Beiruting News

Her Excellency Mrs. Nehmat Aoun, patron of the event, stated:"Creativity is the foremost message for building peace."

Under the high patronage of the First Lady of Lebanon, and in the presence of the Minister of Culture, the Beirut Museum of Art (BeMA) celebrated two major milestones in its journey: the ten year anniversary of its visionary Creative Pathways program and the launch of Ambulant Arts, an initiative that carries art beyond the museum walls and into public spaces.

The event was attended by First Lady Her Excellency Mrs. Nehmat Aoun, Minister of Culture Mr. Ghassan Salamé, along with a wide gathering of officials, diplomats, and institutional partners.

After touring the exhibition, guided by the BeMA team, Her Excellency, Mrs. Nehmat Aoun addressed the audience, expressing her appreciation for the initiative and thanking BeMA, the Ministries of Education and Culture, and the school administrations "for their trust and belief in the students, and for their commitment to our shared values." She added: "We have indeed launched the School of Citizenship, but I am convinced that you will anchor this school through your love, your faith, and your perseverance (...). / thank you for your love of creativity, for it is the primary message for building peace-one that unites the new generation and inspires it to love, respect, and accept others."

In his remarks, Mr. Fady Yarak, Director General of the Ministry of Education and Higher

Education, reaffirmed the importance of the

Ministry's partnership with BeMA, describing it as "a pioneering national model of cooperation between the public sector and cultural institutions, providing our students with high-quality educational opportunities beyond the traditional learning framework. Through the expertise, art, and heritage it offers, the museum becomes an educational space that enriches the learning experience and contributes to building a strong artistic culture among the younger generation."

Juliana Khalaf Salhab, Co-Director of BeMA, underscored in her welcome remarks the significance of this "itinerant and decentralized initiative, which brings art to different regions of Lebanon while fostering connection among Lebanese people through creativity and dialogue. This exhibition also shines a light on the national collection of the Ministry of Culture-the collective heritage of Lebanon-a collection that has never before been presented to the public and that BeMA is currently restoring and returning to the Lebanese people. At last, this collection will become part of everyone's cultural experience, as it always should have been."

These two projects, distinct yet complementary, embody BeMA's core mission: to make

art accessible to everyone and to position it as a driver ofeducation, memory, and social transformation.

"We are proud to open this exhibition under the First Lady's patronage as a symbol of the work BeMA has accomplished together with the support of our patrons, embassies, government, and Ministries. It is a reminder that as a collaborative effort, our mission to share Lebanese art and culture, is limitless. "Taline Boladian, Co-Director of BeMA A Decade of Creative Pathways: Art as a Catalyst for Learning and Transformation Created in 2017 through a partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Creative Pathways has redefined the way art and learning intersect in Lebanese public schools. The program is built around works from the Ministry of Culture's Collection, which Minister Rony Arayji entrusted to BeMA in 2016 through a formal agreement so they could be safeguarded, restored, and exhibited after falling into poor conservation conditions. By integrating these artworks into the heart of the public-school curriculum, Creative Pathways turns Lebanon's artistic heritage into a living classroom.

Over the past ten years, the program has engaged thousands of students and teachers, nurturing creativity and encouraging reflection through an inclusive approach to art-making.

To mark this anniversary, BeMA just inaugurated ZigZagZOOM.

Inspired by the work of Helen Khal, the exhibition highlights the creativity and imagination of students participating the program, celebrating the

diversity of perspectives and voices within Lebanon's youth.

Unfolding Landscapes continues its launch of the Ambulant Arts program with a stop now in Beirut

Building on this momentum, BeMA is also exhibiting Unfolding Landscapes, the inaugural exhibition of the Ambulant Arts program, at Villa Audi. This marks the Beirut stop of a program that reimagines cultural engagement by bringing art into everyday places and shared spaces. First presented at Beiteddine Palace from 3 July to 19 November 2025 in partnership with the British Council in Lebanon, Unfolding Landscapes is at this moment on view at Villa Audi, and that until 24 February 2026, before continuing its journey to other regions of Lebanon.

The exhibition invites visitors to reconsider the notion of landscape not merely as a view but as a cultural, scientific, and historical construction. Organized around four themes (geology, flora, skies, and human natures), it brings together modern and contemporary art with scientific inquiry, while exploring ecological and social transformations through an intergenerational dialogue.

innovative co-designed by BeMA and Kamal Aoun, allowing for a mobile and adaptable By weaving connections between disciplines, generations, and territories, BeMA continues its mission to make art a living, shared, and accessible language capable of nourishing education, collective memory, and civic creativity.

Sandra Abou Nader, Co-Founder of BeMA, adds: "By connecting the national collection to public education, we give students the tools to discover themselves, their history, and their identity"