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Rabat – The “Fl’ame Art Gallery” in Casablanca launched today an operation to sell works of art online and contribute the earnings to Morocco’s Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19.
Fl’ame has set up a gallery on its website with 20 pieces of art, marketed under the theme “Solid’Art,” representing the contributions of 15 Moroccan artists.
Some of the pieces belong to the gallery while others were directly donated by the artists.
“The minimum donation associated with each work represents 60% of its market value. Of course, donors will be able to contribute more if they wish,” said Fl’ame in a press release published on its official website.
Buyers can reserve works they wish to purchase from the portal, according to a defined operating mode, guaranteeing the transfer to the special fund’s account with Bank Al Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank.
The Solid’Art operation also aims to encourage a wider segment of the population to contribute to this “noble momentum of mobilization and mutual aid,” said the organizers.
Following the Moroccan National Foundation of Museums’ (FNM) March 16 decision to close all museums as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19, the body decided to offer free online museum visits through a 360° virtual immersion.
Rabat’s Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is free to explore at http://picasso.visite360.ma.
Among similar initiatives, the Tenor Foundation decided to stream free 30-minute live music concerts to entertain people staying home, responding to the state of emergency in Morocco.
“We cannot do without playing for our audience,” the organizers commented.
The remote cultural opportunities follow the global “stay home” campaign that has swept social media, encouraging people around the world to practice social distancing amid the growing threat of the pandemic. The campaign has witnessed a surge in online cultural activity, which may support Fl’ame’s artistic initiative for the special fund.
Morocco’s special fund was inaugurated on March 16 following an order from King Mohammed VI. The fund is allocated to cover costs relating to medical infrastructure upgrades and economic support packages for workers affected by the pandemic.
In order to expand the field of contributions, the Ministry of Economy launched an SMS service on March 21, one day after the implementation of a national lockdown, to allow citizens to contribute directly without traveling to bank agencies.
Moroccans have sent more than 650,000 text messages in this initiative, resulting in citizen contributions totaling over MAD 6.5 million ($650,000).
Read also: Artists Livestream Traditional Moroccan Music in COVID-19 Lockdown
