The first edition of Artoday's Empower Her Art Forum is taking place at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization from May 20 to 24, 2023, featuring women artists from 34 countries. The event is endorsed by the Egyptian Ministries of Culture, Social Solidarity, and Environment, along with the National Council for Women (NCW) and Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, as well as a number of local and international bodies and organizations. The guests of honour for the Forum are the global artist Camille Claudel, and the Egyptian painter, Zeinab Al Sageny. Shereen Badr, founder of Empower Her Art Forum Shereen Badr, founder of Empower Her Art Forum, stressed that the Forum's objective this year is to empower Egyptian professional women artists through workshops and seminars. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization has been selected as the gateway of the Forum while reflecting that Egyptian civilization has shown keen support to women's issues throughout the ages, Badr added. She also announced the launch of an online platform called Arestial intended to amplify women's voices and create safe spaces for exchanging opinions and shared visions. The platform is set to support women with disabilities to achieve social inclusion and gender equity, as well as promote self-accomplishment at work, equal economic rights, and support female refugees and women in displacement. It will also enable women artists to further develop entry-level skills to reach their professional goals through exhibition presentations, workshops, and seminars. Women's empowerment through art is one of the UN's sustainable development goals and a key pillar of the national strategy of Egyptian women's empowerment, which pursues eliminating all forms of violence against women and promoting social protection. One of the Empower Her Art Forum's missions is to raise awareness about eradicating harmful practices against women and empowering them. The event is sponsored by PepsiCo, Rosa Flowers, Dolato, the American International School in Egypt, UpFuse, and GebRaa.
