Madaba Institute of Mosaic Art and Restoration set to become regional center of excellence
The foundation stone for a planned expansion of the Madaba Institute of Mosaic Art and Restoration (MIMAR) was laid last month at a ceremony during which the class of the 2010/2011 term were officially also graduated. The institute is set to become a regional center of excellence in mosaic art and stone restoration. This development is being supported by the USAID Jordan Tourism Development Project (Siyaha) and the Italian Cooperation for Development Office - Embassy of Italy in Amman, which have contributed extensively to the development of the institute and its bid to provide students with the skills needed to help preserve Jordan’s mosaic heritage. The event was held under the patronage of H.E. Nayef Humeidi Al-Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
In his speech, H.E. Nayef Humeidi Al Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, congratulated the students and explained that, "Over the last few years, the institute has gone beyond its academic role to become a tourist attraction in itself, hosting workshops and offering various programs. This adds to the diversity of tourism products, which will attract more visitors to Jordan, increase their length of stay and provide us with an opportunity to showcase our cultural heritage and production."
"We are proud to see our students graduate each year from this world-class program with the highest standards of skills and capabilities, which will enable them to help preserve our national mosaic heritage," said Dr. Adnan Shiyyab, MIMAR Dean.
H.E. the Ambassador of Italy, Francesco Fransoni, congratulated the graduating students, and further reaffirmed the Italian commitment to support cultural development, preservation and enhancement worldwide and sharing of the Italian expertise and excellence in this sector.
“This unique mosaic heritage is a significant part of Jordan’s tourism offering and it is important that Jordanians have the skills to protect the country’s mosaics. MIMAR also offers the opportunity to become a center of excellence and share such knowledge and skills within the region and beyond and USAID is happy to be supporting this important effort,” said Doug Ball, USAID Jordan Deputy Mission Director. He explained, “This is part of our extensive work over several years to support the development of tourism in Madaba.”
The graduates successfully completed either the two-year diploma in mosaic preservation and restoration or short-term training courses. Currently MIMAR can offer the diploma program to up to 50 students each term, in addition to the short courses in mosaic production. The plans for expanding and developing the institute will increase its intake capacity to around 200 students per term in addition to establishing a mosaic research center for the region.
The Italian Cooperation for Development and USAID/Siyaha will jointly provide funding for the upgrade of MIMAR, enabling it to introduce new facilities such as classrooms, a theatre, and mosaic labs, in addition to expanding the existing library. Support will also be provided to build both MIMAR’s administrative and promotional capacities, conduct marketing campaigns and establish the research center and research networks with international professionals in the field of mosaic conservation.
Situated in the old city of Madaba, MIMAR was previously the Madaba Mosaic School, which was established in 1992. Since 2006, the joint action of USAID/Siyaha and the Italian Cooperation for Development has been supporting the institute to enhance capacity, upgrade standards and promote new curricula and education materials. In 2006 an extensive review of the school was completed and a new development strategy was prepared which proposed the upgrade of the high school to a college/applied university status. MoTA, the Italian Cooperation for Development, and USAID/Siyaha thus developed a new management structure and drafted legal by laws to enable the institute to be formed as a public private not for profit entity with independent financing structures. In addition, USAID/Siyaha granted scholarships last year to 17 students to study at MIMAR.
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