March 18, 2023
Tucked in a small studio near the sea in Beirut, Espace Fann is a creative school offering university-level art and design courses. Amidst the covid pandemic, a severe economic meltdown, an energy crisis, and the Beirut explosion in 2020, Espace Fann has continued to provide healing, education, and sanctuary to the community, through the arts. Espace Fann offers courses in fiber arts, jewelry design, Islamic art, digital arts, and entrepreneurial skills. To date, Espace Fann has graduated 338 students, most of them women. Over 15 percent of these students have established a new business in the arts after taking one or more courses at the studio.
This program was an inspiring conversation with Espace Fann founders Yasmine Dabbous and Nour Tannir, and teacher Manal Jaroudi. Yasmine Dabbous is the cofounder of Espace فن and the founder of Kinship Stories, a line of tribal art adornments. She teaches fiber art and jewelry design classes at Espace فن. Nour Tannir is the co-founder of Espace فن and the founder of 786 Faithful Solutions. Tannir teaches styling and branding courses at Espace Fann. Manal Jaroudi is a fabric jewelry and accessory artist. A graduate of Espace Fann, she is now the crochet instructor at the studio.