THE BEIRUT MUSEUM OF ART
BeMA, the Beirut Museum of Art, is a new museum, on a mission to preserve, produce, and promote Lebanese art, BeMA strives to connect people through creative practices, heritage, and knowledge.
​
The museum's aim is to safeguard classical, modern, and contemporary collections of Lebanese heritage, to foster opportunities for artistic production and dissemination by collaborating with creatives in Lebanon, the region, and globally, and to engage diverse communities by offering cultural and educational programs, uniting people in the
service of a free-thinking civil society.
WASL BEIRUT PROJECT
The majority of Arabic letters are referred to as "Hourouf Wasl" (Arabic for ligature letters) and Arabic calligraphy is one of the most explicit aesthetic manifestations of this "art of connection/liaison".
In an attempt to (re)connect/liaise the capital Beirut and its vibrant cultural and creative fabric back, following the August 4 2020 blast, the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) is highlighting, diffusing, promoting, celebrating, and transferring the knowledge of calligraphy as a landmark of intangible cultural heritage in the Arab world and Lebanon, by using the practice of Lebanese artist and calligrapher Samir El Sayegh, an Arab World pioneer of calligraphic modernism, whose work will be digitized, preserved and made available to the wider public in Lebanon thanks to its recent acquisition by BeMA.
ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
Inspired by the work of Samir Sayegh, “Inveterate Cities” and “Memoirs of Freedom” collections, we developed young audience workshops based on the artist’s explorations of calligraphy as a vehicle of emotions and a universal tool of expression and communication.
Hosting institutions included:
Public schools: Wata Msaitbeh Public School, Burj Hammoud Public School
Art centers/Arts initiatives: Ayadina Association, Bassma NGO, Ahla Fawda, Dar Chayban for Arts and Culture, Assabil Association.
The Wasl Beirut Project was made possible through the generous support of Beryt UNESCO Grant.
The BERYT project is implemented by UN-Habitat through funding from the Lebanon Financing Facility (LFF) that is administered by the World Bank (WB). The Cultural and Creative Industries component is implemented by UNESCO Beirut.