Alserkal Pay It Forward Programme Over 50 Alserkal Avenue Organisations Unite in the Face of the COVID-19 Crisis
Jul 29, 2020 EVENT, Art Event
Over 50 Alserkal Avenue organisations joined forces through the Alserkal Pay It Forward Programme to support each other - and the wider Dubai community - in the face of the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This powerful community collaboration saw the businesses generate AED 2 million in-kind in just two months.
Launched by Alserkal Founder Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal and the Alserkal family in April 2020, the Programme invited community members to apply for a subsidy for their lease commitment for three months - in return for ‘paying it forward ’to their neighbours. The Programme was created to enable organisations to navigate a difficult economic landscape.
“The power of community is unparalleled," says Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, Founder of Alserkal, reflecting on the programme thus far. "The generosity of people does not surprise me, but it continues to humble me. Through the Alserkal Pay It Forward Programme, the Alserkal community has risen to the challenge of supporting each other through difficult times and demonstrated true strength and resilience. The community has always been the bedrock of our organisation, and we will always keep this essential value at the heart of everything we do.â€
Over half of the AED 2 million value offered has directly supported Alserkal Avenue community businesses through the exchange of goods, services, and expertise, including design, videography, brand building, media resources, website design, and transportation support. Society Motors in Alserkal Avenue donated two Apes to transport people around Alserkal Avenue during the summer, as part of the Alserkal Pay It Forward Programme.
“Our Alserkal Pay It Forward initiative, and those of our counterparts elsewhere, are reminders that cultural precincts can be deeply embedded, and invested, in their local communities, challenging some of the reductive rhetoric that suggests that cultural precincts are synonymous only with the built environment,†says Alserkal Director Vilma Jurkute. “Shared values, nimbleness, and a commitment to the local community are common denominators in formulating responses to change, linking the arts to social transformation.â€
Culinary concept INKED, founded by Patrick and Kenza Jarjour, turned their space into a community kitchen, cooking and delivering 22,290 meals to frontline health workers and vulnerable communities in collaboration with Dubai Health Authority, and the UAE Food Bank.
“The past 3 months have led us towards an unexpected, rewarding, and fulfilling journey through our community kitchen initiative,†said Patrick and Kenza Jarjour. “With the help of Alserkal Avenue, our artist community, and some of Dubai’s incredible chefs and suppliers, we were able to help and feed so many people in need in Dubai, and we couldn’t think of a better way to use our space and skills during these challenging times.â€
Chef Izu Ani was one of several celebrity chefs to take part in the INKED community kitchen initiative. Hundreds of people donated to the INKED initiative, and concepts in Alserkal Avenue also rallied to raise funds to purchase the AED25 meals, raising AED 162,000 in total: Green Art Gallery, Lawrie Shabibi, eL Seed Studio, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Ayyam Gallery, Leila Heller Gallery, KAVE, Wisdom Warehouse, The Good Life, The Flip Side, and Ame all contributed 6,488 meals to the scheme through their sales, while CHI-KA, Italian Shoe Factory, The Happy Studio, and Blssd joined in by manufacturing masks that were delivered with the meals. INKED head chef Hadrien Villedieu collaborated with some of the UAE's top chefs to create well-balanced meals, including Izu Ani, Hatem Mattar, Colin Clague, Reif Othman, Mo Orfali, Sahar Al Awadhi, Khaled Al Saadi, and Urosh Mitrasinovic and Stasha Toncev. The artist eL Seed sold hundreds of prints in support of the INKED community kitchen initiative.
Inked, Pay it Forward. Courtesy of Alserkal Avenue Inked, Pay it Forward. Courtesy of Alserkal Avenue Inked, Pay it Forward. Courtesy of Alserkal AvenueGulf Photo Plus (GPP) launched an open call for images to be included as part of a COVID-19 Artist Relief Print Sale, with over 300 artists submitting to the call. 145 prints were sold, with 70% of the proceeds of each sale going directly to the artist, supporting and celebrating the local freelancing creative community.
“There has always been a community spirit amongst the spaces within the Avenue, and that collective resolve was heightened and activated as a result of this crisis,†says Mohamed Somji, Director of GPP. “This togetherness stems from Alserkal’s unwavering support for all of us, and the rent waiver was a shining example of that: it was a shot in the arm for us not only financially, but also kept our spirits up.â€
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