Recess evening at Hayy Jameel celebrates youth, creativity, alternative learning
The evening offered a platform to revisit the transformative journey of the program's first cohort, and featured thoughtful exchanges with the learning team at Hayy, along with mentors who guided the students through the months-long experience.
The session welcomed reflections from mentors including Dr. Effat Fadag, Saudi artist and founder of Naqsh Art Studio; Rizwana Anwer, educator and alternative learning advocate; Sahrish Ali and Nayla Attar, artist-teachers and members of the learning team at Hayy Jameel; and Abdelelah Qutub, exhibition designer and program mentor.
Speaking about the inspiration behind Recess, Attar said: 'After all these foundations were laid out, we were really trying to create a comprehensive program, something that teaches teenagers how to navigate skills and topics usually reserved for much later in life.
'We wanted them to get a glimpse of what it means to move from high school into a design-thinking process, and even into the contemporary art world. There's a big gap in how people perceive and interact with art, especially in Saudi, and Recess was about bridging that.'
Ali stressed the importance of creating lifelong learning spaces, and said: 'We started by developing a program for kids aged 5 to 13, but we noticed a gap when it came to teens, so we built this program with weekly after-school sessions, combining core theoretical knowledge, practical art studio time, and mentorship from creatives in our network.'
Fadag said: 'It's not just about hearing, but listening. Listening helps promote the inner voice. One of the most important things for me was encouraging students to ask questions like 'Why are we doing this?' and to integrate research and critical thinking into their work. Art challenges us to negotiate identity and social engagement, and this is what we tried to bring into the program.'
Anwer brought an educator's lens shaped by both international teaching experience and homeschooling, and said: 'I came from a traditional academic background, but as a teacher I saw how many students struggled with that model.
'When I became a parent I knew I didn't want to put my children in the same system. Homeschooling and unschooling helped me realize that learning can be more holistic and individual. That's what we tried to reflect in Recess.'
Qutub, who boasts an architecture background, emphasized the importance of spatial thinking and collaborative presentation, and said: 'Students had a tendency to view their work in isolation, so I worked with them to think about how their pieces related to one another and to the space as a whole.
'My role was to get them production-ready, to help them engage with the real-world process of creating and displaying artwork, and to see themselves as part of a collective dialogue.'
The showcase at Hayy Jameel featured the works of 10 young artists, with each piece a reflection of their journey through Recess. The multidisciplinary program, which ran from February to May, offered a structured yet flexible curriculum blending theoretical sessions, practical workshops, field trips, and portfolio development.
Through art-making, mentorship, and cultural engagement, the students explored themes like identity, nature, technology, and personal narrative, resulting in works that invited reflection and dialogue.
Hadeel Felemban, learning assistant at Hayy Jameel, said: 'The program was mainly designed for high-school students who are passionate about pursuing art at a higher level.
'It ran over the course of several months, with weekly Saturday sessions that combined theory, practical work, and mentorship from artists and educators. The students learned about the creative process behind artworks and exhibitions, built their own portfolios, and engaged with different departments at Hayy, including the exhibition, cinema, and public programs teams. They also had weekly interventions with guest artists and visited cultural sites like the Islamic Biennale and Al-Balad.'
As the mentors gathered with students one last time for Closing Conversations, the atmosphere was charged with pride, curiosity, and a shared sense of accomplishment.
Young artist Aleen Alqurashi shared how the program had transformed her perspective on both art and herself, saying: 'I honestly didn't think I had any talent in art; I just joined because I wanted to improve.
'But throughout this program, it really helped me see things differently; not just in art, but in life. I discovered talents I didn't know I had, and I wanted my final project to carry a deeper meaning, something people could relate to.'
Nooh Spurlock, 14, also a homeschooled student and the son of mentor Rizwana Anwer, participated in the program with a concept that merged creativity, gaming, and self-exploration.
He said: 'My work is about a video game — are you inside your mind when you're fighting against yourself?
'I was inspired by a lot of things: different video games, different elements from that genre. The mentors connected me with game developers who helped me with the research and planning.'
His final project, titled 'Into the Mind,' was a video game set inside the player's consciousness, in which one must battle different versions of themselves. The game featured three levels, each representing a specific emotion, with each stage designed to mentally and emotionally prepare the player for the next.
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