Empower Her Art Forum

Empower Her Art Forum

Project
overview

Empower Her Art Forum is an international art forum based in Egypt, and will be held annually at The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization on (May 20th – May 24th, 2023). The festival works to empower women through art, and is closely following United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG-5) as a basis for its goals, and those include:

  • Ending discrimination against women
  • Ending violence against women
  • Ending harmful practices through awareness and empowerment
  • Ensuring equal opportunities and full participation in public life
  • Ensuring equality of economic resource availability and recognizing the value of unpaid work
  • Empowering and supporting women who have been displaced (refugees)
  • Supporting, and giving a voice to, women with disabilities

Egypt is home to, arguably, the most ancient civilization on this planet and ancient Egyptians have been known to maintain gender equality, with some of the most influential monarchs having been women. That is concrete proof that gender equality and women empowerment are not just “a new trend” but are interwoven into the very fabric of civilization. As such, we have decided to set the theme of the art forum at the intersection between women empowerment and civilization and have consequently chosen the esteemed National Museum of Egyptian Civilization as our venue; the perfect place for advancement through retrospective analysis of an ancient civilization where women have played an essential role.

The forum hopes to achieve these goals through an array of different channels, some of which are artist-centric, and others which are viewer or consumer-centric. Firstly, the forum aims to support and empower female artists by giving them professional development throughout the workshops and panel discussions that will be held throughout the forum. The forum also aims to enable female artists to share their vision by giving them opportunities to exhibit their work and potentially providing career opportunities for them.

Of course, an art forum of this scale will be tackling several other Sustainable Development Goals as a result of the awareness and open-discussion that will be created; the forum hopes to be a bright beacon of awareness for the region, working to instigate change on the individual and collective levels by empowering women to take action as well as bringing the attention of the general public to the infinite importance of this issue.

Our misstion
Artoday

The forum also aspires to become a platform for people from all around the world to unite regarding the critical humanitarian issue of gender equality. A better future can only be achieved through the co-operation of humanity, and art is a universal language; the perfect medium to create that unity. We are also hosting several panel discussions to serve as an agent in the continued conversation regarding this SDG and others. We will also be including artists from several different backgrounds, as well as artists suffering from disabilities and displaced artists.

We are aiming high with this project and plan to have hundreds of female artists representing 35 different nations at the festival. The festival will include art exhibitions, panel discussions with leaders from Egypt and around the world (both in-person and virtual), as well as workshops. The forum will include a diverse collection of art forms including:

  • Painting
  • Digital art
  • Sculpture
  • Installation
  • Video art
  • Photography
  • Sustainable art
  • NFTs

Potential
Outcomes

The forum will include successful, established female artists with bright careers from all over the world, and the event will be an excellent opportunity to highlight their work. The forum will also play an important role in developing female artists in the beginning of their journey by giving them opportunities to enhance their skills and advance their career in the form of workshops and panel discussions that will be held in the event. Also, opportunities for sharing their vision and getting exposure could potentially be life-changing for them.

The forum will include artists, galleries, art collectors and afficionados, as well as curators from all across the globe and will provide an excellent opportunity for networking and career advancement in this critical profession.

The forum will be a safe space for women to share their ideas, visions and goals with one another, as well as the world at large. It is a perfect opportunity for under-represented women to make their case and share their experiences through art.

Women are having a hard time all around the globe, and the fight for women’s right and the realization of SDG-5 is far from over. However, it is even harder and more challenging for women suffering from disabilities or that have been displaced to find balance in today’s world. As such, we find it of paramount importance to have a strong and diverse representation from these 2 groups.

Art is the universal language that unites us all, and Empower Her Art Forum will be a bridge that links cultures together in order to create a more unified humanitarian front through the art exhibitions as well as the panel discussions.

Having an international forum like this in the heart of Cairo, with thousands of potential visitors each day, creates the perfect opportunity for raising awareness on several humanitarian issues, and with primary focus on SDG-5.

With a team that has a strong background and experience in international art curation, Empower Her Art Forum aims to become a strong, impactful art event in the region and the world.

In addition to exhibiting numerous artworks, the Empower Her Art Festival will also include an Art Camp Program with the aim of bringing together international and Egyptian artists to build bridges between nations through art and related activities. The artists will work together to demonstrate their creative knowledge and showcase their artistic work live during the art festival, hold workshops for diverse groups such as women with special needs, women receiving cancer treatment and displaced persons, and participate in panel discussions on topics such as human relations and the arts. This exciting program will encourage dialogue between artists and between artist and audience as a way for women to share their experiences through art.

Artestial is an online platform that connects artists with art lovers. We are happy to announce that artists participating in the Empower Her Art Festival will have their artwork showcased on this online gallery, helping to facilitate access to art created by talented artists wherever they are located. The Empower Her Art Festival seeks to support local and international women artists by cultivating the art scene and encouraging the sale of original artwork on this platform.

The Festival will ensure a high level of visibility for all artists and organizations involved. The artwork exhibition will be displayed in the middle atrium and tunnel leading to the exhibition halls of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), allowing for high foot traffic and encouraging engagement of museum visitors. The NMEC reported over 848,000 visitors in 2021-22 and the Empower Her Art Festival hopes to engage thousands of people per day with its exhibition, panel discussions and workshops. Supporting organizations will receive increased visibility of their logo and name during the festival, as well as on all advertising and promotional materials. This is an exciting opportunity for collaboration between a celebrated cultural institution and individuals and organizations seeking to support women’s empowerment.

The Empower Her Art Festival will also be the first exhibition in Egypt to focus on inclusion for blind and visually impaired individuals by displaying descriptions and artists statements in braille next to the artwork. Organizations that support the blind and visually impaired will also be invited to attend and participate in the Festival, including the panel discussions and workshops given by artists and other distinguished guests. We are hopeful this act of inclusion will further support the festival’s goals of bringing awareness and empowerment to people with disabilities through art