabia has earned a positive global reputation over some time, she said, while adding, in addition to exhibiting alongside famous artists, local Saudi designers have been warmly welcomed, particularly in Jeddah and Riyadh — the country’s economic centers — thanks to the government’s efforts to support the arts.

“Saudi Arabia has become one of the most popular tourist destinations for historical landmarks,” she stressed.

The Ministry of Culture report in regard to the cultural situation in Saudi Arabia for the year 2021, indicated that visits to historical and heritage places in Saudi Arabia have achieved uninterrupted growth even during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 30.3%.

Dr. Kattan, when asked about the most prominent art in Saudi Arabia, said that Arabic calligraphy is still a dominant art form in the Kingdom.

“This is due to the significance of religious scriptures among Muslims. It is considered to be the ideal Islamic art form and has managed over the years to emerge as a firm example of Islamic, contemporary and modern art combined.”

As for visual arts, painting as a genre has succeeded to maintain its place among the top art genres in the Kingdom, while traditional handicrafts are becoming highly valued recently due to the spread of cultural awareness of art and heritage.

Other genres — poetry and folkloric dances — are also admired among Saudis. For example, poetry competitions involve modern poets, reading old verses aloud, and literary figures from all around the Kingdom participate. This is in addition to the ceramics, glass, textiles, painting, and sculpture throughout Saudi Arabia.

To preserve the treasures of the Kingdom and the artworks of Saudi artists, it was important to establish a body to preserve these rights. The body has been set up with artists preserving their rights through the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), which has played a major role in limiting intellectual rights thefts.

Dr. Kattan noted that even though the preserving Intellectual Property Rights in the Kingdom is still blooming (not the commerce part of visual arts), it is heading in the right direction.

The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), in cooperation with the partners in the Digital Government Authority (DGA), aims to enhance the transparency of both the private and government sectors to obtain compliance with IP laws and regulations, she said.

“By the larger goals of Vision 2030, the Kingdom is diversifying its revenues, shifting away from the oil. The IP laws move is a part of its strategy to support knowledge-based economic activity,” Dr. Kattan noted.

As for education in the Kingdom it has undergone major changes recently, such as adding new subjects such as critical thinking, and updating already existing subjects such as art education.

Dr. Kattan stated that integrating critical thinking into general education would support Saudi Arabia’s ongoing developments in education and teaching methodologies.

Returning to the report on cultural situation in the Kingdom, it indicated that 7% of the total classes in school were allocated to art education. Dr. Kattan said that these up-to-date techniques and strategies of integrating arts in general and higher education will impact more than the prospected 7%, besides enforcing modern art teaching methods even in STEAM fields will significantly impact a broad spectrum of society in the future.

“The long-term advantage is that, notably, the social awareness of the vital role of the arts in our curricula and the passionate learners of art,” she said. “The implementation of art in education will create a generation full of passion and creativity, through which, it will enable them to solve daily life problems creatively and wisely face modern challenges.”

When asked what is still missing in the arts curriculum in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Kattan said, “there must be a standardized art curriculum across all schools in general education in order for students to learn and develop their artistic production.”

She said that many general education schools do not have personalized art curricula, which eventually put students at different levels. And what is also missing in the art curricula is that there is no concrete foundation of the art basics that schools can build upon.

She added that the frustrations of students from art subjects can be rooted in no clear track, but it might be due to how to advance and teach the students from a younger age passionately. With no standards set in place, students can feel lost and misplaced.

“Providing a standardized art curriculum with a firm foundation and well-trained art teachers will allow students to learn art’s essential basics and foundations to advance and correctly explore their creativity,” Dr. Kattan noted.

By updating the new art curricula, the Ministry did not limit the placement of artworks by the old Saudi artists, but rather it has placed the artworks for Saudi artists of this generation with its new techniques.

Dr. Kattan said that the Saudi artists in the past, such as Safiya Binzagr and Dia Aziz Dia, have paved the path for artists to explore their creativity and personal interests, but showcasing contemporary artworks, such as Noura Bin Saedan’s (whose artwork went viral on Riyadh Boulevard), has inspired many upcoming artists to look up to her.

She confirmed that, until the recent past, modern art was not entirely accepted or understood by our communities. However, with the spread of awareness of art history and cultural heritage throughout the Kingdom, there has been a positive outlook toward the art scene, reflected in the art curricula and encouraging more future artists.

Dr. Kattan, said that there would be a significant shift in art education, especially in higher education, and teaching methodology that will translate into better-organized curricula.

She added that there were many educational gaps in the past; however, with the progressive objectives of Vision 2030, new ideas and approaches have been set to advance students positively.

Also, in the past, art was not exhibited to the public, as it is presented now, thanks to the advent of new technology of the Internet and social media that has made it more accessible for all sectors of society, both locally and globally. “With more art shown, people are starting to appreciate art,” she clarified.

“Traditional arts should be appreciated and valued in the future as much as their contemporary counterparts, but they should also not limit their artists and their creativity,” Dr. Kattan noted.

She said, in the College of Arts & Design, they aim to teach traditional and contemporary arts to students, while confirming that there are many talented female students who can step out of the “conventional” way of thinking about art.

“Teaching students about art history and how it has impacted individuals worldwide can encourage many students to step out of the customary way of creating art and start producing art of their own,” Dr. Kattan said, while adding, “Creating art that reflects the student’s personality, personal interests, and current social issues is crucial in the modern day.”