Dr. Sherif Fakhry Mohamed Abdel Nabi, President of the Egyptian-Russian University, announced the participation of the Faculty of Fine Arts in the Ministry of Culture’s celebration to honor icons of Egyptian art and literature. This year’s celebration was held under the theme “Naguib Mahfouz… In the Heart,” celebrating the career of the world-renowned writer and his deeply rooted place in the Egyptian, Arab, and international consciousness. He noted that the Faculty of Fine Arts’ participation comes with the support of Dr. Mohamed Kamal El-Sayed Mustafa, Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees.
The celebration was held under the generous patronage of Dr. Ahmed Fouad Heno, Minister of Culture, and Dr. Walid Qanoush, Head of the Fine Arts Sector at the Ministry of Culture. It represents one of their ongoing support for art students and initiatives for cooperation between educational institutions and cultural sectors. This enhances the value of art in shaping national awareness and enriches students’ experiences through direct interaction with icons and figures from the global art and cultural scene.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Orabi, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Egyptian Russian University, pointed out that the students’ participation in the celebration of the great writer and thinker Naguib Mahfouz, held under the slogan “Naguib Mahfouz… In the Heart” and sponsored by the Fine Arts Sector, comes within the framework of the faculty’s commitment to supporting cultural and artistic activities that contribute to strengthening Egyptian identity and engaging with its global literary and intellectual icons. This includes the writer Naguib Mahfouz, whose literary genius has elevated Egypt’s name in international literary and intellectual forums. His works are an inspiration to visual artists, reflecting the cultural, social, and political aspects of Egyptian society over many decades.
The Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Egyptian Russian University explained that second- and third-year Visual Arts Department students participated in a group workshop held at the “Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil and His Wife” Museum . The workshop focused on the aesthetics of drawing, painting, and collage techniques. The students created a collective artwork inspired by the world of Naguib Mahfouz, expressing their own creative visions of his characters, times, and global literary status.
Dr. Mohamed Orabi added that our goal in this participation is to open real and sustainable channels of communication between the faculty and major cultural and artistic institutions, such as the Fine Arts Sector and the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil and His Wife Museum. This will help integrate academics with field experience and enable students to engage in authentic artistic experiences that will prepare them to participate actively in the Egyptian and global cultural scene.
It is worth noting that the art workshop inside the museum was supervised by artists Ahmed Eid and Nadeem Orabi, and a group of distinguished students from the Department of Visual Arts including: “student Krolos Ragi and student Fatima Abdel Jalil.” They presented an interactive group experience inspired by the spirit of Naguib Mahfouzia’s Cairo, and expressed the intersections of literature and art, in an atmosphere that combined academic creativity and visual imagination within a global context of contemporary artistic expression.