Teaching art where art should not exist: Women’s empowerment in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract Saudi Arabia is perhaps the most conservative country in the Middle East. The display of art is not allowed, or extremely limited, under Sharia law. This article explores a three-week adult art education class taught to women at the Al Baylasan Art Center in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. With the goal of empowering women, it challenged two American art educators to develop and present a curriculum that was respectful of the culture but allowed the students to push the limits of their thinking about what might be possible in their changing cultural context.