The International Academy of Art Palestine (IAAP) will be launched in
Ramallah on Tuesday, December 7, shifting Palestinian artists from
dream to reality, a press release by the administration of the academy
said on Tuesday.
Dr. Maria Khoury, the project's director said, "The academy will offer distinctive higher education in the field of art aiming to grant a B.A. in contemporary visual arts."
The academy will also work to maintain a collective Palestinian memory, history and identity by promoting real new images of Palestine and the Palestinian people to the world.
The IAAP will be the first of its kind and was initiated in 2002 by Norwegian artist Henrik Placht in cooperation with the Palestinian Association of Contemporary Art (PACA) which collaborates with the Oslo National Academy of Arts (KHIO).
Among the founders is Suleiman Mansour a leading Palestinian artist from the town of Birzeit near Ramallah.
The project is funded solely by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The academy sees art as a tool to resist injustice and oppression, says the press release.
The academy will work to develop curriculum in formal visual arts education for local students, and will be using KHIO’s teaching model. International students will be allowed to join as well, after obtaining the proper license from the Palestinian ministry of Higher Education.
