Struggling for Their Art

This episode of The Other Half took a broad look at women's involvment in art, highlighting postive developments and factors militating against greater participation.



Salwa al-Maliki prepared a report on the women's art movement in Kirkuk, which was bolstered by the opening of the Fine Arts Institute after the fall of the former regime in 2003.



Nashaat Hasan Muhammed, head of the institute's design department, said the institute provided opportunities for female artists who are not big names in the art world but are passionate about their work. The report was critical of the media's failure to communicate the importance of art in the development of civil society.



The show featured a vox pop about the obstacles facing women artists, pointing out that social and family pressures constituted significant problems. Prominent artist Suha Salim, interviewed in the report, said it was important for women to be stong-willed and confident in order to succeed in the field.



Yasameen al-Ahmed in Mosul interviewed the female plastic artist, Salwa Khalid, who spoke about the financial problems facing women who want to work as artists, pointing out that they are often unable to afford basic things like painting materials.