“Shared Imaginaries”, reflects on BeMA’s will to be at the forefront of social engagement by creating synergies within the educational field. Art residencies, which are inherently based on the idea of collaboration and exchange, offer a space for intensive interaction and dialogue. They promote the social and societal value of the arts as they foster participation in a common project and nurture a sense of belonging to a larger community. The artists involved in the project have lead the young participants through a series of immersive classroom sessions in a process that brought out shared affinities, hopes, values, and thus ultimately helped imagine innovative common perspectives and create counter stories.

In 2017, under the theme of “Shared Imaginaries”, the pilot program was rolled out in seven schools from the north to the south of Lebanon, including the Bekaa and the city of Beirut as follows:

1. Kamal Jumblatt Public School – Chouf, Mount Lebanon

2. Al Oula Public School – Jbeil, Mount Lebanon

3. Haret Saida Public School – Saida, South Lebanon

4. Tyre Intermediate Public School for Girls – Tyre, South Lebanon

5. Zahle Al Jadida Public School – Zahle, Bekaa

6. Emir Chakib Erslan Public School – Verdun, Beirut

7. Rachel Edde Public School Sebeel – Zgharta, North Lebanon

The artists involved in the project led the young participants through a series of immersive classroom sessions over the course of six to eight weeks that brought out shared affinities, hopes and values. The process ultimately helped them to imagine innovative common perspectives and create counter stories.

Following the huge success of this pilot program, the committee has decided, upon the request of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, to scale up the program over 10 years to reach more than 40 schools all over Lebanon.

Participating artists: Chantale Fahmi, Soraya Ghezelbash, Studio Kawakeb, and Collectif Kahraba.