Noor Al-Kuwari, a graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, is pleased to announce the opening of the first “kro-k” interior design firm and showroom in Qatar on Sunday, 28 February, 2010 in Doha.

Noor Al-Kuwari, the young entrepreneur behind kro-k, graduated with a BFA in Interior Design from VCUQatar in 2003 and shortly thereafter started working for the Qatar Tourism Authority. She later worked at the Diwan Amiri and PEO (Private Engineering Office) working on interior design projects for clients that included Tajine restaurants, Soy Restaurant and Casa Flora among others.

“My desire and passion for designing made me take this leap forward,” she says. She credits her education at VCUQatar for helping her develop her skills and her personality. “VCUQatar gave me a very solid base for a good start and I continue getting support from them as well as from my family and friends who have been there for me throughout.”

Kro-k’s architects and interior designers bring with them their wealth of industry knowledge and experience as they begin to work on turnkey interior projects tailored to meet the individual requirements of their clients. The showroom connected to the interior design firm will house mainly Arab home accessories.

The dynamic designer would also like to encourage aspiring Qatari designers to follow their dreams. “I want to tell them never to let obstacles stand in their way. They need to also realize that it’s not easy, but when there is a will there is always a way,” she says hoping these designers see the potential for design-related industry in the country.

Doha, Qatar – As part of the Spring lecture series, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is presenting a lecture by renowned graphic designer Martin Venezky entitled ‘Inventing Visual Language through Process and Discovery’ on Tuesday, 23 February, 2010 at 6:00 PM in the Atrium in VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

Martin Venezky is associate professor of Design at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco. Known for his visually compelling hands-on approach to design and experimental typography, he is the spirit and lead designer of Appetite Engineers, a small, internationally recognized design firm. He and his collaborators have created wonderful and surprising work for the Sundance Film Festival, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Chronicle Books, Blue Note records, and Speak, the magazine of popular culture, literature, music and art.

The lecture at VCUQatar will offer insight into the design process that drives most of Mr. Venezky’s work: experimenting with materials and their properties. “We will look at a number of concrete examples whose visual and typographic qualities could not have been predicted through sketching or brainstorming,” said Mr. Venezky. “Sometimes these strategies require jumping between different media or setting up calculated difficulties, and sometimes the process may seem silly or risky. But they all develop from a careful reading of the subject and they all contribute to the work’s ultimate meaning and pleasure,” he added.

“Martin is both a graphic designer and a curator of visual ephemera. He has an insightful aptitude to digest and organize fragments of words and pictures from our everyday culture, then reconfigure them into vast magical landscapes you can wander through all day. As a teacher, he has a wonderful ability to carefully listen to your ideas, then push you to cut them up, throw them in the air and acutely piece them back together in a way that is not only more beautiful aesthetically, but more reflective of the message,” said Michael Hersrud, assistant professor of Graphic Design at VCUQatar.

Martin Venezky is a graduate of Cranbrook Academy and is currently based in Los Angeles. His intricate, complex and often handcrafted work is documented in the recent monograph “It Is Beautiful…Then Gone,” and was recognized in the first, groundbreaking Design Triennial at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. He is also coauthor and designer of “The Push Pin Graphic” a monograph of the extensive influence of the Push Pin Studio. In addition to running his practice, Mr. Venezky has lectured at several schools around the U.S. and has taught in the graduate design programs at California College of Art (CalArts), Art Center College of Design and The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). For more information on Martin Venezky, please visit www.appetiteengineers.com.

VCUQatar’s Spring Lecture Series aims to present prominent international professionals from the fields of fashion design, graphic design, interior design and painting and printmaking while exposing students and the industry to design as the interdisciplinary glue that informs the future of business. The series will host one more lecture during the semester.

‘Appetite Engineers: Inventing Visual Language through Process and Discovery’ on 23 February is held at the VCUQatar atrium and starts at 6:00 PM. The lecture is open to the public.

In a heated discussion with Arab and international students studying at American branch campuses at Qatar Foundations’ Education City, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited students from around the Middle East to study in the US.

During the discussion aired on Al Jazeera’s Arab-American affairs program “Talk to AlJazeera,” Secretary Clinton said the US is doing its part to close the gap between the Muslim and Western worlds by investing in educational opportunities to encourage students from Muslim countries to study in the US.

Secretary Clinton fielded sharp questions from students on Iran’s nuclear policies, US foreign policy – especially in Gaza, and the US role in peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. She said frank and open discussions like the town hall meeting are important in strengthening relations between the US and other countries around the globe.

Secretary Clinton said she was impressed by Qatar’s commitment to education, highlighting the important work of Qatar Foundation as an example. “Education City is so important for Qatar and beyond,” she noted. “It sends a strong message, not just here in the region, but around the world.”

“We must look for ways to celebrate our differences while finding a common cause in the human objectives of peace and prosperity,” she said. “What kind of future will we provide for students, including the ones here today?” She noted that education and cultural values are not mutually exclusive. “It’s not what you wear that’s important, but what you have in your minds and your hearts,” she said.

Eight Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar seniors have qualified to graduate with university honors. They are Dima Masoud, Elba Leon, Esra Abduljawad, Esra Kazem, Kinh Elizabeth Ai, Miriam Greiss, Reem Al Thani, and Sahar Mari.

The honors program at VCUQatar is modeled on the honors program at VCU Richmond, and was implemented five years ago. Dr. Timothy Hulsey, Dean of the Honors College at VCUR is “very pleased, and proud of how successful the VCUQatar honors program has become. In only a few short years the program has graduated 15 students. Given the demands of a VCU honors degree, this is quite an accomplishment.”

Graduating with honors is the highest award that an undergraduate can achieve and it represents extraordinary academic excellence. There are several requirements that must be met in order to graduate with honors. In addition to maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.5, and completing 18 credits of honors course work, students must demonstrate a commitment to intellectual development that integrates a diverse program of study. The students must also complete an honors dossier that is presented to the Dean of the Honors College and the Honors Council in the penultimate semester of the student’s academic work. The dossier includes a comprehensive essay that demonstrates the central objectives of the Honors College: good scholarship and sound learning in the best of the university’s tradition.

Kelly Shircliff, coordinator of Academic Affairs at The Honors College at VCUR was “very impressed that all eight of the dossier essays from this year’s VCUQatar honors graduates were approved in the first round of reviews. These students have demonstrated outstanding diligence and academic excellence in their efforts, and we are proud to recognize them as part of our honors community.”

The dossier helps to broaden a student’s horizons and exemplifies a liberal arts program at its finest. Completing the Honors Dossier requires the student to synthesize and contextualize their entire university experience. Jeanne Hodges, an instructor in the VCUQatar Writing Center, noted that both she and the students “engaged in a fascinating process of recognition and appreciation of the journey that has prepared our honors students to take their places as members of a new generation of leaders.”

The honors program at VCUQatar is coordinated by Byrad Yyelland, director of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Patty Paine Gibbons, assistant professor of English. They look forward to the continued growth and success of the Honors Program at VCUQatar, and with the VCUQatar community at large congratulates the 2010 honors graduates on their impressive achievement.

As part of the Spring Lecture Series, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is presenting a lecture by renowned Italian architect Stefano Mirti entitled ‘Design for a Low Cost World’ on Tuesday, 9 February, 2010 at 6:00 PM in the Atrium in VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

Stefano Mirti is an architect, writer and professor who has worked in Italy, Japan and Thailand. In this lecture at VCUQatar Mr. Mirti focuses on design for a low cost world with some hints on how to survive and thrive in it. The lecture asks - “If Ryanair makes us fly at one-tenth of the normal cost, if IKEA convinces us to pay for the pleasures of building our own furniture, can we build a museum based on similar principles? Can we create a university or a business organized by such principles?” – and answers these questions.

Stefano Mirti received his degree in architecture and a PhD in Technology of Architectonic Design from Politecnico di Torino in Turin, Italy in 1998. Between 1998 and 2000, he moved to Japan for his post-doctorate degree from the Department of Architecture of the Engineering School of Tokyo University, under Professor Tadao Ando (Tadao Ando Laboratory) with a subsequent teaching assignment at the Tama Fine Art Academy, Tokyo from 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2005 Mr. Mirti worked as an associate professor at Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, Italy where he was also in charge of its exhibition design unit E1, which was later spun off to form an independent company, Interaction Design Lab.

Mr. Mirti is one of the founders of Cliostraat, one of the most successful groups of Italy’s so-called new wave and as a partner is currently in charge of operations at Interaction Design Lab, a start-up company working in the crossover between technology and design. He is also director of the Naba Design School, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan, Italy. He has been visiting professor and lecturer at several universities around the world such as the Architectural Association School of Architecture, UK, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Politecnico di Milano and Parsons School of Design, New York, among others. He was also one of the three consultants of ‘Torino World Design Capital 2008’. Mr. Mirti writes for several newspapers and magazines, Italian and International, some of which include Domus, Hunch, AD and Abitare and has published several books for Postmedia Books.

As part of the Islamic Lecture Series, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is presenting a lecture by Paula Sanders entitled ‘Texts and textiles: thinking historically about material culture in the medieval Islamic world’ on Wednesday, 17 February, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the Atrium in VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

Medieval Arabic chronicles are filled with references to clothing and textiles, but no artifact from an archaeological excavation has ever been associated with a known literary reference. How, then, do medieval Islamic historians interpret the abundant literary evidence about textiles? And how do they provide a historical context in which to understand the textiles that are known to us? This lecture explores these questions by discussing how historians can use a combination of archaeological finds, Arabic literary texts of different genres and scarce Judeo-Arabic documentary materials from the Cairo Geniza to reconstruct the meanings of terms found in literary texts, to gain an understanding of the functions and meanings of objects within their societies and to address broad questions of historical interpretation.

Paula Sanders has written extensively on the history of medieval and modern Cairo, the history and legacy of the Fatimid caliphate, and the history of Jewish communities in the medieval Islamic world. Her most recent book is Creating Medieval Cairo: Empire, Religion, and Architectural Preservation in Nineteenth Century Egypt. She is Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Professor of History at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

As part of the Spring Lecture Series, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar presented a lecture by renowned architect, Joy Monice Malnar, entitled ‘Stepping Toward Sensory Design’.

Joy Monice Malnar, AIA, is a professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previously she was a professor at Loyola University Chicago teaching interior architecture. She has co-authored The Interior Dimension: A Theoretical Approach to Enclosed Space, and lectured on aspects of sensory design in Singapore, Sydney and Seoul. Her latest book is titled Sensory Design, which develops a sensory typology to assist designing for the full range of the human sensory system. Professor Malnar is one of the founding editors and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the journal The Senses & Society published by Berg, UK. For four years her main responsibility was the “Sensory Design” section which focused on the review of architecture, landscape architecture and products.

Joy Malnar believes that if designers had a better understanding of the human senses, and sharpened their skills in perception, our designed environment would be enriched. Information on the senses, and built examples by designers who have been well aware of their discipline’s sensori-emotional dimensions will illustrate the significance of this design approach in her lecture at VCUQatar.

CNN’s Inside the Middle East Campus Forum was led by Hanin Bader, Farheen Ehsanulla and Sara Al-Qatami from VCUQatar

VCUQ students led the special edition of the Inside the Middle East (IME) broadcast with the premier of the Campus Forum program. Interior Design hopeful Freshman Farheen Ehsanulla, Graphic Design Junior Sara Al-Qatami and Graphic Design Sophomore Hanin Nabil Bader participated in the first of its kind Campus Forum program from the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.

Farheen who was born in India but raised in Saudi Arabia spoke about her passion for design and how the only university she applied to was Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. “my [family’s] reason for moving here was VCUQ. It was a big sacrifice from my family’s side and I really appreciate that.”

Hanin, a Palestinian student noted, “I really love design and art and I knew I would be majoring in these.” Sara the Qatari student spoke about how despite the current financial crisis she is “thinking of building her own company.” Upon being asked about how this was possible in a challenging economic climate Sara responded by saying as a member of the junior class she will have to “work with five real clients and have an internship to satisfy and meet the client’s requirements.” Experiences such as these at VCUQatar gave Sara Al-Qatami the confidence to succeed in the real world.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar invites prospective students and their parents to an admissions reception at the La Cigale hotel at 6:00PM on 13 January, 2010. The event is designed for parents and students interested in learning about what it takes to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion, Graphic, Interior Design or Painting and Printmaking. The evening will showcase detailed presentations by the faculty from each design discipline and provide in-depth information about the university’s activities and degree requirements.

“VCUQatar provides this opportunity to students and parents to meet and speak with university professors and gain insight into the admissions process. All those who want to learn how to turn their artistic and creative talents into a vocation should attend the event and meet the faculty and staff to get answers. This year VCUQatar, along with BFAs in Interior Design, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, will also offer Painting and Printmaking,” said Moamer Qazafi, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at VCUQatar.

The process of how to assemble a portfolio and the types work expected for the design and drawing exercises in a successful application will be explained at the reception. VCUQatar personnel will provide details about scholarship opportunities at VCUQatar and the no interest loans available from the Qatar Foundation Financial Aid Office. Students and parents are invited to learn about the university application process including TOEFL, IELTS test score requirements for taking classes at VCUQatar. The faculty and administrators will also discuss the growing career possibilities in the fields of art and design in Qatar and the Middle East. The presentations by the faculty start at 6:30 PM but faculty and staff will be at the venue from 6:00 to 8:00 PM to address any queries that prospective students and their parents may have.

VCU-Q, in partnership with Qatar Science and Technology Park, Qatar Foundation and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency presents a lecture by Dr. Abdul-Karim Jouda entitled, ‘The Gaza Strip – the challenge of rebuilding a community’ on 17 January at 5:00 PM at the atrium in VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

Dr. Jouda, Chief Special Environmental Health Programme and Acting Field Engineering and Construction Services Officer for UNRWA in Gaza will address the current situation in Gaza, one year following the December 2008/January 2009 Israeli war on Gaza and after more than three years of siege. The lecture will elaborate the major challenges in providing basic humanitarian needs, fostering education and supporting community development. Dr. Jouda will also discuss the role of UNRWA in Gaza, its response during and after the war and what is needed to pave the road for sustainable development of the destroyed economy of Gaza.

“Containing the humanitarian crisis is only the first step on a long road to rebuilding the shattered lives of Gaza’s residents,” said Dr. Jouda. “Rubble and unexploded ordnance can be cleared, land decontaminated, and homes and mosques reconstructed, but the human cost of the crisis will be felt for generations.”

“A strategic response should be designed to build on humanitarian relief efforts, develop exit strategies from dependency on humanitarian assistance, and address the early recovery needs of the people in Gaza, while putting in place the foundations for longer-term reconstruction, sustainable development and equitable growth,” Dr. Jouda added on what he hopes the workshop here at VCUQatar will help achieve.

Dr. Jouda’s presentation is given in connection with a three-day workshop sponsored by QSTP, UNRWA, VCUQatar and Qatar Foundation International whose objective is to develop specific design and technology-based solutions in support of human, economic, and social development in Gaza, and in collaboration with leading international relief agencies including Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Alliance, and ANERA. “The three day workshop will draw upon the diverse expertise of architects, planners, engineers, policy makers and scientists. Both projects highlight how designers are addressing some of the world’s most pressing needs through innovation and collaboration,” said Roman Turczyn, Director of CRID at VCUQatar.

VCU-Q Assistant Professor of Fashion Design, Donald Earley just concluded an exhibition of his paintings at the Cooper Gallery in Lewisburg, WV, USA, which ran from 2 – 30 November, 2009 with a well attended reception on 22 November.

The exhibition, a retrospective of Don Earley’s work produced mainly in the last decade, comprised 25 drypoint and five oil paintings with many figurative impressions of the people of Qatar. Marilyn Cooper, the director of Cooper Gallery said they had already sold several of Mr. Earley’s drypoint paintings adding, “Donald’s drypoint paintings are very sensitive and sensual. He is definitely an artist’s artist.” She also expressed the hope that Mr. Earley would become one of the gallery’s full time artists.

Students from VCU-Q won multiple top awards at the International Furniture and Design Exhibition & Awards.

First prize in the ‘Best Piece of Furniture’ category went to Sara Al Mulla. In the hotly contested ‘Best Interior Space’ category the winner was Dima Masoud, while the award for ‘Best Presentation’ went to Maryam Al Kuwari.

The three female designers, all students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, received their prizes in front of 500 guests during a glittering Gala Dinner at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Speaking at the Prize Winners press conference, ‘Best Piece of Furniture’ award winner Sara Al Mulla said: “I’d like to thank the jury and the INFDEX Best Young Designer Awards sponsored by Qatari Diar for presenting me with this award. I’m honored to be recognised, especially considering the high quality of the other entries.”

Maryam Al Kuwari noted, “My project was part of my final year’s thesis. I wanted to encourage environmental sustainability by making use of environment-friendly material in design.”

Their interior design instructor, Maja Kinemark, said of the works, “I thought this was a nice opportunity to showcase our interior design students from VCUQatar. Participating in competitions and design fairs plays a significant role for an up-coming young designer in building her resume and contact networks for a successful future practice. I am very proud to have our students not only represent the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar at this event but to win three of the top prizes, actually all top prices. Mabrook!”

As part of the Image, Word & Voice lecture series, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is presenting a lecture by Dr. James Farmer entitled, ‘Machu Picchu and the Milky Way: Urban Design and Imperial Strategy in the Inca Heartland’ on Monday, 23 November, 2009 at 7:00 PM in the Atrium at VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.
Machu Picchu is the most famous, popular and publicized of all ancient Inca sites in Peru, yet historians have long debated the purpose of Machu Picchu and its underlying design principles.
‘Machu Picchu and the Milky Way’ discusses the most recent interpretations about Machu Picchu and Dr. Farmer’s recent investigations into the Inca motivations and intentions regarding its construction, design and use.
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Art History at VCU Richmond, Dr. James Farmer’s general areas of specialization include Pre-Columbian and North American Indian art, with secondary interests in modern and contemporary Native and Latin American art. His specific research interests are divided between the ancient native traditions of the American Southwest, and the middle Formative and Late Horizon traditions of Ecuador and Peru. He has participated in archeological excavations in Colorado and Ecuador and has conducted study abroad classes in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and the Southwest.
Dr. Farmer has served as a guest curator, collection consultant and exhibition catalog contributor to several major museums, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Chrysler Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as well as the Anderson Gallery on the VCU Richmond campus. His publications span a wide range of issues and subjects related to ancient Native American art and architecture, such as astronomy and women’s rituals in ancient Puebloan architectural design, symbolism in Maya textiles, early painting in rock art from the American Southwest, and early Andean ceramics and sculpture in highland Ecuador.
Dr. Farmer’s most recent publication is a co-authored book just released by University of Texas Press entitled Art and Archeology of Challuabamba, Ecuador. His most recent investigations have focused on Inca urban design and planning, upon which his lecture on Monday is based. “My approach to Pre- Columbian art history stresses both the deep antiquity of technically complex and artistically sophisticated ancient American styles, as well as the nature of long range influence and interaction between the major traditions and styles,” he said.
James Farmer joined the faculty of the Department of Art History at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in 1992. He holds a BFA in studio art and a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin, and since 2002 has served as the Chair of the Department of Art History.
The Image, Word & Voice lecture series is sponsored by the Liberal Arts and Sciences program of VCUQatar and was established to signify the relationship between these three modes of communication. The series is intended to supplement students’ education by extending the range of visitorsto which they are exposed. “What these visitors all have in common is that they are committed to using the image, the word, or both, to give voice to what it means to be alive at the beginning of the 21st century. We invite one speaker each semester and Dr. James Farmer will be the fourth to present in this lecture series,” said Byrad Yyelland, Director of Liberal Arts & Sciences at VCUQatar.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar presents a lecture by Dr. Peter Lang entitled, ‘Utopia by Design’ on Tuesday, 24 November, 2009 at 5:30 PM in the Atrium at VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.
‘Utopia by Design’ by Dr. Peter Lang, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture at Texas A&M, looks at a contemporary research in the new city development in the Third World and is a reflection on the invention of the ideal. The lecture is presented by the new MFA in Design program, in correlation with the workshop “Media environment and Utopia” held for the MFA students at VCUQatar.

As part of Columbia University’s ‘Living Archives’ series Dr. Lang recently co-curated with Mark Wasiuta, GSAPP Columbia University, and Luca Molinari, Naples University, Environments and Counter Environments: Experimental Media in Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, MoMA 1972. The exhibition was held at Buell Hall between April and May of 2009 and featured a symposium at the Museum of Modern Art. In 2008, Dr. Lang was invited to be a moderator and editor for Archiphoenix: Future Faculties for Architecture at the Dutch Pavilion, at the 11th edition of the Exhibition on Architecture at Venice Biennial curated by Netherlands Architecture Institute and Stealth. Dr. Lang also co-curated with William Menking, Pratt Institute, the exhibition Superstudio: Life Without Objects for the London Design Museum, as well as co-authored the book of the same title for Skira publications.
Dr. Peter Lang holds a Bachelor in Architecture from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in history and urbanism from NYU. A Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Lang is Associate Professor with the Department of Architecture at Texas A&M University in College Station. From the Fall of 2001 to the Spring of 2009 he served as permanent Texas A&M faculty at the Santa Chiara Center in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. He writes on the history of post-war Italian architecture, with a focus on Italian experimental design from the sixties. Dr. Lang is an active member of Stalker/ON, the urban arts and architecture research group based in Rome.

’Utopia by Design’ will be presented on Tuesday, 24 November, 2009 at 5:30 PM in the Atrium at VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public. For further information please contact Professor Line Ulrika Christiansen: luchristians@qatar.vcu.edu. For more information on Dr. Lang, please visit www.petertlang.net and www.osservatorionomade.net

An exhibition of works by artists and designers who are teaching and researching at VCUQatar. Melanie McClintock, Johan Granberg, Brett Kearney, Della Reams, Emilie Burnham, Muneera Spence, and Maja Kinnemark.

Reception and Opening: 2 December 2009, 7:30pm
The Gallery: 2 December 2009 - 23 January 2010

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar’s Fashion Department is hosting “Boudoir Boutique” on 25 November, 2009 at the atrium in VCUQatar. The event is open to the public.

“Boudoir Boutique” is the Fashion Department’s first ever fashion trunk show for VCUQatar alumni fashion designers and the aim of this show is to promote these designers. Some of them include: Roqaya Al-Thani, Class of 2009, who is currently selling her collections online through Facebook.com; Sara Abdulghani, Class of 2008, who is operating her own boutique “Sara’s Secrets” in Al Saad; Pegah Simi, Class of 2008, who is part of the project designing uniforms for the Qatari Military; Anfal Berair, Melina de Moura and Kholoud Al-Mosallam, all Class of 2009, who are working on their current collections.

These young, upcoming designers are using this opportunity to also share, display and even sell garments and accessories from their most recent collections at this special public event. A part of the proceeds from the evening’s event will go towards scholarships for future fashion design students.

The task of organizing and planning this event is being undertaken by nine students of the Fashion Promotion class along with their professor, Melanie McClintock. The class is a required course for the Fashion Design Degree at VCUQatar and students can take it anytime within their years at university. This year the class is made up of Senior and Junior level students who include Ahmed El-Sayed, Assil Diab, Carla Mallari, Dana Elhaj Ahmad, Esra Sharab, Hissa Al-Muhannadi, Hissa Zainal, Modawi Al-Ansari and Selina Farooqui. Everything from the decorations, the interior planning, layout and invitations for “Boudoir Boutique” have been designed and created by the students themselves.

A Trunk Show is a special sale in which vendors present merchandise directly to select customers at a retail location or another unique venue. It allows the customer to preview and/or purchase merchandise before it is made available to the public, in the presence of the actual designers.

Fashion Promotion is about what goes on behind the scenes of fashion houses and retailers. “We learn everything from advertising techniques to retail space layouts to creating window displays to putting on special events. Everything you see when you go to a mall or boutique is planned promotion to attract customers. This includes magazines, billboards, signage, window displays, special sales, shopping events and fashion shows. Creating a demand and selling a product is what Fashion Promotion is all about, and this is what the industry survives on,” said Fashion Design student Selina Farooqui.

“Boudoir Boutique” takes place on 25 November, 2009 at the atrium in VCUQatar. Doors open at 6:00 PM; the event is open to the public.

VCU-Q presents Cameron Sinclair, co-founder and executive director of Architecture for Humanity.

Date & Time: Wednesday, 18 November, 11am
Location: VCU-Q Atrium, Education City, Doha

Cameron Sinclair is the co-founder and ‘eternal optimist’ at Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and brings professional design services to communities in need. Over the past ten years the organization has worked in twenty-six countries on projects ranging from school, health clinics, affordable housing and long term sustainable reconstruction.

Sinclair is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2006 TED prize and the 2005 RISD/Target Emerging Designer of the Year. Recently he was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar celebrated Alumni Injaz (Arabic for achievement) Night on 15 November, 2009 at VCUQatar with officials from Qatar Foundation and Barwa gracing the occasion.

The evening started with a welcome reception amid the strains of the oudh and drums wafting through the halls and atrium at VCUQatar. Sana Al-Buainain, Director of Alumni Affairs at VCUQatar, opened the event with her address welcoming Vice-Chairman of Qatar Foundation Dr. Saif Al-Hajari, Chairman of Barwa Real Estate Co. Ghanim bin Saad Al-Sa’ad and Mohamed Al-Sada, Group Director of Communication & CEO of Barwa Media, other distinguished guests from Barwa, faculty, staff and alumni.

In the last eight years, VCUQatar has graduated over 200 alumni in the design field. With the rising privatization in Qatar, more than 75% of these employed alumni work in the private and semi-private sectors experiencing the challenges and being a part of the rapid development in Qatar. Alumni Injaz Night recognized the contributions of VCUQatar’s alumni at Barwa Media who have been instrumental in getting Qatari advertising and design global exposure.

“We chose Injaz Night to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of these ambitious alumni,” said Ms. Al-Buainain. “These young designers are out there making a difference in their communities in the field of design. They are an inspiration to our students who aspire to lead, and make an impact in the world around them.”

Providing young talents an opportunity to showcase their creativity and seeking to foster a spirit of social responsibility amongst the next generation of regional innovators, the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar has announced the 2010 edition of its annual Design Competition for secondary school students in Qatar.

A premier high school-level design contest, the VCUQatar Design Competition invites senior secondary school students from all over the world including Qatar to present their ideas to reduce waste and design alternatives to simply throwing things away.

14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into oceans annually around the world and this waste represents a huge economic burden on all the countries and the environment. This year’s competition is an exciting opportunity for students to better understand and think of ways to reduce waste and re-purpose some of what we throw away while making beautiful and useful objects.

Based on this year’s theme ‘Everything is Useful’, students the world over will get a chance to express their creative solutions to re-use more of what we throw away thereby helping create a smarter, safer and more sustainable environment. Along with the prospect for 40 students to win cash prizes, two qualified students can apply for and earn the full four-year Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned Scholarship for Creativity to study design or art at VCUQatar.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is presenting the first meeting of the ACM SIGGRAPH Doha Chapter with an ‘Animation Festival’ on Thursday, 22 October, 2009 from 4:30 to 5:30 PM at the atrium in VCUQatar.

ACM SIGGRAPH Doha is a Professional Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group in Computer Graphics and will be featuring the very best Animation from around the world. Their goal is to bring to members in depth coverage of the latest developments and achievements in the field of computer graphics including animation, visual effects, multi-media, interaction design, virtual reality and other areas of creative fields.

The Association also wants to create a network of computer graphics and interactive technology professionals and students. This include artists, designers, programmers, technologists, media professionals, digital content creators, teachers, students, filmmakers, web developers and others form technical and creative fields. ACM SIGGRAPH plans to run free events where local, national and international keynote speakers may present their work or topics to the public forum. The forum gives attendees the opportunity to directly network with the speakers and other attendees.

The electronic theater screening takes place on 22 October, 2009 from 4:30 to 5:30 PM in the atrium at VCUQatar and is open to the public.

For more information, please go here.

As part of the fifth season of lectures on the Arts and Architecture of the Islamic World, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is presenting a lecture by Dr. Oliver Watson entitled ‘The Doha Ivory Box: Fabulous or Fake?’ on Tuesday, 20 October, 2009 at 8:00 PM in the Atrium in VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

Dr. Oliver Watson’s lecture focuses on an object that has been the subject of considerable controversy: an inscribed penbox of intricately-carved ivory, which is part of the collection of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. The box, made of intricately carved ivory, is dated 394H/1003 AD and can be related to a splendid known group of carved ivories from Islamic Spain. However, it comprises a number of strange features, including bad spelling mistakes in its inscription and, therefore, doubt was thrown on its authenticity by several scholars and specialists. Dr. Watson’s research has now resolved the urgent question – is it a fabulous and important medieval object or is it a sophisticated fake?


The Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar presents ‘Transit’, an exhibition organized by Meredith Brice, from 21 October to 21 November, 2009 with a reception on 21 October, 2009 at 8:00 PM at the Gallery in VCUQatar. The exhibition is open to the public.

The exhibition transit brings together the works of four Australian visual artists: Meredith Brice, Stephen Copland, Karee S. Dahl and Colin Reaney. Formerly resident in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE, both artist couples have focused on a common theme in their work: the notion of an itinerant art practice built on responses to shifts and movements in moving through and living within different context within the Global Village. Notions of home, homeland and material utopias seek to explain the response to garner a sense of identity and space. The four artists’ work explores and underscores through relationship the commonalities, differences and uniqueness in artistic practice.

Fascinating to this exhibition is the artist partnership relationship. The female perspective of the transitory life is interpreted through the experience of making with a contemporary eye to traditional craft forms, the warp and the weft, weaving together of threads, within notions of the supposed domestic, nurture space. Observing culture(s) from the margins, assimilating the observations becomes the means of integration and hybridization to construct new meanings and forms of reference. New experiences become the base material to re-work, re-interpret and re-formulate existing models of understanding through the creation of tactile, socially-relevant forms sourced from the material present.

Doha, Qatar - Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar presents ‘Off-grid’, a lecture and photographic exhibition by Johan Granberg on October 13, 2009 at 7:00 PM at the atrium in VCUQatar. The lecture and exhibition are open to the public.

‘Off-grid’ will focus on Mr. Granberg’s two-year stay in Papua New Guinea highlighting his experiences teaching design and working as a designer in an indigenous culture. “The lecture will also draw attention to our participation in the building of an aid post, a three-room clinic, in Papua New Guinea’s Labutale village,” said Mr. Granberg, Assistant Professor of Interior Design at VCUQatar. ‘On-Bamboo’, a conference and workshop curated by Mr. Granberg when he taught at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, will be the final subject of the lecture. ‘On-Bamboo’ was an international event that explored the possibilities of bamboo’s architectural, artistic, ecological, construction and structural aspects.

Muqeem Khan explores emergent technology at this Doha ACM Siggraph this year.

To see more on Khan’s interesting work, please go here.
To read more on ACM Siggraph, please go here.
To read more on VCUQ, please go to http://www.qatar.vcu.edu

Renowned Islamic calligraphy artist and Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar (VCUQ) Joint Advisory Board member Mohamed Zakariya was recently commissioned by US President Barack Obama to create a gift of calligraphy for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

The commissioned gift is a work of Islamic calligraphy in Arabic Sulus script with ink and gold on Ahar paper with Ebru borders and backing for President Obama’s visit to the Middle East.

Taken from the Qur’an (Chapter 49: Verse 13), the English translation of the script reads:

“O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognise one another. The noblest among you in God’s sight is the most conscientious of you. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”

To read more, please go here.

Featuring works from as early as the 1980s until the present, Ali Hassan’s retrospective looks at the development of his work which over time has combined both calligraphic and figural forms, often abstracted. Perhaps the most prominent feature of Ali Hassan’s calligraphic work is his treatment of the letter “nun”. Ali Hassan’s general style is particularly characterized by the use of strong colors and a mix of materials and collage. However, in his most recent work he has embarked on the sculptural application of calligraphy in both ceramic and installation art.

The exhibition is scheduled from 9 September – 10 October 2009 at The Gallery in Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and is open Sundays to Thursdays, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or by prior appointment. A reception will be held at the gallery on 9 September 2009 at 9:00 PM. For further information, please call VCUQatar on +974 492 7200 or email Dr. Jochen Sokoly on jsokoly@qatar.vcu.edu.

VCUQatar held its annual Awards Ceremony recently to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of VCUQatar students. The ceremony is also an opportunity for VCUQatar donors to meet the recipients of their scholarships and for VCUQatar to acknowledge industry leaders, donors and sponsors who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of art and design in Qatar.

VCUQatar students were honored for academic and personal excellence. A gathering of students, staff, faculty, family members and friends congratulated recipients as they received their certificates and gifts.

About Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar:
Established in the US in 1838 and in Qatar in 1998, Virginia Commonwealth University offers students from all over the world the opportunity to earn Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in fashion, graphic, interior design and painting & printmaking and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design studies. A team of highly skilled professors provide rigorous curricula that prepare students to assume leadership roles in the professional design field of their choice. VCUQatar regularly organizes and hosts exhibitions, gallery events, world-class conferences and holds an annual fashion show. VCUQatar is supported and funded by the Qatar Foundation.

Doha, Qatar - Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar) welcomed 60 full time new students to the Education City campus. 15% of Class of 2013 are young men and 85% are young ladies. Along with 37 students from Qatar, the Class of 2013 has 23 students from Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UK, and the US.

Admission to VCUQatar has become more competitive every consecutive year. The incoming Class of 2013 represents highly qualified students who demonstrated strong academic skills, English language competency and background in art that suggests the potential to succeed as promising designers.

About Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar
About Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development

VCUQatar Assistant Professor Muqeem Khan has made a mark for himself in Hollywood, Hawaii and Doha. His graphic design students benefit from his fascinating experience as a Walt Disney visual effects artist and other equally impressive computer graphics and animation stints. Read more about him in this recent Qatar Tribune article.

VCUQatar held its eighth graduation ceremony on 2 May, 2009 at The Ritz Carlton hotel.  VCUQatar graduated its eighth class of new designers whose work will impact the development of Qatar for years to come. The 8th Commencement brings the number of VCUQatar alumni to 217 with 14 more students graduating after the summer.

“I would like to congratulate our graduates on their many achievements,” said Dean Allyson Vanstone. “They are entering a field that has become an increasingly global profession, and we are proud to say that our students have been educated to be leaders in addressing the design issues of today and tomorrow. With the unequivocal support of a great leader and role model, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, our senior students are already participating in projects to build the nation and upon graduation their voices will lead future design initiatives for Qatar and international collaborations,” she added.

The ceremony marks the culmination of four years of hard work and perseverance on the part of the graduates. They have spent the past four years fulfilling an intensive and rigorous curriculum, one designed to foster not just first-rate designers but well-rounded individuals prepared for the challenges and responsibilities of a highly complex professional world. Students, their families, friends, faculty and staff came together to celebrate VCUQatar graduates’ accomplishments and rejoice in their venture into the professional field as they take their expertise and innovations to every area of design.

Roger Mandle, Executive Director for the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) delivered the commencement address to the 51 graduates during the afternoon ceremonies. Dr. Mandle comes to the QMA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island, where he served as President from 1993 until 2008.  He brings to the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) more than four decades of experience as a senior museum executive and arts educator.

“These four years at university have finally paid off, we are now designers who are ready to excel and tackle the next challenge waiting for us. I am very proud of our class and of what it has achieved. I would like to take this chance to congratulate the graduates and wish them all the best of luck for what is yet to come. I would also like to thank my family, who has supported me throughout these years, the faculty, staff and friends who have made this an unforgettable experience,” said Interior Design graduate and Valedictorian Hala Hani Akkawi.

Interior Design Class Marshal Cynthia Amir Ibrahim Batir said she was honored to be a VCUQatar graduate. “VCUQatar has given me a chance to become the designer I always dreamt of being. Not one day has gone by where I felt like I wasn’t being given what I applied for. VCUQatar has exceeded my expectations in terms of academics. As for myself, I feel like I accomplished a great deal throughout the years, even greater that what I imagined. Now, I push myself to break existing boundaries and create new ones. There is no such thing as boundaries if you are eager to make something happen,” she said epitomizing everything VCUQatar aspires for its graduate students.

The new VCUQatar graduates will join the band of over 180 alumni who have gone on to successfully establish their own businesses or take up jobs in various positions in Education City, the government and ministries in Qatar. VCUQatar continues to pave the path for students that will take them far on the innovation road.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar is hosting its sixth Annual Career Day on 22 April 2009 followed by the final exhibition of the academic year, the ‘Senior Students Exhibition’.

Career Day serves as a link to the business community while giving VCUQatar senior students, who are entering the workforce this year, the opportunity to meet professionals in their field of study. Students benefit immensely from this experience as the interviews provide them with many job opportunities upon graduation. It also gives the business community an occasion to see what students are doing and to identify emerging stars for future employment.

Qatar-based employers have been invited to participate in the event this year with students setting up booths to showcase their work. Students will also receive career advice, tips and techniques in CV writing and the opportunity to participate in a networking session with industry professionals. Registration starts at 2:30 PM and the event is open from 3:00 to 6:00 PM.

Career Day is followed by the much anticipated Senior Students Exhibition that will run until 20 August, 2009. A reception will be held at the Gallery at 6:30 PM and the event is open to the public.

This  juried exhibition showcases the final thesis projects plus a selection of the best  work of VCUQatar senior students from the Fashion, Interior and Graphic Design Departments while highlighting their creativity and innovation. The range of media used by students includes illustration, photography, typography and publication.

“This year we looked for examples of excellence and professionalism,” said Kevin Woolley, Interim Chair of the Interior Design Department. “The students have showed a lot of creativity and ingenuity in their designs,” he stated. “Students start with a particular source of inspiration and explore possibilities through their design ideas,” said Sandra Wilkins, Chair of the Fashion Design Department. “They are making an identity statement, really,” she added.

A reception will be held at the Gallery on 22 April, 2009 at 6:30 PM. The exhibition is scheduled from 22 April to 20August, 2009. The exhibition is open to the public. VCUQatar Gallery is open Sunday - Thursday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

VCUQatar and the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) announced the student winners for the design of the two trophies - for the Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe and the Qatar Arabian World Cup – two of the most prestigious events organized by the QREC, at a press conference on 19 April, 2009 at VCUQatar.

VCUQatar students’ designs were presented to the committee at QREC comprising H.E. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh Al Thani, General Supervisor, Sami Jassim Al Boenain, General Manager, Tarik Al Siddiqi, Technical Consultant and Patricia Musial, Event Coordinator, who decided on the three winning designs in each category. H.E. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh Al Thani presented the awards to the winners during the press conference in the presence of QREC officials, VCUQatar Dean Allyson Vanstone and other VCUQatar officials, faculty, staff, students and media.

The winners for the design of the Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe trophy are Noura Mohammed Al-Khulaifi in first place, Zlatan Pejdah in second, and Maryam Al-Khalifa in third place. Noura Al-Khulaifi’s’s trophy design was inspired by the Qatari Flag and Rocco French style and incorporated these elements using the nine triangles of the flag at the bottom, the fluer de lys motif in the center and a horse to crown the trophy with a sprinkling of pearls.

The winners for the design of the Qatar Arabian World Cup are Yang Soon Ju in first place, Geysa Araujo in second, and Hanin Bader in third place. Yang Soon Ju said she was motivated to integrate European and Arab cultures and brought together the Greek water vessel for the body, a coat of arms and pearl for the shell and a racing horse with the jockey to crown this trophy.
The other winning designs followed in the same vein encompassing a fusion of traditional Qatari motifs with a dash of France and the equine.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Faleh Al Thani said the competition was not easy to judge. “Thanks to the panel, the Dean and teachers, it was made easier,” he said. “All the trophy designs were beautiful, but we chose the ones that incorporated all the elements we were looking for when we made our choice,” he added. He went on to congratulate all the students who participated in the competition.

“VCUQatar continues to provide outstanding opportunities for young designers to make significant contributions to the design industry,” said Dean Allyson Vanstone. “The originality and breadth of these entries demonstrates the high degree of innovation that exists on our campus today. These students represent the design leadership of tomorrow,” she added.

Besides providing certificates of recognition to the winners, QREC is also awarding a full scholarship to VCUQatar for designing these trophies. The winners will also be promoted in QREC’s promotional material. The designs of the winners of the second and third places will be used for trophies for other competitions.

Considered the most prestigious flat race, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 race, limited to 20 starters, run on turf over the classic distance of 2400m on the first Sunday in October. This intergenerational confrontation brings together the best male and female thoroughbreds aged 3 and over. In December 2008, QREC signed a 5 year exclusive partnership agreement with France Galop and The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe took an important step forward in partnership terms by becoming the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with prize money of € 4,000,000 making it the most richly rewarded turf race in the world.

The program of the weekend of Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe includes 15 thoroughbred races of which seven are Group 1 races and one is a Group 1 race for Pure Arab Horses - The Qatar Arabian World Cup. Last year, The Qatar Arabian World Cup was included, for the first time, in the program of the Arc Day of racing as part of the new partnership and with a  prize money of € 450,000, it became the most prestigious race for pure Arabian horses.

QREC approached VCUQatar students in March this year and asked them to design trophies for the two celebrated races. The deadline for presenting the designs was 12 April, 2009. 25 students from the Foundation year (first year) participated in the competition with their professors, Ms. Kathleen Ferguson, Assistant Professor, Foundation and Donald Earley, Assistant Professor, Fashion Design at hand to give them constant encouragement and support.

VCUQatar students have been called upon on several occasions to design for the Qatari community. VCUQatar graduate Mary Anne Skill designed the Qatar Foundation Award for Courage trophy for Oryx Quest 2005 and in 2008 VCUQatar fashion design students designed uniforms for the Qatar Symphony Orchestra.  In August 2007, VCUQatar’s Center for Research in Design was commissioned by the Doha 2016 Bid Committee to design the logo for the Doha 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Bid and the logo designed by Fatma Al Mogunni and Lejla Niksic was accepted for official use.

About QREC
The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club was founded in 1975 and H.E. Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani is presently the Chairman of Board of Directors. Located in New Rayyan , QREC has the mission of developing thoroughbred and pure Arabian horse racing events and organizing Arabian horse shows. Racing events take place each Thursday, from the end of October to the end of May. Some 200 horses train at New Al Rayyan Park. Thanks to the construction of 400 new box stalls, a veterinary clinic with the latest state of the art equipment, a horse swimming pool, a farrier unit and a club house, the QREC will become one of the most enviable horse training centers in the World.

The QREC is affiliated with many international organizations. Since 1990, the QREC has been a member of the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) whose main role is to establish and monitor purebred pedigrees and to develop relevant statistics. In 2011, Qatar will host the WAHO Conference for the first time. In addition, QREC has been a member of the European Conference of Arab Horse Organization (ECAHO) since 1994, a member of the Asian Equestrian Federation since 2001, a member of the International Federation of Arabian Horseracing Authorities (IFAHR) since 1992. Sami Jassim Al Boenain, General Manager of QREC, was elected President of IFAHR in January 2008 and he still holds this position.

Highlights of the QREC Racing Calendar:
Qatar International Equestrian Festival, late February
H. H. The Emir of the State of Qatar Sword and Trophies Festival, late March
QREC also sponsors other prestigious racing events in Germany, UK and Sweden.

VCUQ’s English students will be reading poetry mostly by Arab and Middle Eastern women at the Waqif Art Center on 15 April at 6:30 PM. The reading is open to the public and lasts one hour.

The English course, ‘Readings in Literature: Women in Poetry’ is taught by Diana Woodcock, Assistant Professor of English who said, “Although many students were familiar with poetry from family or elementary/high school exposure, this course at VCUQatar is their first time to spend an entire semester reading and discussing it.”

15 students - Abeer Khamis Al Kubaisi, Asmaa Yousuf Al-Jaber, Daleen Munther Al Khatib, Erica Virvo, Fatma Hilal Cilsal, Hadeer Samir Omar, Noor A-Rahman Al-Thani, Roda Mohamed Al-Maadheed, Sabrina Christensen, Sahwa Awad ElNakhli, Sali Nabil Qubrosi, Samreen Zahra, Sara Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Sara Mohamed El-Moughny and Sara Nabil Qubrosi - will be reading favorite poems that they have been introduced to this semester. “I have asked them to choose poets from their own countries.  Since most of them are Arab or Middle Eastern, most of the poems will come from this region,” added Ms. Woodcock.  All of the poems read are by women poets from antiquity to the present. Some students will read poems in Arabic, then in English translation.  The students are a mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores.

Doing a poetry reading at the Waqif Art Center was suggested by Valerie Jeremijenko, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at VCUQatar, who thought it would be a wonderful community outreach project for the students. The students also have been involved in designing the posters and programs for the event.

The VCUQatar sponsored poetry reading starts at 6:30 PM at the Waqif Art Center on 15 April and lasts one hour. The reading is open to the public.

As part of the ongoing series of lectures on Arts and Architecture of the Islamic World, VCUQ presents a lecture by Dr. Heather Ecker entitled ‘Asia in Aragón: Patronage of the Rug Industry in Early Modern Spain’ on 15, April 2009 at 7:30 PM in the Atrium in VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

By the 13th century, Muslim women in the Southeastern villages of al-Andalus were weaving carpets that were of sufficient quality to be appreciated by Castilian royalty. By the 15th century, they were making carpets in sufficient quantity to be exported to all of the major Iberian cities and throughout the Mediterranean. What can the surviving examples from the 15th and 16th centuries - as well as documents - tell us about the mechanisms of patronage and the development of this craft in Europe? How were these carpets perceived and used outside of their Islamic context? Dr. Ecker will explore various historical approaches that help to uncover both the economically and aesthetically important early modern industry of Spanish carpet weaving.

Dr. Heather Ecker is Head of the Department of the Arts of Asia and the Islamic World, and Curator of Islamic Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Currently engaged in the design and construction of the new Gallery of Islamic Art, Dr. Ecker was also recently the in-house curator of the show The Private World of the Mughal Emperors of India - Albums of Paintings and Calligraphy from the Chester Beatty Library. She was curator of the show Caliphs and Kings - The Art and Influence of Islamic Spain at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art, and the author of its catalogue. She is a former post-doctoral fellow of the Smithsonian Institution and the Society of Fellows in the Humanities at Columbia University. She holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford as well as undergraduate degrees from Harvard University and the University of London. Her recent publications include: “Piedras árabes: Rodrigo Caro y su traducción de las inscripciones árabes de Sevilla (1634),” in Los Plomos del Sacromonte, invención y tesoro, Eds. Manuel Barrios Aguilera and Mercedes García-Arenal. Valencia: Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2006, pp. 335-384; “How to administer a conquered city in al-Andalus: mosques, parish churches and parishes,” in Under the Influence: Questioning the Comparative in Medieval Iberia, eds. Cynthia Robinson and Leyla Rouhi. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2005, pp. 45-65, and “The Great Mosque of Córdoba in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries,” Muqarnas XX (2003), pp. 113-141.

The lecture is presented on 15, April 2009 at 7:30 PM in the Atrium in VCUQatar and is open to the public.

The Graphic Design Department is organizing a lecture entitled: ‘Two Cultures, One Design’ on 14 April, 2009 at 6:30 pm in the Atrium at VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

‘Two Cultures, One Design’ presented by renowned Bosnian American illustrator Mirko Ilic will focus on how design is at the forefront of all innovation today, breaking all barriers to speak one language, that of creative expertise. The lecture will be followed by a book signing.

Born in Bosnia, Mirko Ilic illustrated and art-directed posters, record covers, book covers, magazines, and comics before arriving in the U.S. in 1986. He was commissioned by many of the major magazines and newspapers to work as an illustrator before going on to become Art Director for Time magazine’s international edition in 1991. In 1992 he became Art Director for the New York Times Op-Ed pages and in 1995 he established Mirko Ilic Corp., a graphic design, 3-D computer graphics and motion picture title studio.

He has received several awards from the Society of Illustrators, Society of Publication Designers, Art Directors Club, I.D. Magazine and Society of Newspaper Design among others. He has taught advanced design classes at Cooper Union with Milton Glaser and currently teaches Master’s degree classes in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts. He has co-authored Genius Moves: 100 Icons of Graphic Design, Handwritten and The Anatomy of Design with Steven Heller and The Design of Dissent with Milton Glaser. His clients presently include major newspaper/magazine and book publishers, restaurants, hotels, and other companies.

‘Two Cultures, One Design’ will take place on 14 April, 2009 at 6:30 pm in the Atrium at VCUQatar. The lecture is open to the public.

VCUQ is proud to announce Ibrahim Mohammed Jaidah as the donor of the Excellence in Graphic Design Award and the Excellence in Interior Design Award. The honors will be bestowed upon the graduating seniors from the two programs during the Graduation Dinner held this year on 1 May, 2009.

This is the second consecutive year Mr. Jaidah, a renowned Qatari architect and Managing Director of Arab Engineering Bureau, is sponsoring the awards. “I am giving these awards to recognize and encourage talents that excel,” he said. His support to VCUQatar however predates these awards and goes as far back as 2005 when he was a speaker at VCUQatar’s annual design conference Tasmeem Doha. He was keynote speaker this year at VCUQatar’s Mousharaka Icograda Design Week earlier this year. Mr. Jaidah also hosted an exhibition entitled ‘Contemporary Architectural Development in Qatar: The Work of Ibrahim Jaidah and His Design Studio’ at the VCUQatar Gallery that ran in the Autumn of 2005. He has participated in VCUQatar’s Career Day events and has attended and evaluated the work of VCUQatar’s Interior Design students on several occasions. He continues to be committed to sharing his knowledge and experience with new generations of designers through the funding of these scholarships at VCUQatar and his other activities.

Ibrahim Jaidah graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1988, and worked for Qatar’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture as head of the Architectural Section before acquiring AEB. In 2005 he received the Award for State Encouragement, which is given for career achievement, and serves as a testament to his central role in shaping Qatar’s future and that of architecture in the region. Mr. Jaidah is a pioneer of a new movement in architecture that combines the far-reaching influences of Islamic art with a modern style. AEB’s work has led to several awards, including two other Arab Cities Awards and one Islamic Cities Award. Mr. Jaidah also serves as a guest speaker at universities and conferences throughout the region. He will soon be publishing a book charting the history of Qatari Architecture, followed by a second book chronicling the evolution of the AEB architectural style.

The Gallery at VCUQatar will present Rubble, an exhibition by Lebanese artist Nada Sehnaoui.
March 18–April 15.

Nada Sehnaoui is a Beirut-based visual artist whose work, paintings, and installations deal with issues of war, personal memory, public amnesia, the writing of history, and the construction of identity. Her installations question the use of public spaces in relation to collective memory and the building of democracy.

The work will comprise 125 stools covered in photographs that the artist took in the suburbs of Beirut.

The Gallery will be furnished with these stools, some of which will also feature a work by a VCUQatar student during the exhibition. The stools will be positioned in a grid within the gallery and provide a quiet space for meditation and reflection. Visitors will be able to walk through the gallery space and also sit on the stools.

Photographs of the destruction will also be seen along the gallery walls. Nada Sehnaoui’s intention is to create an enclosed space through which art may meditate upon the capacity of human beings to reduce other human beings lives to rubble.

Image from earlier exhibition “Haven’t 15 Years of Hiding in the Toilets Been Enough?” downtown Beirut.

Interior and Graphic Design senior students participated in a three-day design studio workshop entitled ‘Urbanized Fabrics’. The workshop was conducted by visiting guest Associate Professor Jeffery L. Day.

Jeffrey L. Day, AIA is a principal of Min | Day in Omaha, Nebraska and an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln With an AB, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in Visual and Environmental Studies on the American East Coast the and M of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley from the West coast Mr. Day is currently operating under the name of Min|Day in the Heartland of America (Omaha, Nebraska). In both his architectural practice and his selection of home Mr. Day has found a middle ground that is refreshingly unexplored and oddly forgotten. His interest in traditional techniques and conventional standardizations in combination with advanced digitally-controlled production systems has resulted in a series of interesting architectural explorations in the Nebraskan landscape. In addition to this Mr. Day is active in projects all over the United States. His work ranges from teaching and writing to installation art and architecture. Jeff is true to the website statement of Min|Day: “we do not choose to work from a rigid theoretical position or to adopt an ideological approach to design. Instead, we prefer to take a flexible, tactical approach that deals with immediate circumstances.” For more information, please visit www.minday.com

Read the full press release on: www.artfacts.net.

VCUQatar film night showing of the English version of ‘Persepolis’, the animated feature adapted from Marjane Satrapi’s acclaimed graphic novels.

The Graphic Design Department at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar will host the International Heritage of Photographic Experience (IHPE). IHPE allows students the opportunity to explore the historical monuments an heritage of their culture. The aim for competition is to promote the cultural heritage of Qatar through photographs taken by youth to allow a new perspective to be discovered. An exhibition of the the winning photographs will be organized later in the fall.

February 28– March 5, 2009

Mousharaka the theme for Icograda Design Week in Qatar means Collaboration. Collaboration is a combined effort resulting in the deepening of relationships and shared knowledge. Design is now considered a team endeavor where collaboration is crucial to achieve innovative results inclusive of cultures and mediums. Designers are crossing boundaries and are participating in creative interdisciplinary teams addressing broad issues of communication, space, systems thinking, cultural identity, style and business. Designers have become instrumental in affecting change on a global level.
Mousharaka | Icograda Design Week in Qatar will bring together practitioners, scholars, and students across design disciplines, cultures and regions to build bridges, raise awareness of the importance and promise of collaboration, and create bonds necessary to achieve the full potential of design in the Gulf region.

Mousharaka | Icograda Design Week in Qatar will be composed of two parts: the Education Symposium and the Professional Conference.

More information can be found at:
www.mousharaka.com
and a related article published in the Gulf Times.
www.gulf-times.com

The Gallery | VCUQatar
November 26, 2008–January 24, 2009

Faculty Focus
Emilie Burnham • Don Crow • Brian Geary• Narita Mattock • Muneera U. Spence

*Photograph by Markus Elblaus

After completing a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design, Allyson began a sixteen year commitment to design and education. She was on the faculty of York University and Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, where she advanced to dean. Allyson later headed the Communication Technology Program at Dubai’s Woman’s College. She replaces former dean Christine Lindholm at VCU School of the Arts in Qatar.