The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Community Jameel is set to unveil Atelier Jameel this Thursday. As a token of great appreciation and support for graduates of Jameel House, the upcoming Reviving Traditional Craftsmanship and Celebrating Innovation Winter Exhibition will be a groundbreaking event!

The Home for Learning Artistic Crafts

The Jameel House of Traditional Arts is an art education institution in the Foustat Traditional Crafts Center in Cairo. In collaboration with the King’s Foundation, the Jameel House has a two-year training programme, where around 20 students are accepted each year to start their creative learning journey in traditional geometry, observational drawing, colour harmony, and decorative floral patterns. The students thoroughly and passionately learn and master working with ceramics, glass, gypsum, metals, and wood.

Passing On Inherited Crafts to Future Generations

The Jameel House gives students opportunities to explore Egyptian and Islamic heritage by discovering the magnificent traditional arts and crafts left by our ancestors, and then creating their own replicated or inspired versions of these artefacts. For instance, second-year students can professionally replicate historical artefacts, such as a replica of the gypsum window from the Gayer-Anderson Museum.

The Life-changing Role of Jameel House

Jameel House has such an impactful role in preserving these inherited crafts throughout current and future generations by teaching them proficiently. The students also get a great chance to professionally pursue their artistic passion and learn how to turn their ideas and inspirations into tangible artistic pieces. As a beacon of creative invention, the Jameel House serves as an ongoing supportive hub for its graduates through annual exhibitions featuring and selling collective and individual works by the alums. 

Reviving Traditional Craftsmanship and Celebrating Innovation Winter Exhibition

Happening next Thursday, The Reviving Traditional Craftsmanship and Celebrating Innovation winter exhibition will feature over 200 original artworks inspired by Islamic arts and made by 50+ alumni from the Jameel House in Cairo. The artworks will be available for display and sale at the exhibition, and the exhibition will run from the 5th until the 8th of December, free and open to all. It will be held at the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale, in Mounira, Cairo.

Atelier Jameel’s Launch

This exhibition is expected to be different from any other as it will be celebrating the awaited launch of Atelier Jameel. Atelier Jameel is a new initiative by Community Jameel dedicated to providing economic, artistic and technical opportunities to graduates of the Jameel Houses of Traditional Arts in Cairo, Jeddah, and Scotland. The launch will be celebrated with the annual winter exhibition, which showcases over 200 pieces of ceramic, woodwork, and metalwork artwork. The original pieces include jewellery, furnishings, interior decoration, and winter seasonal gifts made by participating alums of artists, designers, and craftspeople.

Cléa Daridan, Head of Arts and Culture at Community Jameel, expressed her excitement: “Community Jameel is proud to launch Atelier Jameel, a collective of traditional craft designers and artisans, with this end-of-year exhibition. Hosted by Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale, the exhibition will showcase a fantastic range of meticulously designed products by graduates of the Jameel House of Traditional Arts in Cairo, combining innovation and exquisite craftsmanship.”

Another Joyful Milestone

Community Jameel also announced their plans to launch the Jameel House of World Traditional Arts in Scotland earlier this year. It will be a new global centre for international artisans, craftspeople, and students to learn and practise the traditional arts in collaboration with the King’s Foundation. Community Jameel underlines its commitment to preserving the traditional arts and empowering young artists and artisans.