Little Artists

The project "Damascus between the Past and the Present", which took place in 2005, widened horizons and set new goals for Al Bashaer School resulting in the  2006 project.

The project for the 2006 course was an endeavour to encourage children to discover places, understand past events and explore history by visiting different Syrian places.

Subsequently, Al Bashaer's teaching staff took the pupils to Sweda, Shahba, Kanawat, Bosra, Homs, Al Husen castle, Hama, Aphamia, and Tartous. This experience gave the children the chance to relive history, to discover archeological sites and ancient ruins, and help them to create their own language and vision by painting these places  and to express their impressions by writing them individually on a piece of a paper.

Learning fine arts was also an integral part of the project. The children learned to paint, sculpt with clay, make accessories and handicrafts and, most importantly, they learned to work individually and also collectively.

At the end of the project, all artistic work produced by the participant children was displayed in a spectacular celebration in the school yard, bringing together the children themselves, their families, friends, the press and even well-known artists. Teaching staff  took the opportunity of this festive occasion  to ensure that fun and education can be combined, and it clearly showed the importance of the role of the Arts and culture in shaping a better  world for our children. The work produced during the course was documented and recorded in a book published in a very high quality edition. The Al Bashaer School is also giving serious thought to  building an exhibition hall to house the children’s works.