Hammana Artist House (HAH) Located in the beautiful village of Hammana, 1200m above sea level and 45 minutes away from Beirut, Hammana Artist House is a multidisciplinary art residency space with a focus on performing arts. Founded in 2016 by Collectif Kahraba, with philanthropic support from D. Robert Eid, HAH is above all a space for artistic development, a space to create and connect. HAH is open to residencies for local and international artists to deepen their artistic research, meet diverse audiences, develop their networks and reinforce their social engagement.
Comprising spaces for rehearsals, artist hosting, scenography workshop, and an open-air theatre, HAH proposes a year-round artistic programme under the artistic direction of Collectif Kahraba and in partnership with over 35 other organizations. At the heart of HAH mission is the decentralization of access to the arts from Beirut, the capital, to a wider range of locations and communities in Lebanon.
Between Us, The Moon and our Neighbors, annual festival, is organized by HAH in four regions in Lebanon. The 2021 session the festival reached an audience of almost 8000 across these regions. The decentralization happens also through the hosting of artists that are from regions outside the capital city and their engagement from young artist from the local community. In the context of a country still suffering from the segregation legacy of the years civil war, a forced migration flux from the raging war in neighbouring Syria, a disastrous economic crisis and political corruption, this inclusive approach to cultural services is more than an artistic choice. It is about the role art can play in re-building inclusive social fabrics and identity.
Mimeta has supported HAH at a crucial point in its development (2017), enhancing its expansion from an elegant artist residency house in a beautiful town, into a space that connects art with diverse communities and social issues.
