Mawaheb From Beautiful People relaunches, brings the community together to celebrate People of Determination

After 10 successful years at Dubai’s historical Al Fahidi district, Mawaheb art studio and community cafe relocated to Goshi Warehouse village in Al Qouz

The inauguration was attended by over 200 guests, including HE Carel Richter, Consul-General of the Netherlands, and Khalil Abdulwahid, director of the fine arts department at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.

An exhibition of 65 masterpieces by Mawaheb students was revealed during the opening event and will remain displayed until 7 December.

Mawaheb, Dubai’s unique art studio and community cafe for People of Determination (POD) announced its relocation at a brand-new, 6000 square-foot facility in Goshi Warehouse village in Al Qouz with a grand opening that took place on 29 October. After 10 successful years at Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, where Mawaheb was home to more than 70 art students with special needs, the studio is opening its doors at its new space with inclusive events for everyone to meet and to get inspired.

65 artworks by Mawaheb students were revealed at the opening event, highlighting different levels of creativity using various mediums. The exhibition, inspired by Picasso, flowers and abstract concepts, will run until 7 December at Mawaheb’s new home in Al Qouz.

Wemmy de Maaker, managing director of Mawaheb, said: “Given the right balance of support for confidence, tools for skills training, and a safe environment to express themselves through art and cultural activities, there is no limit to what People of Determination can achieve. We wanted to share this insight every day with everyone in the community, and that’s why we are opening our doors, not just to People of Determination, but to everyone to come and experience the inspiration of Mawaheb at our community café and event spaces.”

For over a decade, Mawaheb (meaning talent in Arabic) from Beautiful People has inspired hundreds of families, giving People of Determination 18 years and over a chance to gain confidence through the medium of art and life skills training. At its new home, Mawaheb aims to go further and actively engage communities with POD and create conversations and collaborations to raise awareness of their acceptance and inclusion.

To encourage more members of the community to discover the potential of PODs in the field of art, Mawaheb is actively seeking collaborations with brands, public sector organisations and independent entities.  The focus is on meaningful activations that encourage POD to be more confident and independent through art and life-skill training. Mawaheb encourages the community to gather and get inspired by the beautiful artworks of its students at the workshop area and to conduct activities to engage with People of Determination in its community areas, which include a café, an events zone, and a gift shop.

The community café and event space at Mawaheb are open six days a week, from Monday to Saturday 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., while the art studio for People of Determination operates week days between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.