Under the patronage of the Bank of Palestine... Dar Al-Kalima University launches the Karimeh Abboud Photography Competition for the year 2017.
Dar Al-Kalima University for Arts and Culture in Bethlehem, under the patronage of the Bank of Palestine, has launched, for the second consecutive year, the Karimeh Abboud Photography Competition for the year 2017. The competition aims to encourage photography, support artistic talents, and solidify their presence locally and globally.
This year, the competition is held under the theme "The Place," targeting artists from Palestine and the diaspora to participate. Applicants should have previous artistic photographic works and have received some training or studied artistic photography. Additionally, the submitted artistic photo should be produced recently in 2016 or 2017, and it must not be a reproduction of any other work. Participants are not allowed to display or publish their entries before the results are announced.
Dr. Mitri Raheb, the President of Dar Al-Kalima University, affirmed that Karimeh Abboud was a pioneer in photography in the Arab world. He added that this award, established by Dar Al-Kalima University, the first and only university in Palestine specializing in arts in all its forms, aims to support photographic leadership in Palestine. He extended his thanks to the Bank of Palestine for its continuous support to Palestinian leadership in general and to this award in particular.
Director Mahasen Nasser al-Din, who valued the Karimeh Abboud competition and lecture at Dar Al-Kalima University, commented that the competition, in its second edition, supports Palestinian cultural production and highlights contemporary photographic works that express our relationship with the place and solidify the legacy of the late photographer Karimeh Abboud in our Palestinian awareness.
On another note, Dar Al-Kalima University will form a committee to evaluate the submitted photographs. The committee will select the top 10 photos submitted by the participants, which will be exhibited at the university's gallery. The exhibition is set to open on December 14, 2017. The committee will choose the winning work, which will be announced on the same day. Following the announcement, a ceremony organized by Dar Al-Kalima University will take place, during which the results will be announced, and the competition's prize for the best photographer, valued at $2,500, will be awarded.
The sponsorship of the Bank of Palestine for the Karimeh Abboud Photography Award aligns with its vision of reviving the history of Palestinian women who have achieved tangible successes locally and internationally. This is particularly true for photographer Karimeh Abboud, who is considered the first Palestinian female photographer in modern history. The bank's support for the award comes in line with a strategy it has been implementing for years, emphasizing the need to support the creativity and innovation of Palestinian youth, especially women. It encourages and enhances their role in various economic, social, cultural, and artistic sectors, enabling them to be effective agents of change and development. The bank's program "Palestinian Women" is part of this support.
It is worth mentioning that the "Karimeh Abboud Photography Award" was established in 2016 in Palestine, initiated by Dr. Mitri Raheb, the President of Dar Al-Kalima University. It is a tribute to the late artist Karimeh Abboud, one of the first Palestinian women who mastered the art of photography in Palestine in the early twentieth century. Karimeh worked in the field of documentary photography to portray life in Palestine and the Palestinian family in the modern era before the Nakba. She opened her own photography studio in Haifa in the early 1940s and traveled throughout the country to capture the Palestinian society and significant locations, documenting Palestinian life far from the Orientalist photographic works that were prevalent during that period.
Dar Al-Kalima University for Arts and Culture is the first Palestinian institution of higher education that focuses its specializations on performing and visual arts, Palestinian heritage, and design. The college grants a Bachelor's degree in interior design, cultural and sustainable tourism, performing arts, graphic design, contemporary arts, film production, and diplomas in documentary film production, drama and theatrical performance, contemporary visual arts, glass and ceramics, craftsmanship, art education, musical performance, Palestinian tourist guides, and advanced culinary arts and food service. The college works on developing the skills and talents of its students to graduate them as ambassadors for their homeland, culture, and civilization.