Established in 2007, Young Media Leaders is a career development initiative by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) that provides ambitious Emirati university students and graduates with knowledge, experience, insight and understanding of the local, regional and global media industry. Through in-depth workshops and encounters with leading academics and professionals in the field, the initiative works to sustain the region’s media industry by equipping students with the tools and confidence required to become the media leaders of tomorrow.

Furthering its pioneering work in assisting the career development of the nation’s emerging artists and designers, with the support of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) has announced the winners of the ADMAF Design Fund 2022. The award bestowed two young Emirati jewelry designers, Asma Almarri and Media Alfalasi, a 50,000 AED grant to help establish their creative careers. In addition, they received a 5-day trip to Paris to attend courses led by, among other teachers, master craftsmen in High Jewellery creation, at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, a unique place dedicated to sharing the jewelry culture with the widest audience. Launched in 2019, the award provides training and mentorship to help young people interested in jewelry design gain the skills they need to succeed in the industry.
Asma and Media have developed a diverse range of styles and rich craftsmanship techniques in the making of their designs. The week at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts granted them a comprehensive understanding of gemology, jewelry know-how and history of jewelry which can further enhance their approach to art and design.

Urban Fabric is a series of four sculptures resembling pieces of thread, conceptualized and built by NYUAD sophomore undergraduate students Roudhah Al Mazrouei, an Emirati national, Gerald Jason Cruz from the Philippines, and Jennifer Tsai from Taiwan. These forms are intertwined and interlaced into the ground, turning the physical environment around the art piece into a canvas that the thread is woven into, linking each piece together.
In attendance at the unveiling were the UAE Minister of Culture and Youth HE Noura Al Kaabi, France’s Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, Chairman of Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi HE Mohamed Al Mubarak, His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to the UAE Patrick Moody, Spanish Ambassador to the UAE Iñigo de Palacio, Founder of ADMAF HE Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo, NYUAD Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann, Director of the Award Emily Doherty, Christo’s Director of Operations and nephew Vladimir Yavachef, Executive Director of Culture at DCT Abu Dhabi Rita Aoun-Abdo, Abu Dhabi Art Director Dyala Nusseibeh, Executive Director of The NYUAD Art Gallery and the University’s Chief Curator Maya Allison, and along with the winning artists, among others.