On Monday, 13 March, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited the Design Institute Amman (DIA) in support of Jordan’s design industry. She met with some of the designers who are enrolled in its courses and workshops. Ms Randa Jabaji who is the Founder and Director of the Institute gave The Queen a tour of the facilities, classrooms, and various workshops.
The Design Institute Amman was founded in 2012 with the objective to enhance the skills of professionals and the performance of ‘regional firms’ through providing design education. The Institute also works on fostering connections with internationally known designers and other design institutes. The courses and workshops offered by the Institute are for both novices and hobbyists as well as professionals. It allows all artists to consider a career change through utilising its courses and workshops.
Last year, the Institute took part in the Amman Design Week. They taught workshops on furniture and light design, jewelry making, and digital instruction.
During her visit, The Queen took part in a discussion with 16 designers. The talk was moderated by Ms Jabaji and Amman Design Week co-director Ms Abeer Seikaly. The debate focused on the status of design education in Jordan, ‘the need to increase awareness about the sector, and the collaboration between Design Institute Amman and the Amman Design Week team.’
Her Majesty emphasised the importance of expanding the circle of interest in design to become more integrated into Jordanian culture and that it ought to be included in specific educational fields. She expressed support for the institute’s continuing collaboration with professional and talented designers in order to maintain an interest and participation in the field of design.
The first stop on her tour was to the jewelry lab where she met and chatted with students. The Queen enquired about their motivation for choosing jewelry-making. She also was curious about the various techniques they use in their designs. A display of their work was showcased in the main hall of the institute.
The Queen also visited and met with students in the institute’s graphic design classroom. She heard students speak of their success stories about how students have enhanced their basic design skills and how how this has helped them gain a firm grasp of the courses professional applications.
Next on her tour was the introduction to fashion design class. Here, the Queen chatted with students about their interest in fashion design and how participation in the programme has expanded their creativity.