10 Darb Al-Labana Lane, Citadel Square – Al- Khalifah District In Front Of Sultan Hassan And Al-Rifai Mosques
Cairo
Cairo Governorate
Egypt
- Arts
Al-Qalam is a social enterprise located at El-Darb El-Ahmar, El Khalifa, Cairo Governorate 4292010, with a capacity of up to 200 individuals. The place operates via five full-time staff members, six part-time volunteers and 12 freelance and independent trainers—our annual budgetary resources are approximately 250000EGP. This channels from self-funding resources such as fees and subscriptions to workshops and training modules, and external funds channelled through renting the space, commissions, partnerships and sponsorships. We are a studio, a non-formative school of Arabic calligraphy, and a shop. Our run community development programmes, field trips and tours, courses and workshops, art galleries, lectures and advisory sessions. The main supports are INJAZ Egypt, Alexandria Bank, Ministry of Youth, QNB ALAHLI, Nahdet El Mahrousa Drosos, and Madad Initiative.
Al-Qalam seeks to promote the Arabic calligraphy and Islamic ornaments scene in Egypt through its various programs: training and workshops, empowering new generations of calligraphers and creating a support system for them, organising exhibitions and educational seminars, providing calligraphy tools and products, and digitising, marketing, and promoting calligraphy artworks. Through years of working on the ground, Al-Qalm developed a deeper understanding of the needs of the Arabic Calligraphy scene and established a strong net of connections with stakeholders and partner organisations.
Some of the Awards and Honors: - The first place and the best cultural art project in the “Initiative” competition launched by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Culture in 2019.
- One of the top 10 projects that support the creative Islamic economy around the world during the GIES Dubai Summit in the UAE in 2018.
Www.al-qalm.co , https://www.facebook.com/alqalm.co
Al-Qalam is a youth-led social enterprise started in 2015 with the aim to promote and preserve Arabic calligraphy and Islamic Ornaments in the heart of Historic Cairo in a unique historical environment. It serves as an exhibition and learning space, a design studio, a shop selling calligraphy supplies and art gifts, and a meeting point for creators and artists.
Al-Qalam will gladly offer to share its space as a hosting organisation with other communities/entities of the local networks when possible, taking timeline constraints and space availability into consideration. This may include but is not limited to hosting art residency programmes, meetings, workshops, seminars, art exhibitions, talks and training and sessions on arts and culture, especially those relevant to the local art scene.
This social enterprise is located in a listed building with high historical significance in the heart of Islamic Cairo. It overlooks the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan and Rifai mosque and is about three minutes from Cairo Citadel.
Al-Qalam possesses a well-equipped small studio to document and produce adequate audio-video content. This entails lighting units, microphones, tripods, camera sets, and lenses. We are delighted to share those resources upon the previous agreement of both parties at reduced and affordable rates.
Besides, the hub is a network of a diverse group of calligraphers, researchers, artisans, handicraftsmen, photographers, jewellery designers and programmers involved with the arts of Arabic calligraphy and ornamentation and their applications in daily life. We would assist and facilitate establishing networks of this group and all interested local networks of ALF, as well as sharing opportunities of local funds and grant opportunities with them.
Al-Qalam is hoping to utilise the network of ALF in the local and Mediterranean regions to establish a dialogue on Arabic calligraphy and its applications, traditional and contemporary, in daily life. In the broader sense, we aim to investigate the relevance of arts and culture in producing knowledge and mitigating vulnerabilities.