Context Magazine 2011-2012 : Issue 1

ISSUE N o.

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CONTEXT VCU Q ATA R M AGA Z I N E 2 011 –2 012

Issue 1 — 1

ٍ ُ ٌُ TA B L E of contents

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D E AN’S M E S SAG E

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R E S E ARCH IN CO NTE X T

Peter Chomowic z A sso ciate Dean for Research & Development

6 R E S E ARCH

10 ACH IE VE M E NT:

PRO G R E S S & INTE NTI O NALIT Y

John Guthmiller A sso ciate Dean for Academic Af fair s

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CU LTIVATIN G CR E ATIVE TH IN KIN G

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G LO BAL E XPE R IE N CE

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ALU M N I PRO FILE S

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ALU M N I ACH IE VE M E NT S

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FACU LT Y & STAFF ACH IE VE M E NT S

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TH E YE AR IN N U M B E R S

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A D E STINATI O N FO R D IALO GU E

4 6 FO STE R IN G CO M M U N IT Y INVO LVE M E NT

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CL A S S O F 2012

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THAN K YO U

D E A N’S Message A L LY S O N VA N S T O N E

Fall 2012 marks the beginning of the 15th year for VCU in Qatar.

Our anniversary provides a moment to celebrate and reflect on the achievements of the university, while looking forward to the future.

When I began my tenure at VCUQatar, the university was celebrating its 10th year. A great deal had been established—three excellent design programs with six years of alumnae, significant international exhibitions, conferences and speakers, the annual fashion show, international study trips and a strong connection with the Qatar community.

In the past five years, we have realized many of the goals we envisioned: becoming co-educational; developing student government and leadership programs; degree program expansion into visual arts and graduate studies; facility, resource and equipment expansion to increase opportunities in programs, research and community engagement; stronger connections between our Qatar and Richmond campuses; the first Qatar National Research Fund, National Priority Research Program applications and awards; a design research journal in collaboration with Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals; advanced study for Qatari employees; expansion of community classes to educate a variety of communities in art and design, from children to adults, English, Arabic and hearing impaired; and many local, regional and international teaching, research and service collaborations.

With the inspirational and unwavering support of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, we work in a context of continuous, rapid growth with a focus on the future while respecting the past. Our efforts, that are shared throughout this publication, are in line with the Qatar Foundation mission, the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the VCU strategic plan Quest for Distinction. We are concentrating on exemplary quality of the educational experience; expansion, publication and promotion of our research; entrepreneurial and alumni activity; and meaningful community engagements.

When I look forward, I see vast opportunities for our students, alumni and faculty to participate in creating the future of Qatar and the region, bringing a local perspective to international conversations. Our context is changing on a daily basis and we strive to excel in this multifaceted, challenging environment, always being aware, nimble and receptive.

‫كلمة عميد الجامعة‬

‫السيدة أليسون فانستون‬

‫ بداية الذكرى السنوية اخلامسة عرش عىل‬،2012 ‫ خريف‬،‫هشد بداية هذا العام األ كادميي‬ ‫ حيث توفر لنا هذه المناسبة حلظة لالحتفال‬.‫إناشء جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‬ .‫والتأمل يف إجنازاتنا وحنن نتطلع إىل المستقبل‬ ‫عند بداييت كعميد جلامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر كانت اجلامعة حتتفل بالذكرى‬ ‫ ذكرى مرور عرش سنوات عىل قيام اتفاقية عظيمة – ثالثة‬.‫السنوية العارشة عىل إناشهئا‬ ‫براجم متمزية يف التصميم أمثرت عن ست دفعات من اخلرجيات والعديد من المعارض‬ ‫ والعديد من‬،‫ وعرض سنوي لألزياء‬،‫الدولية الهامة والمؤمترات والمتحدثني البارزين‬ .‫ وبناء عالقة قوية ومتينة مع المجتمع القطري‬،‫الرحالت الميدانية الدولية‬ :‫ استطعنا حتقيق العديد من األهداف والتصورات التالية‬،‫يف السنوات اخلمس الماضية‬ ‫ والتوسع يف‬،‫ وتطوير براجم قيادية وحكومية للطالب‬،‫فتح الباب أمام التعليم المختلط‬ ‫براجم الفنون البرصية وبراجم الدرااست العليا؛ والتوسع يف المنآشت والمرافق والموارد‬ ‫ وتقوية العالقات بني‬،‫والمعدات للتمكن من زيادة الرباجم و البحوث وبراجم المجتمع‬ ‫ واحلصول عىل‬،‫جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر واجلامعة األم يف ريتشموند فرجينيا‬ ‫ وصندوق قطر‬NPRP ‫أوىل المنح واجلوائز من الربناجم الوطين ألولويات البحث العلمي‬ ‫ و دعم الدرااست المتقدمة‬،‫ و جملة يف حبوث التصميم‬،QNRF ‫لرعاية البحث العلمي‬ ‫ والتوسع يف دورات المجتمع لشمل فئات أوسع من المجتمع وتقديم‬،‫للموظفني القطريني‬ ‫ للكبار والصغار وباللغتني العربية واإلجنلزيية وحىت‬،‫دورات متعددة يف الفن والتصميم‬ ‫ والتعاون يف تقديم العديد من اخلدمات يف التعليم والبحوث عىل‬،‫لفئة ضعاف السمع‬ .‫المستوى المحيل واإلقليمي والدويل‬ ‫وبالدعم الملهم والثابت من صاحبة السمو الشيخة موزا بنت نارص نعمل يف جامعة‬ ‫فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر يف إطار من النمو الرسيع والمستمر يف الرتكزي عىل المستقبل مع‬ ‫ ورؤية قطر الوطنية‬،)QF( ‫ جهودنا تتماىش مع رؤية ومهمة مؤسسة قطر‬.‫احرتام المايض‬ ‫ حنن نركز‬.‫ وخطة جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر االسرتاتيجية يف سعهيا للتمزي‬،2030 ‫عىل اجلودة المثالية للتجربة التعليمية؛ التوسع ونرش وتعزيز حبوثنا وأنشطتنا يف ريادة‬ .‫الماشريع وأنشطة خرجيينا وحتقيق تواصل ذا مغزى مع المجتمع‬ ‫ أرى فرصا ضخمة و كبرية لطالبنا وخرجيينا وأاستذتنا للماشركه يف‬،‫وأنا أتطلع إىل األمام‬ ‫ سياقنا يتغري‬.‫ابتكار مستقبل قطر والمنطقة من منظور حميل إىل مستوى دويل وعالمي‬ ‫ حنن نسعى إىل التفوق يف هذه البيئة المتغريه الصعبة ذات اجلوانب المتعددة‬،‫يوميا‬ .‫وجيب أن نبقى عىل اطالع دائم عىل ما جيري فهيا ومواجهته بفطنة وتقبل‬

Issue 1 — 1

R E S E A RCH in context ON E M I LLI ON, T WO H U N D R E D, Z E RO PETER CHOMOWICZ

2 — Issue 1 T WO HUNDRED IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DIE EACH Y E A R I N ROA D AC C I D E N T S I N Q ATA R

‫‪R E S E A RC H‬‬

‫‪ONE MILLION,‬‬ ‫‪T WO H U N D R E D,‬‬ ‫‪Z E RO‬‬ ‫البحث العلمي‬

‫مليون‪ ،‬مائتان‪ ،‬صفر‬

‫قد تظهر األرقام يف عنوان هذا المقال نظرية أو جتريدية‪ ،‬وحىت دون معىن خاصة وهي‬ ‫صادرة عن مدرسة للتصميم‪ .‬لكن هذه األرقام تصور أثر البحوث العلمية جلامعة فرجينيا‬ ‫كومنولث يف قطر عىل عالمنا‪ .‬عىل سبيل المثال‪ ،‬مليون هو عدد الناس يف قطر والذين‬ ‫ممكن أن يستفيدوا من مرشوع جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر لتصميم مفهوم سكين‬ ‫جديد للعمال المهاجرين يف قطر والذي هيدف لتلبية االحتياجات السكنية للعمالة‬ ‫المؤقتة و المرتبطه بالتطور و النمو الرسيع يف دولة قطر‪ .‬مائتان هو عدد الناس الذين‬ ‫ميوتون كل عام يف حوادث الطرق يف قطر ونصفهم من األطفال‪ ،‬والذين نأمل يف إنقاذهم‬ ‫من خالل برناجمنا للبحوث والتصميم “السالمة عىل الطريق”‪ .‬أما الصفر فكان عدد‬ ‫كتب الشعر العربية اخلليجية والمرتمجة إىل اللغة اإلجنلزيية حىت قامت إحدى أاستذتنا‬ ‫ومباسعدة من إحدى طالباهتا‪ ،‬بابتكار ‪ – Gathering the Tide‬مقتطفات من الشعر‬ ‫العريب اخلليجي المعارص”‪.‬‬ ‫هذه األمثلة توضح حبكة الرواية اليت منر هبا وتقريبا دامئا عرب االستفاسرات يف أحباثنا‪:‬‬ ‫كيف ميكن ألعمالنا أن تفيد المجتمع؟ بينما أن األرقام يف هذه األمثلة القليلة تصور‬ ‫حجم الفوائد المحتملة للماليني إال أن هناك أرقاما أصغر‪ ،‬توجه أغلب أحباث أاستذتنا‬ ‫وطالبنا‪ ،‬وهذا الرقم هو واحد‪ ،‬فرد واحد‪ ،‬إناسن واحد‪ ،‬ستتأثر حياته الصحية وثروته‬ ‫وإنتاجيته ووقته عىل كوكبنا بإجيابية ومن خالل ما نقوم به‪.‬‬ ‫يف السنوات األخرية وضعت مراكز األحباث الطبية‪ ،‬ووكاالت التمويل اخلاصة هبم‪ ،‬الكثري‬ ‫من الرتكزي عىل اختصار الوقت والماسفة من اال كتاشف إىل التطوير‪ .‬وأطلقوا علهيا‬ ‫“البحوث المتعدية”‪ ،‬يسعى هذا الدافع إىل ربط جتارب المخترب برسير المريض‪ .‬النظرية‬ ‫هي أن اال كتاشفات المعملية قد يكون لها فوائد طبية غري مرئية وغري متوقعة إذا عرف‬ ‫األطباء عن وجودها‪ ،‬وعىل العكس‪ ،‬قد تاسعد المالحظات الرسيرية أهداف البحوث‬ ‫األاسسية إذا أتيحت لألطباء الفرصة لتبادل اخلربات وماشركهتا‪.‬‬ ‫وبالمثل‪ ،‬اتسمت حبوث التصميم يف السنوات األخرية بطبيعة متعددة التخصصات‬ ‫من البدائل إىل المضمون‪ ،‬وغالبا ما ياشر إلهيا باسم “التصاميم االجتماعية”‪ .‬تسعى‬ ‫“التصاميم االجتماعية” إىل جتاوز المضمون إىل قضايا المجتمع مبارشة‪ ،‬أوال من خالل‬ ‫فهم “المشكلة” ‪ -‬ما هي االحتياجات احلقيقية لهذا المجتمع‪ ،‬ثم وضع “احلل “ مبارشة‬ ‫داخل المجتمع‪ .‬اكتاشف المشكلة‪ ،‬التفكري‪ ،‬وتقييم النموذج األويل كله داخل حدود‬ ‫المجتمع‪ .‬يف مؤسسة قطر أنعم الله علينا بكال العالمني‪ .‬لدينا أهم وأفضل اال كتاشفات‬ ‫العلمية‪ ،‬االحرتام العميق للمجتمع وااللزتام‪ ،‬وأخالقيات مشرتكة لتطبيق مهاراتنا يف حل‬ ‫بعض الماشكل األ كرث إحلاحا يف البالد‪.‬‬ ‫عندما جاء مكتب رشكة مريسك للمسؤولية االجتماعية بطلب الماسعدة يف محلهتم‬ ‫الاشملة “ السالمة عىل الطريق”‪ ،‬متكنا وبهسولة من رؤية وإدراك طبيعة المجتمع‬ ‫والمرشوع وجتاوز البدائل إىل المضمون‪ .‬واأل كرث من ذلك‪ ،‬فنحن مجيعا نشرتك يف نفس‬ ‫األخالقيات الرئيسية الستخدام مواردنا للماسعدة يف إنقاذ بعض األطفال والذين يقتل‬ ‫مهنم كل عام أكرث من مائة طفل عىل طرقاتنا ودون ذنب‪ .‬كشفت أحباثنا وبرسعة عن‬ ‫األسباب وراء موت أطفالنا‪ ،‬لم يكن هناك أي أسباب غامضة‪ ،‬حيث يف معظم األحيان‬ ‫كان األطفال ميوتون لنفس األسباب اليت تواجهها أي بلد صناعية يف طريقها للتحرض‬ ‫والتنمية‪ .‬ولكن ماذا ميكننا أن نفعل حيال ذلك؟ كما هي احلال مع الطبيعة المعقدة‬ ‫ألحباثنا فإن نظام واحد وحده لن يستطيع حل هذه المشكلة‪ .‬وحنن هنا لدينا إرادة‬ ‫وزارات دولة قطر‪ ،‬ودعم كامل من واحدة من أكرب الرشكات يف العالم‪ ،‬رشكة مريسك‪،‬‬ ‫لمعاجلة وحل هذه المشكلة‪ ،‬وحنن اآلن حباجة إىل ماسعدة كل من علماء االجتماع‪،‬‬

‫‪Issue 1 — 3‬‬

‫‪The numbers in this essay’s title may seem abstract, even out of‬‬ ‫‪place for a design school. But they depict the impact VCUQatar’s‬‬ ‫‪research is having on our world. For example, one million is the num‬‬‫‪ber of people who might benefit from VCUQatar’s migrant worker‬‬ ‫‪housing project, aimed to address the need for temporary labor‬‬ ‫‪accommodation associated with Qatar’s rapid growth and develop‬‬‫‪ment. Two hundred is the number of people who die each year in‬‬ ‫‪road accidents in Qatar, half of whom are children, that we hope‬‬ ‫‪will be saved through our road safety research-design program.‬‬ ‫‪And zero was the number of Gulf Arabic poetry anthologies trans‬‬‫‪lated into English for an English speaking audience until one of‬‬ ‫‪our faculty, aided by her students, created Gathering the Tide:‬‬ ‫‪An Anthology of Contemporary Arabian Gulf Poetry.‬‬ ‫‪These examples illustrate a narrative thread that runs through‬‬ ‫‪nearly all of our research inquiries: how can our work benefit soci‬‬‫‪ety? While the numbers in these few examples depict the scale and‬‬ ‫‪potential benefit to literally millions, there is a smaller number that‬‬ ‫‪guides much of our faculty and student research. And that number is‬‬ ‫‪one. One individual. One human being. One life whose health, wealth,‬‬ ‫‪productivity and time on our planet will be touched for the positive‬‬ ‫‪by what we do.‬‬ ‫‪In recent years medical research centers and their funding agencies‬‬ ‫‪have placed much emphasis on shortening the time and distance‬‬ ‫‪from discovery to development. Called “translational research,” this‬‬ ‫‪impulse seeks to connect the laboratory bench with the patient’s bed‬‬‫‪side. The theory is that laboratory discoveries might have unforeseen‬‬ ‫‪medical benefit if clinicians knew of their existence; and conversely,‬‬ ‫‪clinical observations might help target basic research if only doctors‬‬ ‫‪at the bedside had the opportunity to share their experiences.‬‬ ‫‪Similarly, design research has been characterized in recent years by‬‬ ‫‪the interdisciplinary nature of bench to bed, and is often referred‬‬ ‫‪to as “social design.” Social design seeks to move beyond the bed‬‬‫‪side and address community issues directly, by first understanding‬‬ ‫‪the “problem”—what it is this community really needs—and then‬‬ ‫‪placing the “solution” directly back into the community. Problem‬‬ ‫‪discovery, ideation, prototype and assessment, all within the commu‬‬‫‪nity boundaries. At Qatar Foundation we are blessed to have both‬‬ ‫‪worlds. We have the best of scientific discovery, a deep and abiding‬‬ ‫‪respect for community, and a shared ethic of applying our skills to‬‬ ‫‪solving some of the nation’s most pressing problems.‬‬

When Maersk’s office of corporate social responsibility came to us seeking help for their nationwide road safety campaign, we could all easily see the holistic, bench-to-bed-to-community nature of the project. What’s more, we all share the same ethical principle to use our resources to help save some of the over 100 children needlessly killed every year on our roads. Our research quickly revealed the reasons why children were dying: nothing mysterious, mostly the same issues any industrializing country confronts on its path of urbanization and development. But what can we do about it? As is typical with the complex nature of our research, one discipline alone could not solve this problem. We had the will of Qatar’s ministries and the full backing of one of the world’s largest corporations, Maersk, to tackle this problem; we now needed the help of sociologists, linguists, traffic forensics experts and designers, all dedicated to working this problem out. In design research sometimes the community you’re helping isn’t the only one to benefit; sometimes it’s the creative community you assemble. We have no doubt the group’s research will benefit Qatar, and if it saves one life it will be well worth our effort. We also have no doubt, as this community of like-minded researchers rolls up their sleeves, that others will join.

This, in our view, is what design research is all about: sustainability.

We often talk about sustainability as an environmental, economic or social imperative. To be sure, this is true, necessary and, indeed, part of every research project at VCUQatar. Here, we are also speaking of

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Gathering The Tide press conference attendees Students illustrating possible cover options for the book The final cover of Gathering The Tide

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‫ والمصممني وتكريس جهودهم مجيعا للعمل‬،‫ وإدارة المرور والطب الرشعي‬،‫علماء اللغة‬ ‫ أحيانا يف حبوث التصميم ال يكون المجتمع الذي تاسعده هو‬.‫عىل حل هذه المشكلة‬ ‫ ليس لدينا‬.‫ ولكن قد يستفيد مهنا المجتمع اإلبداعي الذي جتمعه‬،‫المستفيد الوحيد‬ ‫ وإن جهودنا يف هذه البحوث لن تضيع‬،‫شك بأن البحوث اجلماعية ستفيد دولة قطر‬ ‫ مما ال شك فيه أيضا أنه يف مثل هذا المجتمع‬.‫سدى إذا ما متكنا من إنقاذ حياة واحدة‬ ‫فإن العديد من الباحثني المفكرين سيشمروا عن سواعدهم وسينضمون لماسعدة‬ .‫ االستدامة‬،‫ وهذا يف رأينا هو مفهوم ومعىن حبوث التصميم‬.‫اآلخرين‬ ‫ ومما ال شك‬.‫دامئا ما نتكلم عن االستدامة باعتبارها رضورة بيئية واقتصادية أو اجتماعية‬ ‫ هو جزء من كل مرشوع حبيث يف جامعة فرجينيا‬،‫فيه فإن هذا صحيح ورضوري ويف الواقع‬ ‫ عندما قامت‬.‫ حنن هنا نتحدث أيضا عن أنواع خمتلفة من االستدامة‬.‫كومنولث يف قطر‬ ‫الربوفيسور غيبونز جبمع الشعراء المعارصين من خمتلف أحناء اخلليج لتبادل أصواهتم‬ ‫ كانت أيضا تقوم خبلق وابتكار جمتمع مكرس لمعاجلة القضايا يف‬،‫الفريدة من نوعها‬ ‫ – مقتطفات من الشعر العريب‬Gathering the Tide“ ‫ ولقد اسعد كتاهبم‬.‫المنطقة‬ ‫اخلليجي المعارص” عىل جتسيد تعاوهنم وعرض الكتاب عىل أنه دليل وهشادة عىل رعايتنا‬ ‫ وهو‬،‫ وسينرش قريبا‬،‫ هناك مرشوع آخر تقوم به أيضا الربوفيسور غيبونز‬.‫لمجتمعنا‬ ‫ و الرسوم الفنية التوضيحية‬،‫مجع احلكايات الشعبية القطرية ونرش النسخة اإلجنلزيية‬ ‫ احلفاظ عىل التارخي والثقافة‬:‫ هذا هو أحد أبعاد االستدامة‬.‫المستوحاة من كل قصة‬ ‫ مبعىن آخر حنن نقوم ببناء جمتمعا قطريا ياشرك اآلن يف متكني األجيال القادمة من‬.‫القطرية‬ ‫ وباألخص‬،‫ فإن خمرجات أحباثنا األاسسية هو تنمية السكان‬،‫ وهبذا المعىن‬.‫معرفة المايض‬ .‫ واجليل القادم من الباحثني‬،‫شعب قطر‬ ،‫ واحلق يقال‬.‫عىل طريق اال كتاشف هناك دامئا التقلبات غري المتوقعة والمنعطفات‬ ‫ ولكن ما جيعل األمر يستحق العناء‬.‫ففي أي عملية حبث فإن هذه هي المتعة واإلحباط‬ ‫ هو معرفة أن شخصا ما يف مكان ما‬،‫بالنسبة لنا يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‬ ‫ وحنن مرسورون‬،‫ حنن نأمل بلمس حياة شخص واحد‬.‫سوف يستفيد مبارشة من عملنا‬ .‫بالمجتمع الذي ابتكرناه ونتعجب من قدرة تأثري البحوث اإلبداعية عىل كوكبنا بأرسه‬

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R E S E A R C H S TAT I S T I C S 2 01 1–2 01 2

3 dissemination \ total faculty 55

D O CU M E N TA RY F I L M S

3 BOOKS

4 BOOK CHAPTERS

15 I N T E R N AT I O N A L P R E S E N TAT I O N S

17 EXHIBITIONS

21 P E E R- R E V I E W E D PA P E R S

4 — Issue 1

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a different kind of sustainability. When Professor Gibbons brought together contemporary poets from across the Gulf to share their unique voices, she was also creating a community dedicated to addressing the issues in the region. Their resulting book, Gathering the Tide: An Anthology of Contemporary Arabian Gulf Poetry, helps to concretize their collaboration and present it as testimony to caring for our community. A follow-on project also directed by Prof.

Gibbons, and nearing publication, is to gather Qatari folktales and publish the English versions, as well as artistic illustrations inspired by each story. This is one dimension of sustainability: the preservation of Qatari history and culture. In another sense we are building an intergenerational community of Qataris now empowered to take part in how future generations will know the past. In this sense, our primary research output is the development of people, in particular, Qatar’s people as the next generation of researchers.

On the road to discovery there are always unforeseen twists and turns. This is the joy, and the frustration, truth be told, of any research process. But what makes it all so worthwhile for us at VCUQatar is knowing that someone, somewhere, will directly benefit from our work. We hope to touch one life; we delight in the community we create; and we marvel at the impact of creative research’s ability to affect our entire planet.

“While the numbers in these few examples depict the scale and potential benefit to literally millions there is a smaller number, and a more fundamental concept, that guides much of our faculty and student research, and that number is one …

One life whose health, wealth, productivity, and time on our planet will be touched for the positive by what we do.”

$ 1 3 5 ,0 0 0

GR ANTS IN PRO GRE SS

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS R AISED

research grants

2 ND Q N R F N P R P

$ 4 5 0,0 0 0 3 RD Q N R F N P R P

$ 3 5 0,0 0 0 QSTP PoC

$1.2MIL UREP

$ 9 8 ,0 0 0 S I D R A H O S P I TA L P R O J E C T

$ 1 5 0,0 0 0 MAERSK

external partner projects

1 ST Q N R F N P R P

$ 1 .0 5 M I L

ALI BIN ALI GROUP

M A N N A I C O R P O R AT I O N

M I N I S T RY O F I N T E R I O R

Q ATA R B U I L D I N G C O M PA N Y

Q ATA R M U S E U M S AU T H O R I T Y

U N I T E D N AT I O N S C O P 18

$ 5 0,0 0 0 Issue 1 — 5

R E S E A RC H

6 — Issue 1

R E S E A RC H

The Tide Comes In: Celebrating the Publication of Gathering the Tide: An Anthology of Arabian Gulf Poetry LAUREN MAAS

A great emotional geography still remains to be relayed about the Arabian Gulf countries and their peoples. Layered questions about their idiosyncrasies and commonalities, their fears and desires, their aspirations for the future and reservations about the present cannot, by their nature, be answered by pull-quote sized responses in the New York Times; yet, it is far easier to talk about luxury cars, GDPs and rising divorce rates. Conveying the answers to these more ineffable questions is becoming the life’s work of creators from the Gulf—the writers, artists and innovators giving voice to a world they have both intimate knowledge of and inexorable stake in. It is clear that theirs is not work that can remain hidden from the eyes and ears of an increasingly global society—such is the impetus behind the publication of Gathering the Tide: An Anthology of Contemporary Arabian Gulf Poetry.

This, the first English-language anthology of contemporary Arabian Gulf poems, was conceived in response to a palpable void of translated collections in the region. Patty Paine, editor, poet and Assistant Professor of English at VCUQatar cited her desire to “give thanks to the incredible trust that has been given to us by Qatar to teach its young people,” and found herself, along with co-editors Jeff Lodge and Samia Touati and their students, hard at work collecting poems from writers of the region.

As evidenced by the performances and discussions at the VCUQatar-hosted book launch, this text provides a window into the hearts and minds of writers who are at once both representative of their nations and individuals with unique messages and styles. The three-day event featured two readings and three panels celebrating the work of 17 poets and translators. One question raised during a panel discus-

sion was, “How would you like the outside world to experience this book?” In response, Saudi Arabian poet Nimah Nawwab said, “As an Arab, I’m fascinated. So what would this mean to the West?” Implied in her response is the richness of the book’s content, capable of captivating even those who created it. Thus, one can expect that it will enthrall those readers discovering the work for the first time.

From the affecting narrative poems of Shihab Ghanem to the stark, image-driven lyrics of Ali Abdullah Khalifa, those readers who presented their work both in the original Arabic and in the translated English provided an experience of sonic variety that is seldom given to any audience, anywhere.

Among the most remarkable of the launch were performances from the youngest poets included in the anthology— Maryam Al-Subaiey of Qatar and Laala Alghata of Bahrain.

Al-Subaiey read “The Invisible Army,” which boldly questions the value of human life in the context of workers’ rights in Qatar. Her voice stood as testament to the power of the form, and the demand it places on the listener to consider those often lacking consideration.

Of the anthology, Alghata said, “The importance of knowing you’re not alone is massive,” emphasizing Gathering the Tide’s value not only as a work of translation aimed at bringing Gulf poetry to the wider world, but as a work of collection aimed at engaging a regional community. Poetry dissolves the loneliness Alghata speaks of, for both readers and writers. It is through a poem that empathy and experience find common ground. These abstractions have their particular formula and slant in this region, and those gifted with the ability to voice them deserve every opportunity to do so. Gathering the Tide ushers in the beginning, one hopes, of many more such opportunities.

Issue 1 — 7

R E S E A RC H

Retail Without Walls: Kiosk Culture Assistant Professors of Interior Design Liam

question: “What are the core properties com-

Colquhoun and Matthew Holmes-Dallimore

mon to impromptu retail opportunities in dif-

presented a dissemination of their research, “Retail without Walls: Kiosk Culture,” at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art from 1 to 11 April, 2012.

Funded by a VCUQatar faculty research

ferent cultures and how might they be used to inform contemporary retail kiosk design?”

A series of grants supported research in Dubai, Boston, Marrakech, Mumbai and Istanbul, and allowed Colquhoun and

grant, the project came about as a direct

Holmes-Dallimore to look closely at how

result of their teaching a retail design studio

these structures varied and shared some

together every year for the past eight years.

common characteristics. These observations,

Retail is a massive sector within the com-

in turn, informed new kiosk design projects

mercial design industry; however despite the

undertaken in the retail design studio that

plethora of information concerning retail

started the whole process. Their efforts to

design in general, very little material exists

make steps in this direction are not intended

about how designers typically approach small,

to be a definitive checklist of “what makes

ad-hoc retail opportunities like a kiosk. For

a good stall or kiosk,” but rather an opening

Colquhoun and Holmes-Dallimore, this was

comment in what they hope will become a

an invitation for further exploration.

They found that having students design a

fertile discourse among retail designers and other interested parties.

mobile kiosk was a good introductory project

The presentation at Mathaf was the culmina-

for the class, leading them to consider some

tion of 18 months of work but Colquhoun and

of the core considerations of retail design,

Holmes-Dallimore have plans to continue

such as identity and functionality, but on

the research further, perhaps exploring the

a fairly compact, manageable scale. In an

phenomenon of un-manned kiosks and how

effort to provide some supporting informa-

identity plays a larger role in the design of

tion for VCUQatar students, Colquhoun and

western kiosks.

Holmes-Dallimore began to collect their own data about how people design environments that support a simple transaction, which raised questions that had not previous been considered about exactly what makes a kiosk successful. Subsequent research asked the

Shell Eco Car Collaboration Design students from VCUQatar collaborated

The final design remained true to the original

with engineering students from Texas A&M to

concept, embracing flowing aerodynamic lines

design and build an ‘urban concept car’ for

with state-of-the-art recycled materials for

this year’s finals of the Shell Eco-marathon Car

the body. “Working with Texas A&M students

competition, held in Kuala Lumpur in July 2012.

and faculty gave VCUQatar an opportunity

Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) is one of the world’s most innovative and challenging student competitions held annually in Europe, America and Asia where university student teams from around the world are challenged to design, build and compete with energy efficient vehicles. The winner is the team that goes the furthest distance using the least amount of energy.

8 — Issue 1

to showcase our design talent on a world stage. This collaborative project overcame many design challenges and we think our innovative design skills added value, functionality and visual appeal to this year’s entry.

We look forward to working with Texas A&M on many future user-centered design and innovation projects,” said Director of Entrepreneurship Roger Griffiths.

R E S E A RC H

VCUQatar partners with Sidra Medical & Research Center The VCUQatar Center for Research, Design

new technology in Sidra’s uniforms, patient-

and Entrepreneurship promotes innovative

wear and linens. When applied to the textiles

initiatives and develops new projects, many

the technology minimizes the absorption of

of which are commissioned by industry or

spills while offering exceptional anti-microbial

government sponsors. The Center has un-

performance and significant energy savings

dertaken a research-based design project to

in the laundering process.

develop the clinical and nonclinical uniforms, patient-wear and linens for Sidra Medical and Research Center, an ultra-modern, academic medical center offering worldclass health care and specializing in care for women and children.

“By incorporating this technology into our designs, Sidra will not only benefit from a significant reduction in the transfer of infectious bacteria and reduced energy costs, but also will be offering a service that is at the top of its field and revolutionary in its approach

In addition to the design of the garments,

towards health care,” said Roman Turczyn,

the Center researched textile technologies

director of the Center for Research, Design &

used in healthcare and ascertained that the

Entrepreneurship.

current standard used internationally offers little protection to the wearer or the patient.

To this end, the team identified and orchestrated the incorporation of a clinically proven

The design phase of the uniforms, patientwear and linens is scheduled for completion in early 2013.

The Donkey Lady & Other Tales from the Gulf From mischievous goats to magical fish, The Donkey Lady and Other Tales from the Gulf offers readers a diverse and delightful collection of illustrated folk tales from the Middle East. The book represents the culmination of a collaborative project that sought to collect, preserve and re-present traditional folk tales. Initially funded by an Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) grant by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), the project was led by VCUQatar Assistant Professor of English and Assistant Director of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Patricia Paine Gibbons, along with assistant professors Jesse Ulmer, Michael Hersrud and Donald Earley in collaboration with Dr. Sara Al-Mohannadi, assistant professor of English Language at Qatar University.

The tales were collected by students at Qatar University and illustrated by art and design students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. The collection bridges past and present through illustrations that engage the imaginations of contemporary readers while also presenting a variety of fascinating tales that enliven local histories.

The Donkey Lady and Other Tales from the Gulf preserves regional culture while also serving as an introduction to the visual arts for young audiences. These timeless and beautifully rendered tales are of interest to readers of all ages, and are especially relevant to those interested in folk tales and lore, as well as graphic and children’s literature. The book is edited by Paine Gibbons, Ulmer and Hersrud and published by the Berkshire Academic Press, United Kingdom.

Issue 1 — 9

ACH I EVE M E NT progress & intentionality AC A D E M I C E XC E LLE N C E AT VCU Q ATA R

JOHN GUTHMILLER

E XC E L L E N C E I N D E S I G N E D U C AT I O N E N C O U R AG E S ST U D E N T S TO T H I N K B E YO N D “ H O W ” TO T H E E T H I C A L I M P L I C AT I O N S O F “ W H Y. ” I N G R E E N R E L AT I O N S H I P , I M A D FA D E L U S E S R E C Y C L E D M A T E R I A L & O P E N S O U R C E T E C H N O L O G Y T O R E E V A L U A T E O U R 10 — Issue 1 R E L AT I O N S H I P W I T H T H E E N V I RO N M E N T.

‫‪AC H I E V E M E N T‬‬

‫اإلنجاز‪ ،‬والتقدم والتعمد‬

‫التميز األكاديمي في جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر‬

‫ترغب اجلامعات يف اإلعالن عن الزتامها بالتفوق األ كادميي‪ .‬ال بد من الذكر بإن التدريس‬ ‫والتعليم الناجح هما من صميم راسلة كل اجلامعات‪ .‬ستواجه المدارس اليت ال تنجح يف‬ ‫التدريس والتعليم صعوبة يف جذب الطالب المتفوقني واألاستذة الكفؤين واجلهات‬ ‫الماحنة السخية‪ .‬كما ستواجه حتدي خترجي خرجيني راضني‪ .‬فاكتاسب سمعة يف التمزي‬ ‫األ كادميي‪ ،‬هو أمر بالغ األهمية لمستقبل أي جامعة‪ .‬لقد أصبحت التصنيفات وسيلة‬ ‫شعبية مزتايدة تسلط الضوء عىل جناح اجلامعة األ كادميي وبناء سمعهتا‪ ،‬ولكن قد ال يكون‬ ‫الرتتيب يف هذه التصنيفات وسيلة دقيقة لقياس مدى الزتام المؤسسة الفعيل يف تعزيز‬ ‫النمو الفكري لطالهبا ومدى نضوجهم‪ .‬فعىل سبيل المثال‪ ،‬من الواسئل المستخدمة يف‬ ‫إنتاج تصنيف خاص ذو شعبية وطنية‪ ،‬االنتقائية المستخدمة يف قبول الطالب‪ :‬حيث‬ ‫كلما زادت درجة االنتقائية زاد احتمال حصول اجلامعة عىل مرتبة أعىل يف التصنيف‪ .‬فهل‬ ‫هذا هو ما نعنيه بالتفوق األ كادميي؟ ماذا عن المدرسة اليت تقبل قاعدة واسعة من‬ ‫الطالب بينما ال تزال تقوم بعمل رائع يف زيادة منو الطالب والتعليم؟ ماذا يعين ذلك؟ ثم‬ ‫ما الذي نعنيه بالتفوق األ كادميي؟ كيف ميكننا قياس ذلك؟ أين حنن من الزتام جامعة‬ ‫فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر احلقيقي جتاه منو الطالب وأدائه؟ هذه األسئلة من بني أسئلة‬ ‫أخرى ال بد من النظر إلهيا وحنن نستعرض أداءنا يف العام المايض‪.‬‬ ‫تقوم العديد من المؤساست‪ ،‬ومهنا جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‪ ،‬بتضمني وترسيخ‬ ‫الزتامها األ كادميي يف خططها االسرتاتيجية‪ .‬تطلق جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر عىل‬ ‫هذه اخلطة مسمى “السعي للتمزي”‪ ،‬حيث تعمل اجلامعة يف هذه اخلطة عىل جعل التفوق‬ ‫األ كادميي واحد من الركائز األربع أو المحاور اليت تسعى إلهيا اجلامعة بالكامل‪ .‬وللتعبري‬ ‫وتوضيح هذه اخلطة‪:‬‬ ‫“يقوم أعضاء الهيئة التدريسية والموظفون يف اجلامعة بتلخيص رؤيهتم عن التمزي لطالبنا‪،‬‬ ‫وهي رؤية تعزز القيم األاسسية جلامعة فرجينيا كومنولث‪ ،‬المسؤولية واإلجناز‪ ،‬التعاون‬ ‫واحلرية‪ ،‬االبتكار والتجديد‪ ،‬اخلدمة والتنوع‪ ،‬األمانة واالستقامة‪ .‬وبالمثل‪ ،‬جيب عىل‬ ‫اجلامعة أن حتتضن التمزي يف التعليم كمتطلب أاسيس يف مجيع الوحدات األ كادميية مع‬ ‫التمزي يف التدريس وتعريفه عىل أنه الهنج األ كرث ناشطا‪ ،‬حموره التعليم والتعاون‪ ،‬وتعددية‬ ‫التخصصات يف التدريس والتعليم‪”.‬‬ ‫إنه الزتام قوي لتعريف التمزي وقياس نتاجئه‪ ،‬وربط تلك النتاجئ بالقيم األاسسية مثل‬ ‫احلرية والزناهة ‪ ،‬التنوع واإلجناز‪ .‬تعمل جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث عىل توضيح المزيد‬ ‫من رؤيهتا يف المقاييس اليت وضعهتا لقياس مدى الزتامها بالعمل عىل تقدمها وجودة‬ ‫أداهئا‪ .‬ولم تقترص هذه المقاييس عىل معدالت التخرج والقدرة عىل المحافظة عىل‬ ‫هذه المعدالت فقط إمنا شملت أيضا النسبة المئوية للطالب الذين ميارسون التدريب‬ ‫والتطبيق العميل‪ ،‬ومدى حصولهم عىل فرص التعلم يف “العالم احلقيقي” ‪ .‬مع الرتكزي عىل‬ ‫مدى رضا الطالب عن جتربهتم التعليمية‪ ،‬وتوقعهاهتم للفرص المتاحة بعد التخرج‪.‬‬ ‫من األهمية يف سياق السعي للتمزي أن نالحظ أن معدل التخرج يف جامعة فرجينيا‬ ‫كومنولث يف قطر بأربع سنوات لدفعة عام ‪ 2012‬كان ‪ .٪73‬وبلغت نسبة االحتفاظ‬ ‫بالطالب اجلدد خالل العام المايض أكرث من ‪ ،٪95‬كما أن كل ختصص من ختصصات‬ ‫التصميم لدينا يتطلب التدريب العميل من الطالب خالل فرتة دراسته يف جامعة‬ ‫فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‪ .‬ومن بني اخلرجيني اجلدد‪ ،‬قام ‪ %95‬من اخلرجيني بتقييم جتربهتم‬ ‫األ كادميية يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر كتجربة ممتازة أو جيدة (‪ %65‬ممتاز‪%30 ،‬‬ ‫جيد) من بني اختيارات (ممتاز‪ ،‬جيد‪ ،‬متوسط‪ ،‬أقل من متوسط)‪ .‬هذه نسب رائعة‬ ‫جلامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر عند مقارنهتا باجلامعة األم يف ريتشموند وغريها من‬ ‫المؤساست النظرية وخنبة اجلامعات‪ .‬ومما يثري اإلعجاب‪ ،‬التفاين الهادف إىل التحسني‬ ‫المستمر يف الرباجم األ كادميية الذي ميزي جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر والناس الذين‬ ‫يعملون ويتعلمون فهيا‪.‬‬

‫‪Universities like to tout their commitment to academic excellence.‬‬ ‫‪After all, successful teaching and learning are at the heart of a uni‬‬‫‪versity’s mission. A school that isn’t successful at teaching and learn‬‬‫‪ing is going to have difficulty attracting good students, good faculty‬‬ ‫‪and generous donors. It will also be challenged to graduate satisfied‬‬ ‫‪alumni. Having a reputation for academic excellence, then, is criti‬‬‫‪cal to any university’s future prospects. Rankings have become an‬‬ ‫‪increasingly popular way to spotlight a university’s academic suc‬‬‫‪cesses and build its reputation, but rankings may not be an accurate‬‬ ‫‪way to gauge an institution’s actual commitment to promoting the‬‬ ‫‪intellectual growth and maturation of its students. One of the mea‬‬‫‪sures used in producing a particularly popular national ranking, for‬‬ ‫‪example, is the selectivity used in admitting students: the greater‬‬ ‫‪the selectivity the greater the likelihood of a higher ranking. Is this‬‬ ‫‪what we mean when we speak of academic excellence? What about‬‬ ‫‪the school that admits a broader base of students while still doing a‬‬ ‫‪remarkable job of maximizing student growth and learning? Where‬‬ ‫‪does it stand? What then do we mean by academic excellence? How‬‬ ‫‪do we measure it? Where do we look to find VCU’s real commitment‬‬ ‫‪to student growth and performance? These are among the questions‬‬ ‫‪to consider as we review our work of the past year.‬‬ ‫‪Many institutions, VCU included, embed their commitments to‬‬ ‫‪academics in their strategic plans. VCU’s plan is called Quest for‬‬ ‫‪Distinction, and in it VCU makes academic excellence one of the four‬‬ ‫‪pillars or themes of the entire Quest. To quote the plan:‬‬ ‫‪“Our faculty and staff must epitomize the vision for excellence‬‬ ‫‪for our students, a vision that promotes VCU’s core values of‬‬ ‫‪accountability, achievement, collaboration, freedom, innova‬‬‫‪tion, service, diversity, and integrity. Likewise, the university‬‬ ‫‪must embrace teaching excellence as a core expectation across‬‬ ‫‪all academic units with teaching excellence defined as a more‬‬ ‫‪active, learning-centered, collaborative, and interdisciplinary‬‬ ‫‪approach to the process of teaching and learning.” 1‬‬ ‫‪This is a strong commitment to identifying excellence, measuring‬‬ ‫‪its outcomes and connecting those outcomes to core values such‬‬ ‫‪as freedom and integrity, diversity and achievement. VCU further‬‬ ‫‪clarifies its vision in the metrics it has established to measure the‬‬ ‫‪university’s progress in making good on its pledge. Among these‬‬ ‫‪metrics are not only the familiar graduation and retention rates,‬‬ ‫‪but also the percentage of students experiencing internships,‬‬ ‫‪practica and other “real-world” learning opportunities. Emphasis‬‬ ‫‪is placed on students’ expressed satisfaction with their learning‬‬ ‫‪experience and their perception of opportunities after graduation.‬‬ ‫‪1‬‬

‫‪VCU Quest for Distinction: Theme I:‬‬ ‫ ‪http://www.future.vcu.edu/plan/plan/theme1.html‬‬ ‫‪Issue 1 — 11‬‬

AC H I E V E M E N T

“In an academic community where excellence is the ethos, doing something well is only the first part of distinction: continually doing it better (progress) and doing so on purpose (with intention) are those characteristics that truly define excellence.”

It is significant in the context of the Quest for Distinction to note that VCUQatar’s four-year graduation rate for the class of 2012 was 73%, that freshmen retention last year was over 95%, and that every one of our design majors is required to take an internship while at VCUQatar. Among new alumni, 95% of last year’s graduating seniors rated their overall academic experience at VCUQatar as excellent or good (65% excellent, 30% good where the choices were excellent, good, average, below average). These are enviable numbers for VCUQatar when compared with VCU peer institutions and with many elite universities. Equally impressive is the purposeful dedication to continuous improvement that is characteristic of VCUQatar academic programs and the people who teach and learn in them.

More than 2000 years ago the ancient Greeks conceived of excellence as a state of being or becoming all that one could be. Their word was arete, and inherent in the fullness of the meaning of arete are the notions of progress and intentionality. In an academic community where excellence is the ethos, doing something well is only the first part of distinction: continually doing it better (progress) and doing so on purpose (with intention) are those characteristics that truly define excellence. VCU’s Quest for Distinction emphasizes both progress and intentionality, and at VCUQatar these are primary objectives in all our academic programs.

For example, the Graphic Design department has been experimenting with team teaching for almost five years. This year they have taken it a step further and are teaching sophomore and junior studio classes with six faculty (three teams of two faculty for five weeks each) rotating through the classes. The faculty meet as a group for an hour each week to keep track of student progress and ensure continuity in delivery. According to the department chair, “Students are relishing the idea and experience of the transitions. They are seeing the continuity and transmission of information from one class to another and appreciate the seamlessness and the low walls between knowledge in one course and another. They say that they feel more

12 — Issue 1

‫ عام استطاع قدماء اإلغريق أن يتصوروا التمزي كدولة ميكن أن تكون‬2000 ‫منذ أكرث من‬ ‫“ وهي كلمة متأصلة ومليئة‬arête“ ‫ كانت كلمهتم‬.‫أو تصبح كل ما ميكن للمرء أن يكون‬ ‫ فإتقان‬،”‫ ففي األواسط األ كادميية حيث التمزي هو “الروح‬.‫مبعاين التقدم والتعمد‬ ‫ االستمرار بتحسني األداء (التقدم) وأداء ذلك عن‬:‫األداء هو فقط اجلزء األول من التمزي‬ ‫ السعي للتمزي يف جامعة فرجينيا‬.‫قصد (مع النية) هي اخلصائص اليت حتدد حقا التمزي‬ ‫ ويف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر هذه هي‬،‫كومنولث يؤكد كل من التقدم والتعمد‬ .‫األهداف الرئيسية يف مجيع براجمنا األ كادميية‬ ”‫ قام قسم تصميم اجلرافيك يف اجلامعة بتجربة “الفرق الدارسية‬،‫عىل سبيل المثال‬ ‫ من‬6 ‫ حيث قام‬،‫ قام القسم هذا العام باختاذ خطوة أخرى‬.‫ سنوات‬5 ‫لما يقرب من‬ ،‫ فرق‬3( )‫األاستذة بتدريس طالب السنة الثانية والثالثة المقررات العلمية (االستوديو‬ ‫ جيتمع‬.‫أستاذان لكل فريق ولمدة مخسة أاسبيع لكل مهنم) وبصورة دورية خالل المقرر‬ ‫األاستذة كمجموعة لمدة اسعة واحدة كل أسبوع ليتمكنوا من تتبع تقدم الطالب‬ ‫ “قام الطالب باالطالع عىل‬،‫ وبالرجوع إىل مدير القسم‬.‫وضمان االستمرارية يف التسليم‬ ‫ استطاع الطالب رؤية وإدراك استمرار ونقل المعلومات من‬.‫الفكرة وجتربة التحوالت‬ ‫مقرر إىل آخر وقدروا التناغم والتالحم واجلدران المنخفضة بني المعرفة والعلوم يف كل‬ ‫ قال الطالب بأهنم يشعرون بقدر أكرب من المسؤولية جتاه التعليم اخلاص هبم‬.‫المقررات‬ ‫ استطاع األاستذة والطالب معا خلق مناذج للتقييم‬.”‫ويشعرون بأهنم متعلمني مستقلني‬ ‫ وبدا اجلميع متاشركني بشكل كامل مع اإلحلاح الواضح عىل “احلصول عىل كل‬،‫والتصنيف‬ ‫ فهم يرون‬.‫ كان هذا مثاال عمليا عن جمتمع متعلم‬.‫ما ميكن” من الوقت الذي لدهيم معا‬ ،‫ وسيكون من المثري لالهتمام أن نرى كيف يظهر هذا التقدم‬.‫بوضوح هذا التقدم الكبري‬ ‫ ويف الوقت احلارض فهناك الكثري مما ميكن‬.‫أو ما إذا كان يظهر يف قامئة المقاييس احلالية‬ .‫قوله عن احلماس لتعلم أن هذا الشعور يولد التقدم‬ ‫يف الهشر المايض تلقى ثالثة خرجيني حدييث التخرج من قسم تصميم األزياء يف جامعة‬ ،‫فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر اتصاال هاتفيا من أحد األاستذة الموجهني اخلاص هبم‬ ‫ كان من‬.)illustration( ‫ وهو مدرس ماجستري يف الرسوم التوضيحية‬،‫دونالد إيريل‬ ‫ وأراد‬،‫الواضح بأن هناك فرصة فريدة من نوعها عىل وشك أن تتكشف يف عالم األزياء‬ ‫ قامت هاربر بازار العربية‬.‫األستاذ إيريل تشجيع طالبه الثالثة الاسبقني عىل الماشركة‬ ‫ لم‬.‫) برعاية ماسبقة ألفضل راسم لألزياء لهذا العام‬Harpers Bazaar Arabia( ‫ قام كل من‬،‫ ولكن مع تشجيع السيد إيريل‬،‫يفكر أي من اخلرجيني الثالثة بدخول المنافسة‬ 10 ‫اخلرجيني الثالثة بدخول المنافسة وتم اختيارهم ضمن قامئة األسماء يف هنائيات أفضل‬

AC H I E V E M E N T

01

02 From left 01 Chair of Fashion Design Sandra Wilkins

demonstrating stitching technique to

graphic design students (co-teaching

with graphic design professor

Law Alsobrook) 02 A student placing the final touches on

her project 03 Student stitching

03

responsible for their own education and feel like independent learners.” Faculty and students together are creating grading rubrics, and everyone appears to be more fully engaged, with a palpable urgency to “get all they can” from the time they have together. This is an example of a learning community in action. They clearly perceive this as significant progress. It will be interesting to see how this progress shows up, or whether it shows up, in the existing metrics.

For the time being there is much to be said for the enthusiasm for learning that this sense of progress engenders.

‫ رصحت إحدى‬،‫ وعند مقابلة الماشركني هبذه الماسبقة‬.‫يتنافسون عىل اجلائزة الهنائية‬ ‫ الطالبة الاسبقة يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر الزيابيث ياجن سون‬،‫الماشركات‬ ‫ ولكنه كان‬،‫بأهنا كانت يف البداية مرتددة يف الماشركة أو حىت سؤال السيد إيريل عن رأيه‬ ‫ لقد منحىن‬،‫ كيف نؤدي أعمالنا وخاصة كيف نستمتع مبا نقوم به‬،‫“دامئا يدفع بنا للتقدم‬ ‫ عندما كلمها‬.”‫ لقد علمين أن ال أندم أبدا عىل عدم بذل أقىص ما أستطيع‬.‫شغفي الفين‬ ‫ تأثرت إلزيابيث كثريا بذلك “لقد شعرت بأن‬،‫السيد إيريل ليشجعها عىل دخول الماسبقة‬ ‫ نيته يف دفعها وغريها ليكونوا‬.‫ قالت إلزيابيث‬،”‫شعري قد وقف يف اجلزء اخللفي من رقبيت‬ ‫ هذا هو‬.‫األفضل حىت بعد خترجهم يصف كل ما حتتويه براجمنا األ كادميية وتتحدث عنه‬ .‫التمزي األ كادميي يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر … التقدم مع وجود نية كاملة‬

Just last month three recent graduates from VCUQatar’s Fashion department were contacted by one of their faculty mentors, Donald Earley, a master teacher of illustration. It seems that a unique opportunity was about to unfold in the fashion world and Professor Earley wanted to encourage the three former students to get involved. Harper’s Bazaar Arabia was sponsoring a competition for the top fashion illustrator of the year. None of the three students had thought to enter the competition on her own, but with Mr. Earley’s encouragement, all three did, and all three were named finalists among the top 10 vying for the ultimate prize. When interviewed about this, one of the former students, Yang Soon “Elizabeth” Ju said that she had initially been reluctant to stand on her own two feet or even ask for Mr. Earley’s feedback. “But,” she said, “He always pushed us on how we progress, how we process, and how (especially) we enjoy what we’re doing. He gave me my artistic passion.

He taught me to never have the regret of not doing my best.” When Professor Earley called her with the encouragement to enter the competition, Elizabeth was so touched that, as she said, “The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.” His intention to push her and the others to be their best even after they had graduated is what our academic programs are all about. This is academic excellence at VCUQatar … in progress, and with full intention.

Issue 1 — 13

C U LT I VAT I N G Creative Thinking

The Ayaba Project

01 The final looks Right Page Process work

01

Taking inspiration from the traditional abaya, the Ayaba Project set out to create a simple garment that may be worn, adapted and modified with or without accessories to create different looks for every day of the year. Fashion adjunct faculty member, Stella Colaleo and fashion students Marion Sanguesa, Maysaa Almumin, Elizabeth Yang Soon Ju, and Mona Al-Ansari, revisited the ever-declining traditional abaya, now worn only by the grandmother and mother generations of Gulf women, and resurrected it in homage as a versatile multicultural garment to be shared by women around the world.

Over the years the traditional Gulf abaya has been abandoned in favor of more modern styles with different feminine silhouettes, elaborate embellishment and, in true fashion statements, even some experimentation with color.

While the new abaya has developed an individuality, it misses some of the simplicity and versatility it had in its traditional form. With the traditional abaya the older generation was able to control the degree of coverage by choosing whether to place it on the shoulders, wrap and hold it around the body, or to wear it on the head and hold it closed with a single hand (or, additionally, hold it across the face for maximum coverage). Those who are old enough will remember being covered with it like a bed sheet while they napped as children, or being folded inside their mother’s abaya as she wore it, feeling small and engulfed in their mothers arms and this magnificent, soft and light fabric.

14 — Issue 1

The AYABA project (mirroring the word abaya), set out to take the shape of this outmoded clothing and recreate its versatility, combining it with the desire for individuality that is provided by the modern abaya, developing it further and extending it to women of diverse backgrounds and cultures as a celebration of this understated yet splendid garment. With simple modifications such as slits, buttons and drawstrings, the Ayaba can playfully morph into endless variations, reflecting multicultural styles that reach across the world from East to West, while also presenting a variety of looks from funky day to elegant evening wear. It can also retain its original function as a clothing of modesty.

Al-Ansari comments, “The adaptability of this garment means I am able to wear the Ayaba as an abaya in public to maintain my modesty, and then I may quickly change it into an elegant evening garment by adding glamorous accessories after I walk through the doors in private places. I don’t have to consider wearing an additional abaya.”

Issue 1 — 15

CU LT I VAT I N G C R E AT I V E T H I N K I N G

Portfolio Development Courses & Children’s Programs The goal of VCUQatar is to deal with every step of a student’s progress through our programs, from the moment one becomes a prospective student to the time that he or she has graduated into the ranks of VCU alumni.

The community programs for children, the portfolio development classes and portfolio crit classes are important steps in this direction. They give older students the invaluable opportunity to sharpen their portfolios and get a taste of university life, while younger children explore and learn about art materials and design techniques to develop their appreciation and understanding of art and design in a fun and creative way.

VCUQatar offered three portfolio development courses in Fall 2011 and four portolio crit classes in Spring 2012 to 95 high school students. The university also offered a short holiday program with classes in ceramics, painting, character drawing and animation to 35 Arabic-speaking girls below the ages of 12; and in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Affairs, created a skill-building program in graphic and fashion design for 20 female Qatari students.

In the summer, VCUQatar offered community programs to 100 K-12 level students; it was taught by VCU Richmond’s art educators along with VCUQatar faculty.

Design Intensive course was geared for students aged 16 and above; Creative Discovery targeted students aged 13–15, introducing them to art and design through creativity exercises, group activities and classes in drawing, painting, digital media. VCUQatar also offered opportunities for younger students, hosting week-long classes: Art Exploration for 10 to 12 year olds was offered for the second time; and a new course Art Fun, was introduced for students aged 5–9. The younger students transformed the Gallery into a wonderland of color, shapes and incredible creations in a whole variety of media.

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CU LT I VAT I N G C R E AT I V E T H I N K I N G

Council for Interior Design Accreditation Renewed The Interior Design program’s Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) was renewed for a six-year period. To attest to the quality of the review, CIDA requested the Program Assessment Report and images of our display for use as examples of “best practices” at the CIDA workshop for the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) Conference.

Issue 1 — 17

GLOBAL Experience

18 —

Issue 1

Sandberg Institute: Amsterdam 2012

In March, nine MFA students travelled to Amsterdam for a weeklong immersive experience with the Sandberg Institute. Under the leadership of Jerszy Seymour—whose multidisciplinary program (The Dirty Art Department) operates on the border of art and design, infusing design with timely political and social messages—the students worked on a joint project entitled Extra National Style. The project looked into the issues of national identity, multiculturalism and design activism. The results were as diverse as the workshop’s participants, resulting in projects exploring extra-national notions on hygiene, investigations on extranational seating and renditions of extra-national performances.

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G LO B A L E X P E R I E N C E

International Learning Opportunities Seventy-six VCUQatar students participated in field study trips abroad. Foundation took 10 students to Dubai to visit Art Dubai; Fashion Design took 16 students to India to attend the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week in Delhi as well as visit the Calico Museum in Ahmadabad and the National Institute of Design; Graphic Design took eight students to Phnom Penn and Siam Reap and 16 students to Barcelona, Cordoba and Madrid to catalyze their new insights of a context far away with the hopes of developing their perceptions and skills to interpret their own context of Qatar; Interior Design took 12 students to Helsinki, the 2012 UNESCO World Design Capital, to visit art and design museums, the design district, and architecturally significant sites; and Painting and Printmaking took five students to attend the Venice Biennale, one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world, known for its promotion of avant-garde artistic trends and organization of international events in the contemporary arts.

Student Exchanges between Richmond & Qatar Three students from the Doha campus and five students from the Richmond campus participated in the VCUQatar and VCU Richmond exchange this year. In addition, VCUQatar hosted one study abroad student from VCU Richmond for the Spring 2012 semester. VCUQatar sent one Fashion Design junior and one Interior Design junior to Richmond for the Fall 2011 semester; and one Painting and Printmaking sophomore for the Spring 2012 semester.

Ten rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, four of whom were Qatari, traveled to Richmond during the summer to take fiveweek courses in classes such as letterpress, storyboarding, anthropology, sociology, glass-blowing, ceramics and jewelry-making.

Two VCUQatar Graphic Design alumni acted as program interns.

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G LO B A L E X P E R I E N C E

Qatar Day in Richmond VCUQatar and VCU Richmond hosted Qatar Day in March on the Richmond campus. A student-initiated program, Qatar Day was inaugurated last year with the intention of strengthening the relationship between the two campuses and the understanding between the two cultures. The event provided Richmond students and faculty an opportunity to learn more about VCU’s Qatar campus. Tents were set up in the Commons Plaza and featured various traditional Arab activities. The event also included a trunk show of works designed by fashion alumni from VCUQatar and Richmond and an exhibition of work by VCUQatar students.

VCUQatar Receives Cumulus Membership VCUQatar received full membership status from Cumulus (International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media) during the 2012 General Assembly in Helsinki this past May. Membership to Cumulus is selective to ensure sustainable growth as well as educational, regional and geographical balance.

Cumulus is the only global association to serve art and design education and research. It is a forum for partnership and transfer of knowledge and best practices. Cumulus consists currently of 189 members from 46 countries.

Issue 1 — 21

01

East Modernism: VCUQatar at Design Days Dubai

VCUQatar’s MFA faculty and students presented a curated exhibition of their work entitled East Modernism at Design Days Dubai in March.

Strategically situated on the crossroads of the Gulf region, the graduate program at VCUQatar is both inspired and informed by design culture of the Gulf. East Modernism is the department’s reflection on the state of this culture in transition. “The exhibition overlays the rich artistic heritage of the Middle East over the foundations of modern design as it utilizes traditions of local crafts, revived and reused in a new unusual context,” said Constantin Boym, inaugural director of the MFA program and curator of the exhibition.

“East Modernism is a wink at postmodernism, characterized by multiplicity of meaning, irony and cultural criticism.”

The exhibition included East-modern furniture by Constantin and Laurene Boym; Sadu Thread Cabinet by VCUQatar Assistant Professor Thomas Modeen; Middlefield, a foosball table, and Non-Renewable Oil Lamp by Assistant Professor Paolo Cardini; Vessel Revisions by VCUarts Sculpture alumnus Benjamin Jurgensen; and the Shared Glass collection by VCUQatar MFA students Amin Matni, Alia Khairat, Imad Fadel, Rania Chamsine, Corby Elfor, and Sameh Ibrahim.

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G LO B A L E X P E R I E N C E

02

03

04

Opposite Page 01 East Modernism at

Design Dubai 2012 Clockwise from top left 02 Non-Renewable Oil Lamp

by Paolo Cardini 03 Shared Glass vessel

by Amin Matni 04 Professor Modeen with visitors 05 Middlefield by Paolo Cardini

05

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A LU M N I P RO F I L E S

aisha al muftah I N T E R I O R D E S I G N ‘0 5

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A LU M N I P RO F I L E S

Interior designer and art historian Aisha Al Muftah feels fortunate to be teaching at VCUQatar, a job she cares deeply about. Having such a diverse educational background has set the course for all of her subsequent projects to be interdisciplinary, which the cultural environment in Qatar certainly encourages.

Aisha chose to study at VCUQatar because she always wanted to do something related to art and architecture and, of all the programs available in Qatar, the university’s Interior Design program came the closest. “VCUQatar was a fairly new school and I had heard about it from relatives and friends,” she comments. “My mother was not very encouraging of me studying abroad, so I applied to the school and I got a scholarship from the Ministry of Education (now the Higher Education Institute).”

From the very beginning, Aisha loved the atmosphere at VCUQatar.

“I liked the art projects we had to work on during the foundation year, and everybody from the administration to the faculty members seemed very welcoming and friendly,” she says. “I particularly enjoyed the art history classes; it was something new I discovered through VCUQatar and was eye-opening. I had studied history before in high school of course and I loved it, but now it was history and art combined! Both subjects I enjoyed the most.” From that point on, Aisha took almost every art history course that was offered as an elective. Even after graduating in 2005, when Professor Jochen Sokoly offered an introductory course in Islamic Art history the following fall, she just had to come back and enroll for it.

While still a student at VCUQatar, Aisha did an internship with a small interior design firm and, although she says the experience was not bad, it made her realize she needed to rethink her plans for the future. “My interest was already elsewhere, in art and the history of art,” she comments. “And though I enjoyed the design studios and I did very well in them, I enjoyed the reading and writing assignments for the art history and English classes more.”

So, after finishing the course with Professor Sokoly, Aisha applied for a job at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) which was still undergoing fundamental development in preparation for its opening.

“I got a job as a researcher there, which allowed me to work closely with the collections. I loved that!” she says. “I had to write reports for cataloguing and short essays on specific topics related to the objects in the museum.” Aisha was also involved with a smaller exhibition on Mughal jewelry during the Asian Games in 2006. She helped with researching the pieces that were showcased, writing captions and arranging the objects within the exhibition space. She also enjoyed giving brief tours and short talks about the exhibition, especially to children visiting from the different schools in Qatar.

Prior to the opening, Aisha was responsible for two galleries displaying permanent collections related to Islamic calligraphy, another art form she is passionate about. She collaborated with colleagues and

“The art and cultural scene in Doha is a collaborative movement that should involve schools, museums, public libraries, families and people from the higher authorities in organizations public and private.” ‫عائشة المفتاح‬

‫ – التصميم الداخلي‬2005 ‫دفعة‬

‫تشعر المصمم الداخيل و مؤرخ الفن عائشة المفتاح أهنا حمظوظة حلصولها عىل فرصة‬ .‫ تلك الوظيفة اليت هتمها وبشكل كبري‬،‫للتدريس يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‬ ‫فوجود مثل هذه اخللفية التعليمية المتنوعة حدد ماسر جلميع ماشريعها الالحقة‬ ‫ األمر الذي يلقى تشجيعا من البيئة‬،‫لتاسعدها يف أن تكون متعددة التخصصات‬ .‫الثقافية يف قطر بكل تأكيد‬ ‫اختارت عائشة الدراسة يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر ألهنا كانت دامئا ترغب‬ ‫ كان برناجم‬، ‫ ومن بني مجيع الرباجم المتوفرة يف قطر‬،‫يف عمل يشء يرتبط بالفن والعمارة‬ ‫التصميم الداخيل يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر هو أقرب ما يكون إىل ما تطمح‬ ‫ وعن ذلك قالت عائشة « يف ذلك الوقت كانت جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‬.‫إليه‬ .»‫مدرسة جديدة إىل حد ما وقد سمعت عن وجودها من بعض األقارب واألصدقاء‬ ‫ «لم تكن والديت تشجعين عىل الدراسة يف اخلارج لذلك قمت بالتقديم‬: ‫وأضافت‬ ‫للجامعة وحصلت عىل منحة دراسية من وزارة الرتبية والتعليم (والذي هو اليوم معهد‬ . )‫التعليم العايل‬ ‫ “أحببت‬.‫ أحبت عائشة اجلو يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‬،‫منذ البداية جدا‬ ‫ وكان اجلميع‬،‫الماشريع الفنية اليت كنا نعمل علهيا خالل السنة التأسيسية يف اجلامعة‬ ‫ لقد‬.‫من الموظفني واإلداريني حىت األاستذة يبدون كل اهتمام وترحيب وصداقة‬ ‫ كان شيئا جديدا استكشفته من خالل‬،‫استمتعت خاصة يف دروس ومقررات تارخي الفن‬ ‫ لقد درست‬.‫جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر وكان مبثابة فتح عيوين عىل أفاق جديدة‬ ‫ ولكنه اآلن خليط من التارخي والفن‬،‫التارخي مسبقا يف المدرسة الثانوية طبعا ولقد أحببته‬ ‫ بدأت عائشة بأخذ‬،‫ ومنذ ذلك الوقت‬.”‫معا! وهما أكرث مادتني أحببهتما عىل اإلطالق‬ ‫ وحىت بعد‬،‫كل مقررات تارخي الفن تقريبا واليت كانت تقدمها اجلامعة كمقررات اختيارية‬ ‫ قامت بالتسجيل لدراسة مقرر تارخي الفن اإلسالمي الذي قدمه‬، 2005 ‫خترجها يف عام‬ ‫ كان كل ما علهيا هو‬.‫الربوفيسور يوكون سوكويل يف فصل اخلريف التايل من نفس العام‬ .‫العودة للدراسة مرة أخرى فقط‬ ‫قامت عائشة وخالل دراسهتا يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر بالتدرب العميل يف‬ ‫ إال أن‬،‫ وعىل الرغم من أهنا تقول بأن التجربة لم تكن سيئة‬،‫رشكة تصميم داخيل صغرية‬ .‫هذه التجربة جعلهتا تشعر بأهنا حباجة إىل إعادة التفكري يف خططها وتطلعاهتا للمستقبل‬ ‫ وعىل الرغم من أنين‬،‫ يف الفن ويف تارخي الفن‬،‫“ كانت اهتمامايت يف مكان آخر كليا‬ ‫ إال أنين استمتعت أكرث‬،‫استمتعت مبقررات استوديو التصميم وكان ادايئ جيدا فهيم‬ .”‫بالمهام الكتابية والقراءة يف تارخي الفن ومقررات اللغة اإلجنلزيية‬ ‫ قامت عائشة بالتقدم لشغل‬،‫ وبعد انهتاء مقررات الربوفيسور دكتور سوكويل‬،‫لذلك‬

Issue 1 — 25

‫‪A LU M N I P RO F I L E S‬‬

‫وظيفة يف متحف الفن اإلسالمي (‪ )MIA‬والذي كان ال يزال يف مرحلة التحضريات‬ ‫األاسسية الفتتاحه‪“ .‬حصلت عىل وظيفة باحثة يف المتحف‪ ،‬واليت مكنتين من العمل‬ ‫عن قرب يف جمموعة التحف الفنية ومقتنيات المتحف‪ .‬لقد احببت ذلك جدا! كان من‬ ‫ضمن مهامي كتابة التقارير وفهرسة الكتالوجات وكتيبات المتحف وكتابة العديد من‬ ‫المقاالت القصرية حول مواضيع حمددة تتعلق مبقتنيات المتحف”‪ .‬كما اشركت عائشة‬ ‫أيضا يف معرض صغري للمجوهرات المغولية خالل دورة االلعاب االسيوية يف عام ‪.2006‬‬ ‫اسعدت عائشة يف البحث عن القطع اليت تم عرضها‪ ،‬وكتابة تعليق علهيا وكيفية ترتيب‬ ‫األشياء داخل المعرض‪ .‬كما استمتعت أيضا بتقديم جوالت تعريفية وأحاديث قصرية عن‬ ‫المعرض‪ ،‬وخاصة لألطفال الزائرين من خمتلف المدارس يف قطر‪.‬‬ ‫قبيل االفتتاح‪ ،‬كانت عائشة مسؤولة عن معرضني يعرضان جمموعات فنية دامئة ترتبط‬ ‫باخلط اإلسالمي‪ ،‬شكل آخر من الفنون اليت تتحمس لها‪ .‬تعاونت مع زمالهئا وغريها من‬ ‫الباحثني عىل كتابة ملخص توضيحي وتعليق عن تارخي كل مهنا‪“ .‬قمت أيضا بكتابة تقارير‬ ‫عن اللوحات الفارسية مع الرتكزي عىل بعض أمجل الصور لقاجار يف المجموعة‪ .‬وبالطبع‬ ‫عملت أيضا عىل بعض المجوهرات المغولية”!‬ ‫يف عام ‪ ،2008‬قامت عائشة بكتابة بعض المقاالت المتعلقة بالفن احلديث والمعارص‬ ‫يف الرشق األوسط واليت تم نرشها يف جملة سعودية ثقافية اسمها “المجلة العربية”‪.‬‬ ‫وبعد افتتاح متحف الفن اإلسالمي بوقت قصري‪ ،‬قامت عائشة بتقديم استقالهتا‬ ‫وااللتحاق بالعمل يف مؤسسة قطر‪ .‬ويف غضون بضعة أهشر‪ ،‬حصلت عائشة عىل منحة‬ ‫دراسية الستكمال دراسة الماجستري يف تارخي الفن يف كلية الدرااست الرشقية واألفريقية‬ ‫(‪ ،)SOAS‬جامعة لندن‪ ،‬لمدة عام‪ .‬قالت عائشة‪“ :‬عدت يف هشر أكتوبر من عام ‪2010‬‬ ‫ويف هشر ديسمرب من نفس العام بدأت العمل يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‬ ‫كمعيدة يف قسم الفنون والعلوم العامة (‪.”)LAS‬‬ ‫أضافت عائشة‪“ :‬لقد كان وجودي كطالبة يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر جتربة‬ ‫تعليمية رائعة وعظيمة‪ .‬تعلمت الكثري من المهارات – من األشياء مثل األحباث وحىت‬ ‫كتابة األوراق األ كادميية ألماكن العمل‪ ،‬الدفاع عن أفكاري والتفكري الناقد ‪ -‬قد يبدو‬ ‫ذلك من األشياء األاسسية جدا‪ ،‬ولكن بالنسبة يل يف ذلك الوقت‪ ،‬كانت أشياء جديدة‬ ‫جدا ومن الصعب إجنازها يف بعض األحيان”‪ .‬تشعر عائشة بالشكر واالمتنان لكثري من‬ ‫األشخاص الذين قاموا بإراشدها خالل حياهتا المهنية‪ .‬ومهنم والدهيا والعديد من‬ ‫األاستذة الذين درسوها يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر مهنم لزيا كاليتون (اليت‬ ‫كانت تدرس مقررات تارخي الفن) واليت جعلتنا نشعر بأننا يف رحلة فنية مثرية حول العالم‪،‬‬ ‫راندل ويليامز والذي شجعها دامئا عىل القراءة والكتابة ليس فقط باإلجنلزيية ولكن أيضا‬ ‫باستخدام لغهتا األم ‪ ،‬العربية ‪ .‬الربوفيسور الدكتور يوكون سوكويل فضال عن الربوفيسور‬ ‫دوريس هبرانز أبو سيف ‪ ،‬المرشفة عىل راسلهتا للماجستري يف كلية الدرااست الرشقية‬ ‫واألفريقية (‪.)SOAS‬‬ ‫“الفن والتصميم هما دامئا مصدر إلهام يل يف كل جانب من جوانب حيايت‪ .‬فمنذ أن‬ ‫كنت طفلة أحببت القراءة وزيارة المتاحف ولهذا فأنا أشعر باالمتنان لعائليت‪ .‬فوالدي‬ ‫كالهما أحبا الفن ‪ ،‬وأنآشنا عىل حبه وتقديره واإلعجاب بكل األشياء اجلميلة المحيطة بنا‪.‬‬ ‫لقد كانا دامئا يشجعاين عىل تنمية وتطوير مسرييت المهنية وكانوا دامئا مؤيدين وداعمني يل‬ ‫يف مجيع قرارايت اليت اختذهتا يف دراسيت وعميل” قالت عائشة ‪“ .‬لقد كان دعمهم يل وراء‬ ‫قراري بالتقدم جلامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر بطلب وظيفة»‪ .‬وأضافت “وعىل الرغم‬ ‫من ترددي يف بادء األمر ‪ ،‬لقد كان شعورا رائعا أن أعود إىل مدرسيت وجامعيت القدمية‬ ‫واليت كانت مبثابة بييت الثاين واليت فهيا األمور أكرث استقرارا وهدوءا‪ .‬إنين استمتع جبو‬

‫‪researchers to write captions and wall texts for them. “I also wrote‬‬ ‫‪reports on Persian paintings focusing on some of the most beautiful‬‬ ‫‪Qajar portraits in the collection,” she recalls. “And I worked on some‬‬ ‫”!‪of the Mughal jewelry, of course‬‬ ‫‪In 2008, Aisha wrote some articles related to modern and contem‬‬‫‪porary Middle Eastern art that were published in the Saudi cultural‬‬ ‫‪magazine Almajallah Alarabiya. Shortly after the opening of the‬‬ ‫‪MIA, Aisha resigned and joined Qatar Foundation. Within a few‬‬ ‫‪months, she received a scholarship to do her Master’s (MA) in His‬‬‫‪tory of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),‬‬ ‫‪University of London, for a year. “I came back in October 2010 and‬‬ ‫‪since December of that year I have been working at VCUQatar as‬‬ ‫‪a teaching assistant in the Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) depart‬‬‫‪ment,” she says.‬‬ ‫‪“Being a student at VCUQatar was a great learning experience.‬‬ ‫‪I learned a lot of skills—from things like doing research to writing‬‬ ‫‪academic papers to citing work, to defending your ideas and thinking‬‬ ‫‪critically—that might sound very basic, but to me at that time, they‬‬ ‫‪were very new and sometimes difficult to achieve,” Aisha comments.‬‬ ‫‪She is grateful to many people who have guided her throughout her‬‬ ‫‪life and career. They include her parents and the many instructors‬‬ ‫‪she had while studying at VCUQatar: Lisa Clayton, whose art his‬‬‫;‪tory classes she says felt like an exciting tour around the world‬‬ ‫‪Randall Williams, who always encouraged her to read and write, not‬‬ ‫‪only in English but in her native language, Arabic; Professor Jochen‬‬ ‫‪Sokoly; and Professor Doris Behrans-AbouSeif, her supervisor for‬‬ ‫‪her dissertation at SOAS.‬‬ ‫‪“I am always inspired by art and design in every aspect of my life.‬‬ ‫‪Ever since I was a child I have loved reading and visiting museums‬‬ ‫‪and for that, I am grateful to my family. Both my parents loved the‬‬ ‫‪arts; raised us to appreciate art and admire all the beautiful things‬‬ ‫‪around us. They have always been very encouraging with the de‬‬‫‪velopment of my career and supportive of all the decisions I made‬‬ ‫‪regarding my studies and work,” she says, citing their support as‬‬ ‫‪the reason she applied for a job at VCUQatar. She continues, “And‬‬ ‫‪although I was hesitant at first, it felt great to go back to my old‬‬ ‫‪school, which is like a second home to me where things are more‬‬ ‫‪settled and relaxed. I am enjoying the environment a lot, and work‬‬‫‪ing with the students as well. I am trying my best to pass down‬‬ ‫‪my enthusiasm and love for the arts and culture to them. And I‬‬ ‫‪always hope that I am to them what my teachers mean to me, an‬‬ ‫”‪ongoing inspiration.‬‬

‫‪26 — Issue 1‬‬

‫‪A LU M N I P RO F I L E S‬‬

‫العمل يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر كثريا كما استمتع أيضا بالعمل مع الطالب‪.‬‬ ‫إنين أبذل جهدي يف نقل محايس وحيب للفن والثقافة إلهيم‪ .‬وآمل دامئا بأن اكون لهم كما‬ ‫كان أاستذيت يل ‪ ،‬مصدر إلهام مستمر”‬

‫تعتقد عائشة بان المهشد الفين والثقايف يف الدوحة ال يزال يف عملية تطور وحيتاج اىل‬ ‫مزيد من الوقت للنضوج والتوسع والوصول إىل الناس‪ .‬وعن ذلك علقت عائشة قائلة‪:‬‬ ‫“ال بد لنا من حركة تعاونية تشمل المدارس والمتاحف والمكتبات العامة واألرس‬ ‫واألشخاص من السلطات العليا يف المنظمات العامة واخلاصة‪ .‬انا أقدر كل المعارض‬ ‫المؤقتة اليت تستضيفها المتاحف‪ ،‬ومجيع المعارض الفنية اجلديدة القادمة والمنترشة‬ ‫حول المدينة‪ ،‬واحلفالت الموسيقية اليت تقام اآلن يف قطر‪ ،‬ولكن أرغب يف أن يقوم الناس‬ ‫المسؤولني عن ترتيب وختطيط هذه األحداث بوضع الماشريع الثقافية اليت تتعلق وترتبط‬ ‫أكرث مبجتمعنا والناس الموجودين هنا واليت من الممكن للناس أن يتفاعلوا معها أكرث”‪.‬‬ ‫وعن خططها اخلاصة للمستقبل‪ ،‬تأمل عائشة يف استكمال دراسهتا واحلصول عىل درجة‬ ‫الدكتوراه يف تارخي الفن رمبا يف العام القادم‪“ .‬إنين أرغب جدا يف احلصول عىل درجة‬ ‫يف األدب العريب يوما ما ومن الممكن أيضا أن أقوم بأداء يشء يتعلق بدراسة األفالم‪.‬‬ ‫إنين أرغب وبشدة أن أكمل مسرييت األ كادميية‪ ،‬ولكنين أرغب أيضا أن أبدأ يف مرشوع‬ ‫يعمل عىل تشجيع القراءة والكتابة من خالل إقامة الفعاليات مثل حلقة لمناقشة كتاب‬ ‫أو قراءة للشعر أو أمسية موسيقية أو عرض فيلم واليت يتمكن جيل الشباب يف المجتمع‬ ‫من الماشركة هبا وتعزيز الفن والثقافة حول المدينة”‪.‬‬

‫‪Aisha believes the art and cultural scene in Doha is still in the pro‬‬‫‪cess of developing and needs more time to mature, expand and reach‬‬ ‫‪out to people. “It is a collaborative movement that should involve‬‬ ‫‪schools, museums, public libraries, families and people from the‬‬ ‫‪higher authorities in organizations public and private,” she com‬‬‫‪ments. “I do appreciate all the temporary exhibitions being hosted in‬‬ ‫‪the museums, the new upcoming art galleries scattered around town,‬‬ ‫‪the music concerts taking place now in Qatar, but I wish the people‬‬ ‫‪who were responsible for putting these events together would plan‬‬ ‫‪and arrange more cultural undertakings that relate to our commu‬‬‫”‪nity and that people from here could relate to.‬‬ ‫‪As for her own future plans, Aisha hopes to pursue a PhD in art his‬‬‫‪tory next year perhaps. “I would love to get a degree in Arabic lit‬‬‫”‪erature someday and maybe do something related to film studies,‬‬ ‫‪she says. “I would love to continue in my academic career but would‬‬ ‫‪also like to start a project that encourages reading and writing and‬‬ ‫‪includes events like book discussions, poetry readings, musical eve‬‬‫‪nings and film screenings that would involve young people from the‬‬ ‫”‪community here and promote arts and culture around the city.‬‬

‫‪ahmed el sayed‬‬ ‫أحمد السيد‬

‫‪FA S H I O N D E S I G N ‘ 1 1‬‬

‫تصميم األزياء – دفعة ‪2011‬‬

‫اعترف أحمد بشعوره عند بداية دراسته في عام ‪ 2007‬بان يكون‬

‫‪Being one of only six male students at VCUQatar, Ahmed‬‬

‫واحدا من ستة طالب من الذكور فقط في جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث‬

‫‪El Sayed admits he did stand out, and being the only male‬‬

‫في قطر‪ ،‬وأن يكون الطالب الوحيد في قسم تصميم األزياء بين‬

‫‪student in the Fashion department when he began his stud-‬‬

‫الطالبات‪ ،‬لقد جعله ذلك مدلال قليال‪ .‬بعد تخرجه في عام ‪،2011‬‬

‫‪ies in 2007, he did get spoilt a bit. After he graduated in 2011,‬‬

‫ابتدأ أحمد في قبول مشاريع في التصميم كعمل مستقل مع‬

‫‪Ahmed started accepting styling projects on a freelance‬‬

‫مجالت الموضة المحلية‪ .‬كان معروفا للغالبية منهم والشكر في‬

‫‪basis with local fashion magazines. He was well-known‬‬

‫ذلك يعود لموقع (بلوج) ‪ Nomad‬لألزياء والذي ابتدأه في سنته‬

‫‪by most of them thanks to his fashion blog Nomad which‬‬

‫النهائية في الجامعة هو وزميلته كارال ماالري ‪.‬‬

‫‪he started in his senior year with classmate Carla Mallari.‬‬

‫ترك أحمد ‪ Nomad‬مباشرة قبل تخرجه رغبة منه في التركيز على‬

‫‪Ahmed left Nomad just before graduating so he could‬‬

‫االستعداد إلطالق عالمته التجارية الجديدة في المالبس الجاهزة‬

‫‪focus on launching his own ready-to-wear brand White‬‬

‫الوصمة البيضاء ‪ WhiteStain‬والذي أطلقها في أكتوبر من نفس‬

‫‪Stain which he did in October of that year. “The name‬‬

‫العام‪“.‬قمت باختيار هذا االسم لمجموعتي بعد اول مجموعة‬

‫‪was chosen because my first collection involved me‬‬

‫أزياء لي والتي جعلتني أجرب العديد من الطباعات المختلفة‬

‫‪experimenting with different prints and accessories on‬‬

‫واإلكسسوارات على أقمشة كتانية بيضاء (تي شيرت)‪ .‬يتبع ص‪30‬‬

‫‪a plain white canvas (T-shirts). continued on page 30‬‬

‫‪Issue 1 — 27‬‬

A LU M N I P RO F I L E S

maryam yousef al homaid G R A P H I C D E S I G N ‘ 10

28 — Issue 1

A LU M N I P RO F I L E S

“I love to be surrounded by students and teachers and to be exposed to the way students think while solving design problems.”

Maryam Al-Homaid’s career as an artist began with her father, renowned Qatari artist Yousef Ahmed. She grew up surrounded by paintbrushes and colored markers and knew back then that she would be painting and drawing for the rest of her life.

So it is no surprise that Maryam is back at her alma mater, VCUQatar, now as a student in the Master of Fine Arts program in Design Studies. “I missed school; I love to be surrounded by students and teachers and to be exposed to the way students think while solving design problems,” she says. Maryam was also keen to join the growing community of artists and designers here in Doha, Qatar now that Qatar has started embracing the art and design culture.

Maryam had graduated from VCUQatar in 2010 with a degree in graphic design, and joined RasGas shortly after to work in their Public Affairs department as a designer. “I was able to experience working on client-based projects. I had to manage projects from start to finish,” she notes. “Writing the scope of work, working with budget and contracts, working with suppliers and printers, designing all the collaterals and also dealing with the transportation and logistics to make sure the client was happy with the outcome.”

Maryam says the experience was amazing because she got to see and deal with clients and work based on their needs. “VCUQatar did a great job training us in these aspects, but it did make me realize that dealing with real-life projects involves more than just the design project itself,” she comments. “You get to deal with contracts, budgets, suppliers and so many different people through all of this.

It is a challenge, but has only made me learn more and gain from the experiences.”

Family and friends have always been Maryam’s source of inspiration and support, along with her professors. “During my years at VCUQatar,” she says, “I was constantly encouraged by my professors, who always taught me to look at the various artists and designers from all around the world as inspiration and to challenge myself to think outside the box.” This is why Maryam aspires to be a source of inspiration to the next generation of artists and designers and would love to teach art and design in Qatar.

“It feels so good to be back at VCUQatar and I’m definitely looking forward to challenging myself over the next two years in the MFA program,” she says.

‫مريم يوسف الحميد‬

‫ – تصميم الغرافيك‬2010 ‫دفعة عام‬

.‫ الفنان القطري المعروف يوسف أمحد‬،‫بدأت مريم احلميد مهنهتا كفنانة مع والدها‬ ‫نأشت مريم حماطة بفرايش وأقالم األلوان لتدرك من ذلك الوقت بأهنا ترغب يف أن ترسم‬ .‫وتلون للعمر البايق من حياهتا‬ ‫ إىل جامعة فرجينيا‬، ‫ولذلك لم يكن من المستغرب عودة مريم إىل حيث تنتمي‬ ‫ ويف هذه المرة عادت مريم كطالبة يف برناجم ماجستري الفنون الراقية يف‬،‫كومنولث يف قطر‬ ‫ أحب أن أبقى حماطة‬،‫ عن ذلك قالت مريم «لقد افتقدت اجلامعة‬.‫درااست التصميم‬ ‫بالطالب واألاستذة وأن أبقى عىل اطالع دائم بطرق تفكري الطالب و إجياد حلول لماشكل‬ ‫ كانت مريم متحمسة جدا لاللتحاق مبجتمع المصممني والفنانني المتنامي يف‬.»‫التصميم‬ .‫ فقد بدأت قطر اآلن يف احتضان ثقافة الفن والتصميم‬. ‫ قطر‬، ‫الدوحة‬ ‫ من ختصص تصميم‬2010 ‫خترجت مريم من جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر عام‬ ‫الغرافيك وبعد وقت قصري من خترجها التحقت برشكة راس غاز للعمل كمصممة يف‬ .‫ “كنت قادرة عىل جتربة العمل يف الماشريع القامئة عىل العميل‬.‫إدارة الشؤون العامة‬ ‫ العمل مع المزيانية‬،‫كان ال بد يل من إدارة الماشريع ابتداءا من كتابة وصف العمل‬ ‫ تصميم كل المطبوعات وأيضا التعامل مع تأمني‬،‫ العمل مع الموردين والطابعني‬،‫والعقود‬ ‫المواصالت والنقل وكل األمور المتعلقة بالتخطيط والتنفيذ مبا جيعل العميل راضيا عن‬ ‫ قالت مريم بأن التجربة كانت رائعة ألهنا استطاعت التعامل مع العمالء ورؤيهتم‬.”‫النتاجئ‬ ‫ “قامت جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر بعمل رائع‬.‫والعمل معهم حسب احتياجاهتم‬ ‫ إمنا جعلتين أدرك بأن العمل يف ماشريع احلياة‬،‫ليس فقط يف تدريبنا عىل كل هذه األمور‬ ،‫ عليك التعامل مع العقود والمزيانيات‬.‫الواقعية هو أكرث من جمرد تصميم المرشوع فقط‬ ‫ ولكنه جعلين أتعلم‬،‫ إنه حتدي‬.‫والموردين والكثري من الناس المختلفني من خالل ذلك‬ .”‫المزيد وأكتسب اخلربات أكرث وأكرث‬ ‫كانت العائلة واألصدقاء جنبا إىل جنب مع أاستذهتا هم دامئا مركز اإلحياء وااللهام‬ ‫ كان‬، ‫ خالل سنوايت الدراسية يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر‬.»‫والدعم لمريم‬ ‫أاستذيت يشجعونين دامئا وباستمرار كما علموين بأن أنظر دامئا إىل خمتلف الفنانني‬ ‫والمصممني ومن مجيع أحناء العالم كمصدر لإلحياء واإللهام وأن احتدى نفيس وانطلق‬ ‫بتفكريي إىل خارج احلدود» وهذا كان مصدر اإلحياء لمريم وطموحها بأن تكون هي نفهسا‬ ‫ وهي حتب جدا ان تقوم‬، ‫مصدرا إللهام األجيال القادمة من الفنانني والمصممني يف قطر‬ .‫بنفهسا بتعليم الفن والتصميم يف قطر‬ ‫“إنه شعور رائع أن أعود جلامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر وإنين وبالتأكيد أتطلع لتحدي‬ .‫نفيس خالل العامني القادين يف دراسيت للماجستري” قالت مريم‬

Issue 1 — 29

A LU M N I P RO F I L E S

continued from page 27 White

is a color I have to include in all my collections, without

‫ فمن دون‬،‫األبيض هو اللون الذي أرغب في وجوده في كل مجموعاتي‬

27‫تتمة ص‬

that color, I think I would probably lose my signature touch.” The collection turned

‫ كانت هذه المجموعة واحدة من أول‬.“‫ أعتقد بأنني ربما سأفقد لمستي الخاصة‬،‫هذا اللون‬

out to be one of the first T-shirt collections to come out of Doha, and soon sold all

‫ والتي بيعت في جميع أنحاء دول‬،‫المجموعات في الباليز (التي شيرت) التي تخرج من الدوحة‬ .‫مجلس التعاون الخليجي‬

over the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council countries).

“I was then commissioned to create an exclusive T-shirt collection for Impression

Boutique at The Pearl Qatar, which again sold out very quickly,” comments Ahmed .

Impression ‫“قمت بعد ذلك بابتكار مجموعة حصرية من الباليز (التيشرتات) لمحالت‬ ‫ بالعمل مع‬،‫ قام احمد بعد ذلك‬.”‫ والتي تم بيعها ونفاذها مرة أخرى سريعا‬،‫في اللؤلؤة قطر‬

He was subsequently approached by the W Hotel in Qatar and, along with classmate

‫ الحصرية‬WAHM ‫ حيث قاما معا بإنشاء مجموعة‬،‫ مع زميلته سيلينا فاروقي‬،‫ قطر‬W ‫فندق‬

Selina Farooqui, created the exclusive Wahm collection for the reopening of the W’s

،‫ يقبل أحمد طلبيات لألزياء الرسمية من زبائنه العاديين‬.W ‫ في فندق‬WAHM ‫إلعادة افتتاح بار‬

iconic bar of the same name. He accepts custom orders from his regular clients, and

.‫ وهي مجلة لألزياء مقرها قطر‬،‫ بصورة شهرية‬GLAM ‫كما يقوم أيضا بكتابة عمود في مجلة‬

serves also as a monthly columnist for GLAM, a fashion magazine based in Qatar.

Says Ahmed, “It’s definitely a great experience working for yourself; people tend to recognize you and your work more, so it becomes more personal.. Also, working for yourself you have no choice but to learn to be disciplined. You report to yourself, and you pay the price for even one small mistake. I have grown a lot from working for myself and I’ve met a lot of influential people who’ve encouraged me.”

Ahmed recently relocated to Dubai, a move that was pushed for by his Emarati clients. He is in the midst of releasing a new collection, ‘The Desert Collection’, inspired by the GCC."

‫ يستطيع الناس معرفتك ويستطيعون‬،‫“إنها بكل تأكيد فرصة عظيمة بأن تعمل من أجل نفسك‬ ‫ بعملك لنفسك يصبح ال خيار‬.‫ وبذلك تصبح أعمالك شخصية أكثر‬،‫تمييزك وتمييز أعمالك أكثر‬ ‫ فأنت هنا مسؤول عن نفسك وأنت بنفسك ستدفع‬.‫لديك من أن تتعلم بان تصبح أكثر تنوعا‬ ‫ لقد نضجت جدا من عملي لنفسي ولقد سنحت لي الفرصة لمقابلة‬.‫حتى ثمن أصغر أخطائك‬ .”‫العديد من الناس الذين أثروا بي وشجعوني‬ ‫ وهو حاليا في‬.‫ حيث تم انتقاله وبمساعدة أحد زبائنه اإلماراتيين‬،‫يعمل أحمد حاليا من دبي‬ ‫وسط اإلعالن عن إطالق مجموعة جديدة من األزياء “مجموعة أزياء الصحراء” والمستوحاة من‬ .‫دول الخليج العربي‬

alexandra windrum INTERIOR DESIGN ‘11

Alexandra was born and raised in Southport, UK and moved to Qatar in 2005 with her family to join her father, who was already here. While completing her A-Levels at Doha College, she found her true passion—design! “One of my classes was design technology and I loved to get into the workshop to use my hands and build objects that were created from a quick doodle on a blank piece of page,” she says. Although Alexandra had only been in Qatar for two years at that time, she had come to love her life here and wanted to stay. “While I was exploring university options VCUQatar was gaining high recognition within the community, and I was fortunate enough to find such a wonderful design program in Qatar,” she comments. “During my final year at Doha College I worked hard, began to sketch regularly to create a great portfolio and prayed that I would be accepted into VCUQatar—fortunately I was!”

‫ألكساندرا ويندرم‬

‫ – التصميم الداخلي‬2012 ‫دفعة‬

Alexandra believes VCUQatar is a pivotal and important presence within Qatar in helping shape young designers. “To have had the ability to obtain such a prestigious American degree in the Middle East is a rather unique experience. As a student here in Qatar I have had some phenomenal opportunities that I know I would have had if I were at the Virginia Campus. Qatar is a young designers’ hub, it’s a fast paced growing city where worldwide acclaimed architects are making their mark on the city.”

Alexandra currently works as an interior architect for Origins International, located in the Tornado Tower in Doha. It is a small, British company that has recently formed a partnership with Hamad Al Mana—majority owner of Bluu—an office interior fit-out company in Qatar. There are two parts to Origins International: furniture retail and hospitality/residential interior design.

continued on page 31

‫ حيث جاءت إلى قطر في‬، ‫ في المملكة المتحدة‬،‫ولدت ألكساندرا وترعرعت في ساوثبورت‬ ‫ اكتشفت ألكساندرا ولعها الحقيقي‬.‫ مع عائلتها لاللتحاق بوالدها الذي كان يعمل هنا‬2005 ‫عام‬ ‫“التصميم” بينما كانت تقوم بإكمال المستوى األول في مدرسة الدوحة كوليج ! قالت‬ ‫ “أحد المقررات التي كنت أدرسها كان تكنولوجيا التصميم وكنت أحب جدا العمل في‬:‫ألكساندرا‬ ‫ورش العمل واستخدام يدي وبناء األشياء التي كنا نبتكرها من الشخبطة السريعة التي نقوم‬ ‫ في ذلك الوقت كانت ألكساندرا قد أمضت عامين فقط في‬.”‫بها على قطعة خالية من الورق‬ ‫ “عندما‬.‫ لكنها كانت كافية لتحب ألكساندرا حياتها في قطر وأن ترغب في البقاء فيها‬، ‫قطر‬ ‫ كانت جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر أحد الخيارات‬، ‫كنت أقوم باستكشاف خيارات الجامعات‬ ‫ لقد كنت محظوظة جدا إليجاد مثل هذا البرنامج الرائع في‬، ‫المرجحة جدا من المجتمع في قطر‬ ‫ عملت بجد و بدأت الرسم بانتظام‬، ‫ خالل سنتي النهائية في الدوحة كوليج‬.‫التصميم في قطر‬ ‫البتكار ملف شخصي فني مميز وكنت دائما أصلي حتى أقبل في جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث‬ 31‫ يتبع ص‬.”‫ ولحسن الحظ تم قبولي‬، ‫في قطر‬

30 — Issue 1

‫‪A LU M N I P RO F I L E S‬‬

‫تتمة تؤمن ألكساندرا بأن وجود جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر هو عامل حيوي ومهم في‬

‫‪“Before graduating I considered going to work for a‬‬

‫المساعدة على تشكيل صغار المصممين‪“ .‬إنها تجربة فريدة من نوعها من أن تستطيع الحصول‬

‫‪highly recognized international firm,” Alexandra comments. “However, I know that‬‬

‫‪continued from previous page‬‬

‫على شهادة جامعية من جامعة أمريكية رائدة في الشرق األوسط” كطالبة هنا في قطر‪ ،‬كان‬

‫‪being an important contributor to the small team where I am right now is much‬‬

‫لدي العديد من الفرص الخارقة التي أعلم بانني ما كنت ألحصل عليها حتى في جامعة فرجينيا‬

‫‪more beneficial for me as a fresh graduate. I feel so blessed to be part of Origins‬‬

‫األم في ريتشموند‪ .‬قطر هي قلب المصممين الشباب النابض‪ .‬إنها المدينة اآلمنة التي تنمو‬

‫‪International. I’m involved in all aspects of the business—meeting prestigious clients,‬‬

‫بسرعة والتي يسعى فيها المعماريون ومن جميع أنحاء العالم لوضع بصمتهم عليها‪”.‬‬

‫‪making design decisions and being fully encouraged to embrace my intuition. I‬‬

‫تعمل ألكساندرا حاليا في العمارة الداخلية لشركة دولية بريطانية “أصول ‪ “Origins‬التي تقع‬

‫”‪have ultimately become part of the Origins family.‬‬

‫في برج تورنادو في الدوحة‪ .‬وهي شركة صغيرة شكلت مؤخرا شراكة مع حمد المانع مالك‬ ‫بلو – مكتب داخلي يتناسب مع الشركة هنا في قطر‪ .‬هناك جزءان لشركة “أصول ‪“ Origins‬‬ ‫الدولية‪ :‬قسم بيع المفروشات وقسم الضيافة والتصاميم الداخلية للمنازل‪“ .‬قبل التخرج كنت‬ ‫أفكر في العمل لدى شركة عالمية كبرى‪ ،‬ولكنني أدرك اآلن بأن تكون مساهما مهما في فريق‬ ‫صغير وكما انا اآلن هو أكثر فائدة لي كخريجة جديدة‪ .‬إنني أشعر بالسعادة والرضا بأن أكون‬ ‫جزءا من هذه الشركة الدولية‪ .‬فأنا أشارك في جميع األعمال التجارية وأقابل العديد من العمالء‬ ‫الراقيين‪ ،‬واستخدم حدسي في اتخاذ قرارات تصميمية‪ .‬وفي نهاية المطاف فأنا اآلن جزء ال‬ ‫يتجزء من عائلة “أصول – ‪.”Origins‬‬

‫‪hessa al muhannadi‬‬ ‫‪INTERIOR DESIGN ‘11‬‬

‫حصة المهندي‬

‫دفعة ‪ – 2011‬التصميم الداخلي‬

‫عندما بدأت حصة المهندي العمل كمدرسة علوم ورياضيات في بعض المدارس االبتدائية‬

‫‪When Hessa Al Muhannadi started working as a math and science teacher with‬‬

‫والثانوية التابعة لوزارة التربية والتعليم‪ ،‬لم يدر بخلدها انه وخالل عشر سنوات ستغير مهنتها‬

‫‪the Ministry of Education’s (MOE’s) elementary and secondary schools, little did she‬‬

‫وستقوم بالتصميم الداخلي للرحالت األميرية القطرية‪.‬‬

‫‪know that in 10 years she would be switching careers and designing the interiors‬‬

‫فبعد تخرجها من جامعة قطر وحصولها على درجة البكالوريوس في علوم الفيزياء‪ ،‬بدأت حصة‬ ‫بتدريس العلوم والرياضيات في مدارس وزارة التربية والتعليم االبتدائية والثانوية والمدارس‬ ‫المستقلة‪ .‬وبعد تسع سنوات أصبحت حصة نائب المدير في أحد المدارس المستقلة وعملت‬ ‫في هذا المنصب لمدة ثمانية عشر شهرا‪.‬‬ ‫عندما كانت حصة تتمتع بمنصبها الجديد كنائب مدير المدرسة‪ ،‬وقع نظرها على أحد إعالنات‬ ‫جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر‪“ .‬عندما حصلت على فرصة الدراسة في جامعة فرجينيا‬ ‫كومنولث في قطر‪ ،‬شعرت في أعماقي ومن قلبي بأنه شيء ال بد من القيام به‪ ،‬خاصة‬ ‫وأنني حاولت مسبقا دراسة التصميم الداخلي من خالل الدراسة باالنتساب في أحد المعاهد‬ ‫األمريكية ولكني لم استطع إكمال هذه الدراسة بسبب مرض أحد أطفالي الشديد‪ ،‬والذين‬ ‫كنت اعتبرهم أهم أولوياتي في هذه الحياة“ قالت حصة‪ .‬وبتشجيع ومساندة زوجها‪ ،‬قامت‬ ‫حصة بالتقديم للدراسة في جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر وتم قبولها للدراسة في برنامج‬ ‫التصميم الداخلي في الجامعة‪.‬‬ ‫“كانت تجربتي في الدراسة في جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر تجربة رائعة وأنا افتقدها‬ ‫جدا‪ .‬لقد كانت تجربة تختلف عن أي تجربة أخرى في حياتي‪ ،‬استطعت من خاللها اكتشاف‬ ‫الثقافات والناس والفن والتصميم‪ .‬لقد مكنني فرق العمر بيني وبين الطلبة اآلخرين من‬ ‫تشكيل عالقة صداقة رائعة جدا‪ ،‬لقد كنت بمثابة أختهم الكبرى”‪ .‬اعترفت حصة بأنه كان تحديا‬ ‫صعبا لها أن تستطيع مواكبة الطالب األصغر سنا على المستوى األكاديمي ولكن “ أحببت كل‬ ‫شيء في هذه التجربة بكل ما فيها من نجاحات وإخفاقات‪ .‬لقد كان التعامل مع األساتذة شيء‬ ‫خاص جدا‪ ،‬لقد تعلمت منهم الكثير وأقدر عملهم الدؤوب معنا كطالب”‪.‬‬ ‫تخرجت حصة من جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر في شهر مايو من عام ‪ 2011‬وبدأت في‬ ‫شهر أغسطس من نفس العام بالعمل كمصمم داخلي للرحالت األميرية القطرية (‪،)QAF‬‬ ‫وهي شركة طيران كبار الشخصيات مملوكة وتدار من قبل حكومة قطر‪“ .‬لقد كانت فترة‬ ‫استراحة قصيرة جدا ما بين تخرجي وبداية عملي مرة أخرى‪ ،‬ولكنني سعيدة جدا بحصولي على‬ ‫مثل هذه الفرصة»‪ .‬وأضافت‪« :‬لقد كان في عودتي إلى العمل أيضا عودتي إلى أسلوب‬ ‫حياتي قبل جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث في قطر ولكن مع اختالف كبير – عمل ووظيفة مختلفة جدا‬ ‫في كل شيء!”‬

‫‪for the Qatar Amiri Flight.‬‬ ‫‪After graduating from Qatar University with a bachelor’s degree in physics, Hessa‬‬ ‫‪started teaching math and science at the MOE’s elementary and secondary, as well‬‬ ‫‪as independent schools. Nine years later she became vice principal at one of the‬‬ ‫‪independent schools and worked in this position for 18 months.‬‬ ‫‪While enjoying her new position as vice principle, she chanced upon an advert‬‬ ‫‪in the newspapers about VCUQatar. “When I came across this opportunity to‬‬ ‫‪study at VCUQatar, I felt very deeply in my heart that it was something I had to‬‬ ‫‪do, especially as I had previously tried to study interior design through a distance‬‬ ‫‪education program with an American institution but couldn’t complete it because‬‬ ‫‪one of my children was very sick, and they are my first priority in my life,” she says.‬‬ ‫‪With support and encouragement from her husband, Hessa applied for and got‬‬ ‫‪into the Interior Design degree program.‬‬ ‫‪“The experience of studying at VCUQatar was amazing and I miss it a lot. It was very‬‬ ‫‪different from any other experience in my life; it was a discovery of cultures, people,‬‬ ‫‪art and design. The age difference between me and other students helped us form‬‬ ‫‪a very nice relationship. I was like their older sister,” she reminisces. Hessa admits‬‬ ‫‪it was very challenging to keep up with the younger students at the academic‬‬ ‫‪level but, she says, “I loved every bit of this experience with its ups and downs.‬‬ ‫‪Interacting with the professors also was very special. I learned a lot from them,‬‬ ‫”‪and I appreciated their hard work with us students.‬‬ ‫‪Hessa graduated from VCUQatar in May 2011 and started working as an interior‬‬ ‫‪designer for Qatar Amiri Flight (QAF), a VIP airline owned and operated by the‬‬ ‫‪government of Qatar, in August 2011. “It was a very short break between gradua‬‬‫”‪tion and starting to work again, but I’m very glad to have had this opportunity,‬‬ ‫‪she says. “Going back to work also meant shifting back to my lifestyle before‬‬ ‫”!‪VCUQatar, but with a makeover—a very different job description in every way‬‬

‫‪Issue 1 — 31‬‬

A LU M N I AC H I E V E M E N T S

VCUQatar graduates are pursuing successful careers within the government, nonprofit and private industries in Qatar and around the world. Many have gone on to establish their own businesses, thereby contributing to

Hamza Mufid Jumah Abdel’al

Reem Al-Thani

2011

2010

Graphic Design

Interior & Fashion Design double major

Graphic designer at Fitch Qatar

Designer at Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art

the development of the small and medium

Hessa Al-Muhannadi

enterprise culture in Qatar. A few examples

2011

Roqaya Al Thani

are listed below:

Interior Design

2009

Interior designer in the design department

Interior Design & Fashion Design

for Amiri Flights

Founder of ‘Roqaya Al Thani’

Ahood Al Dafa 2012 Graphic Design Designer at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art Alexandra Windrum 2012 Interior Design Designer at Origins Erin Gibson 2012 Interior Design Interior designer at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art Ahmed El Sayed 2011 Fashion Design Founder of White Stain fashion label, and columnist for GLAM magazine Dana Riad 2011 Fashion Design Founder of Dana Riad fashion label Dima Masoud 2011 Interior Design & Fashion Design Designer at DFI, was the principal designer for all of their kiosks last fall for the DTFF & DFI.

Selina Farooqui

fashion design label

2011

Latifa Al Mudaihki

Fashion Design

2008

Founder of Selina Farooqui fashion label

Fashion Design

Zina Zisco

Founder of ModaKey Boutique

2011

Maha Al Essa

Interior Design

2008

Founders of ElFekra Design Studio

Graphic Design

Hadeer Omar

Co-founder of 974design

2010

Pegah Simi

Graphic Design

2008

Founder of Kroki Graphic Design Studio

Fashion Design

Joanna Dallimore

Junior Project Manager at Qatar Luxury Group

2010

Manar Al Muftah

Fashion Design

2007

Co-founder of Common Thread pop-up

Graphic Design

Boutique

Artist

Maryam Al Homaid

Noor Ibrahim Al-Nasr

2010

2007

Graphic Design

Graphic Design

Designer at RasGas prior to joining the

Business Analyst (web services) at

VCUQatar MFA program in Fall 2012

Qatar Petroleum.

Nada Al Saadi

Reham Mohamed Aleid

2010

2007

Graphic Design

Interior Design

Graphic Designer at Al Jazeera Arabic

Project Manager (architect) at Q.Media Roda Al Hetmi 2007 Graphic Design Co-founder of Impressions Boutique and Tasmeem shop

32 — Issue 1

A LU M N I AC H I E V E M E N T S

Sara Al-Abdulghani

Maryam El Bishri

2007

2004

Fashion Design

Interior Design

Owner of Sara Secrets Boutique

Events Manager at Barwa and runs her own

Fatema Al Hudaifi

corporate team building company, Biz-Events.

2006

Noor Hamad Al Thani

Graphic Design

2004

Co-founder of Impressions Boutique and

Fashion Design

Tasmeem shop

Senior Fashion Designer at Qatar Luxury Group

Aisha Muftah

Lama Abu Dheyas

2005

2003

Interior Design

Graphic Design

Program and Teaching Assistant, Liberal Arts

Freelance graphic designer co-working on a

and Sciences at VCUQatar

nation-wide road and safety campaign

Hend Zainal

Noor Al Kuwari

2005

2003

Graphic Design

Interior Design

Head of Communications Dept. at

Entrepreneur, founder of design firm and

Mackeen Marketing + Student at the Qatar

showroom kro-k

Leadership Center

The Design Entrepreneurship Network (DEN) The VCUQatar Center for Research, Design and Entrepreneurship supports VCUQatar alumni to apply their design skills on contemporary design problems. The Center addresses the needs of Qatar’s economy and collaborates with major companies to

Roda Al Marzouqi

develop better products, services and systems.

Noor Jassim Al Thani

2002

This spring, the Center launched an ecosys-

2005

Fashion Design

tem for design entrepreneurship through

Interior Design

Program and Teaching Assistant, Fashion

VCUQatar’s network of partner organizations

Founder of D’esspace Interiors and Ayyam

Design at VCUQatar

that will offer young design entrepreneurs

Marketing & Advertising Solutions

Shaikha Mahmoud Al Mahmoud

Noora Al-Mana

2002

2005

Interior Design

Interior Design

Coordinates all the new construction at Qatar

Assistant General Manager and designer

Foundation Capital Projects

at Almana Maples

training and development programs, business planning advice, early stage funding, soft loans, personal development workshops and access to exhibition and retail space. DEN will be a birthplace for originality and inventiveness, pioneering a vibrant, prosperous and sustainable creative industries sector for Qatar

Amal Ajlan Al Kuwari

that supports the National Vision 2030 and

2004

meets the social, economic and environmen-

Graphic Design

tal challenges of tomorrow.

Corporate Communications and PR manager at Qatar Project Management

Issue 1 — 33

FACU LT Y & STA F F AC H I E V E M E N T S

Throughout the year, faculty and staff

Machine’ a collection of poetry that inter-

Director of Libraries Carol Hansen, attended

publish in professional journals and public

rogates memory, culture and loss, was the

a workshop entitled “Emotional Intelligence

magazines and participate in conferences

winner of the 2011 Accents Publishing Inter-

and Coaching Skills for Leaders” in May

and exhibitions as guest speakers, artists and

national Poetry Book Contest.

2012 in Doha, Qatar as well as the American

designers. A few examples of these endeavors are listed below: Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

Health and Wellness and International Students Coordinator Lesley Gray co-presented “Collaborative Design of Meaningful Service-

Library Association in Anaheim, California in June 2012.

Assistant Professor of Art History

Law Alsobrook was a speaker at the inaugural

Learning” at the 2011 ISPL Symposium in

Debra Hanson was a roundtable presenter

TEDx Education City event in April 2012

Siena, Italy and was also a co-presenter in

in the “Things in Motion” session, at the

where he spoke about Design Thinking &

the ACPA Global Dimensions Commission

Tocqueville Fellows Conference, University of

Making Meaning.

webinar entitled “Engaging Muslim Students”

Richmond, in May 2012, speaking about the

in November 2011.

methodological and pedagogical insights

Director of Art History Dina Bangdel presented a lecture entitled ‘Objects’ Jour-

Student Counselor Laura Green com-

neys and Transformation: Circulation and

pleted a month long faculty exchange in the

gained in the process of preparing and teaching her Tocqueville-sponsored class on “Gateways to Globalism: The 19th C World’s Fairs.”

re-appropriations across the Himalayas and

University Counseling Services in Richmond,

beyond’ at the Musee du Quai Branly and

conducting cultural awareness trainings,

Universite Nanterre, Paris Symposium in

seeing clients, and assisting in outreach

Michael Hersrud spent the summer of 2012

September 2012.

presentations.

travelling through Russia, Mongolia and

Assistant Professor of Interior Design

Director of Entrepreneurship Roger Griffiths

Liam Colquhoun disseminated findings

was a guest speaker at AIESEC where he

from his “Retail Without Walls: Kiosk Culture”

spoke about entrepreneurial opportunities in

project (jointly with Holmes-Dallimore, see

the Middle East. AIESEC is one of the world’s

below) at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern

largest youth organizations, with over 60,000

Art, in Doha in April 2012.

members across 110 countries.

Robin Fetherston, assistant professor of

Head of Instructional Services, Libraries,

English, presented “Crossing the Atlantic in a

Lore Guilmartin attended the steering com-

Bucket: Dickens’s Inspector and his Fat Fore-

mittee meeting of the Information Literacy

finger Point to the New World” to the Qatar

Network of the Gulf in September 2012 at

Foundation Research Forum, her research

United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE.

on Dickens’s creation of Inspector Bucket in Bleak House, where it stands in the historiography of detective fiction, and, according to her theory, in what ways it foreshadows the American hard-boiled detective.

Against Fatigue” organized by the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Berlin in June 2012 and

proposal, “Inspiring Multi-Institutional Col-

published by From Here To Fame in Berlin.

Assistant Professor of Interior Design Li Han presented her research on hybridized design at three international conferences last academic year and won a 2000US$ award

Assistant Director of Liberal Arts & Sciences

at Texas A&M Qatar’s Fourth Visualization

and Assistant Professor of English

Development Competition 2012.

Patty Paine Gibbons’ ‘The Sounding

34 — Issue 1

for an exhibition or book.

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Leland Hill presented a paper on ‘Service Learning in a Global Society’ at the Fifth Annual Global Studies Conference, Moscow State University, in Russia in June 2012. The paper discussed promoting the collaboration of design disciplines to create a broader sense service learning projects in a global society.

discussion “Arabic Street Art” at the “Festival

she is also completing a book publication

Alabama in early October 2012.

future short film projects as well as ideas

of design for students through intercultural

on “Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution,”

Scholarship Conference at the University of

graphic images that he plans to use for

Basma Hamdy was part of the panel

Chair of Interior Design Carolyn Freeman

presentation at the 2012 National Outreach

China by train. During this time he shot several hours of video footage and photo-

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

and Dak Kopec’s (Radford University, US) laboration within Design,” was accepted for

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

Director of Painting and Printmaking Rhys Himsworth, exhibited at ‘Up and Coming’- a survey of artists working within printmaking, at the Hunterdon Museum, New Jersey, USA and also completed a residency in Dafen, South East China.

Assistant Professor at the Writing Center Jean Hodges presented a paper “Integrating Writing with Contemporary Mathematics to Develop Critical Thinking Skills” at the 119th

FACU LT Y & STA F F AC H I E V E M E N T S

Annual ASEE Conference & Exposition in June

artworks exhibited for a year in the main

workshop in May 2012 and exhibited the out-

2012, in San Antonio, Texas.

VCUQatar Library. An award ceremony was

come together with the other participants in

held in May 2012.

September 2012, at the Qatar Fine Arts Society

Assistant Professor of Interior Design Matthew Holmes-Dallimore is working

Pornprapha Phatanateacha, associate

Building at Katara Cultural Village in Doha.

with Delft University in Rotterdam, Holland

director, MFA in Design, presented ‘Sustaining

on projects including an in-class collabora-

Contextual Exchanges: Tasmeem Doha 2011

Diana Woodcock won the first prize in the

tion combining Qatari and Dutch students,

as a Model for an Experiential Conference’

Artists Embassy International, 19th Annual

as well as a further exhibition and dissemi-

at the Eighth International Conference on

Dancing Poetry Competition, 2012 for her

nation presentations concerning the “Retail

Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social

poem “Cormorant and Dragonflies.”

Without Walls: Kiosk Culture” project.

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada in January 2012.

Assistant Professor of English

Student Counselor Jacki Woodworth copresented ‘Mindfully Designing Personal Devel-

Peter Martin was invited by the Center of

Assistant Professor of Fashion Design

opment Groups for Diverse Populations’ at

Design Innovation (CoDI) in June 2012, as a

Della Reams’ creative research work was

the NASPA - ACPA Gulf Conference in Doha

consultant, for how design thinking could be

shown in two group exhibitions “2011 Lines

in Feb 2012. Jacki Woodworth designs and

integrated into the development of a project

into Shapes”, Art Center of Estes Park, Co and

initiative led by the Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance (ELRHA).

Adjunct Professor at the Writing Center Molly McHarg participated as panel presented “The Work of the Writing Center: Facilitating Autonomous Learning” at the Qatar TESOL conference in April 2012.

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Diane Mikhael presented a talk around the theme Design and Disability titled “Ultra Sonic: Design and Emotion for the hearing impaired” at the MENA Design Research Center, Beirut during the Cultural Exchange

“F for Faculty”, VCUQatar Gallery and was also accepted into two books in process, to be released at the end of 2012, Textiles: The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser, Thames and Hudson, Essex, UK, and Patternbase, Crown Media & Publishing, Chicago, IL.

leads weekly the first Student Mindfulness Stress Reduction group in Education City, this group has been ongoing for nearly 2 years.

Assistant Professor of Interior Design Kevin Woolley presented a research paper “Hybrid Design Studios: Classrooms of the Future” at the 2012 International Conference:

Assistant Professor of Art History

The Future of Education in Florence,

Jochen Sokoly presented a lecture titled,

Italy in June 2012.

“Inscribed Early Islamic ‘Tiraz’ Textiles as Historical Documents: A Silk Textile from Nishapur in the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in April 2012.

Byrad Yyelland, director of Liberal Arts & Sciences, travelled to Brazil in the summers of 2011 and 2012 for research on the favela, Tavares Bastos, in Rio de Janeiro. While there he also met with faculty at one of VCU’s

at DESMEEM in May 2012. It presented the

Chair of Graphic Design Muneera Spence

international partner universities, the

teaching and learning experience of how de-

travelled to Corvallis, Oregon in June 2012

University of Sao Paolo, to discuss future

sign is becoming the tool that channels the

to present a curriculum workshop “Thinking

collaborations in research and teaching.

voice of the hearing impaired community.

out Loud” to faculty of the School of Design

A selection of Assistant Professor of Foundation Simone Muscolino’s video-work was displayed in the exhibition “Stay Awake. One Night Stand Video.” in October 2011 at FMG Gallery in Milan, Italy.

and the Human Environment and to make a public presentation on Global Education to the Oregon State University and Corvallis community. The workshop dealt with curriculum development, promoting faculty research, including Design Foundations curriculum and

Reference and Instruction Librarian

Muneera also shared her ideas about interna-

Sue Page, initiated the school’s first an-

tional experiences for students.

nual Student Art in the Library Competition.

Launched in February 2012, three students were selected from the entrants to have their

Outreach and Community Class Coordinator Annette Wendling-Willeke participated in Qatar Fine Arts Society’s three day painting

Issue 1 — 35

YEAR IN NUMBERS

THE YEAR In Numbers

2011–2012

14T H AC A D E M I C Y E A R 2 2 8 B FA + 16 M FA S T U D E N T S E N R O L L E D C ANADA

I N T H E I N C O M I N G FA L L C L A S S E S 11T H G R A D UAT I O N C L A S S 4 3 S T U D E N T S G R A D UAT E D

STUDENTS ENROLLED 244 STUDENTS

TRINDAD & TOBAGO

MEXICO

UNITED STATES

3 65 A LU M N I

BREAKDOWN BY MAJOR ( A S O F FA L L 2 0 1 1)

BR A ZIL

B FA

F O U N DAT I O N 6 6 FA S H I O N 2 2 G R A P H I C 67 INTERIOR 60 PA I N T I N G A N D P R I N T M A K I N G 13

M FA

S T U D E N T P O P U L AT I O N

( A S O F FA L L 2 0 1 1)

16 S T U D E N T S Q ATA R I

N O N Q ATA R I

5 3%

47 %

C R O S S R E G I S T R AT I O N E D U C AT I O N C I T Y U N I V E R S I T I E S: 9 1 AC A D E M I C B R I D G E P R O G R A M: 2 8

A LU M N I 2002–2012 RECRUITMENT

3 65 S T U D E N T S 2 4 3 Q ATA R I , 12 2 N O N - Q ATA R I

175 C O M P L E T E D A P P L I C AT I O N S

3 5 6 F E M A L E , 9 M A L E (S TA RT I N G 2 011)

6 8 AC C E P T E D S T U D E N T S 62 E N R O L L E D S T U D E N T S

BY MAJOR FA S H I O N 41 G R A P H I C 16 6 I N T E R I O R 14 6 G R A P H I C / FA S H I O N 4 I N T E R I O R / FA S H I O N 8

36 — Issue 1

2 011

1 59

141

244

2 31

223

21 0

193

19 2

182

B FA

2 01 0

12 2

117

M FA

2009

2008

2 0 07

2006

2005

2004

2 0 03

2 0 02

2 0 01

SOUTH AFRIC A

STUDENTS

T O TA L E N R O L L M E N T

F O U N DAT I O N

27 % AUSTR ALIA

NAMIBIA

NEW ZE AL AND

IND ONESIA

THAIL AND

PHILIPPINES

SINGAP ORE

INDIA

BANGL ADESH

OMAN

CROATIA

HUNGARY

IR AN

KUWAIT

SYRIA

KORE A

IR AQ

LEBANON

ARMENIA

UNITED KINGD OM

RUSSIA

FINL AND

SWEDEN

DENMARK GERMANY

ROMANIA TURKE Y UKR AINE PALESTINE

CHINA

PAKISTAN

Q ATAR

BAHR AIN

SAUDI AR ABIA

YEMEN

JORDAN

MAL AYSIA

SRI L ANK A

KENYA

EGYP T SUDAN

ITALY

SWITZERL AND

FR ANCE

BOSNIA & HER ZEGOVINA

TUNISIA

ALGERIA

IREL AND

Y E AYRE A IN RN I NU M NU B EMRBSE R S

FACULT Y / STAFF

E N R O L L M E N T B Y D E PA R T M E N T

M FA D E S I G N S T U D I E S

7%

PA I N T I N G & P R I N T M A K I N G

5%

INTERIOR DESIGN

2 5%

FA S H I O N D E S I G N

9 %

GR APHIC DESIGN

27 %

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A D E S T I N AT I O N Fo r D i a l o g u e

2011–2012 Exhibitions & Lectures Throughout the year, VCUQatar hosts a diverse program of exhibitions and lectures that are open to the general public.

The Gallery at VCUQatar encourages the appreciation and understanding of art and design and its role in society through collaborations with other galleries worldwide and local art groups. The Gallery stimulates active learning about the creative process through dialogue among communities of students, faculty, artists, scholars and the wider public.

The Gallery started off the year with Children of Gaza, featuring the extraordinary work of renowned artist Dia Azzawi and international award-winning photographers Giuseppe Aquili, Jim McFarlane and Anthony Dawton, hoping to define the process in which art can bring understanding to seemingly intractable political conflict. An interactive project, THINK TANK 2012, was an opportunity for everyone interested in the Gallery—as well as those interested in issues relating to the creation, display and viewing of art and design works generally—to come together and contribute to discussions surrounding these areas.

The Beaded Prayers Project, an international, collaborative project by Sonya Clark launched in Richmond, Virginia in 1998 to celebrate diversity and unity through a participatory art form, culminated with an exhibition at the Gallery.

VCUQatar’s Crossing Boundaries Lecture Series reflects the cross-disciplinary nature of the featured speakers who are representatives of excellence in creative and innovative thinking. The 2011–2012 speakers included Sonia Ashour, interior designer; Eric Gaskins, fashion designer; Bruce Sterling, author, journalist, editor and critic; Crispin Jones, interaction designer; and architect Juhani Pallasmaa. The departments at VCUQatar also hosted Burkhard Remmers, head of international communications with German office furniture manufacturer Wilkhahn; Dr. Sohair Wastawy, dean of the university libraries at Illinois State University; calligrapher Wissam Shawkat; environmental psychologist Dak Kopec; and architect, urban designer, writer and educator Ali Alraouf.

Expert on Modern & Contemporary Arab Art Visits VCUQatar Nada Shabout, Ph.D., associate profes-

38 — Issue 1

private presentation and education.

sor of art history and director of the

Shabout is a founding member and

Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cul-

first president of the Association for

tural Studies Institute at The University

Modern and Contemporary Art of the

of North Texas, met with VCUQatar

Arab world, Iran, and Turkey (AMCA)

faculty and students over two days as

and was a member of the Cultural

they discussed presentation of public

Development Committee Board of

art. This was followed by Shabout’s

Governors, Qatar Foundation, and a

public lecture “Traditions and Contro-

consultant to the Museum of Modern

versies,” which focused on issues of

Arab Art in Doha, Qatar between 2008

tradition, artistic creation, public and

and 2011.

01

02

01 Children of Gaza exhibition 02 THINK TANK 2012 highlights

Issue 1 — 39

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A D E ST I N AT I O N F O R D I A LO G U E

VCU Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) The Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond campus has announced plans for an Institute for Contemporary Art, designed by world-renowned architect, Steven Holl. The VCU ICA will be a non-collecting institution focused on exploring the art of today and tomorrow — a place for the presentation of the latest visual art, performance and film from around the world, as well as a lab for developing the art of the future.

Located at one of Richmond’s busiest intersections, this 38,000-square-foot building was designed “to be a flexible, forward-looking instrument that can illuminate the transformative possibilities of contemporary art,” according to Holl.

“The ICA will be a catalyst for new kinds of artistic explorations and discourse for the VCU community both in Richmond and Qatar, while contributing to the international conversation in the arts,” says VCUarts Dean Joseph Seipel.

A capital campaign is underway for the $32 million project with more than $20 million raised to date. For more information, visit ica.vcu.edu.

Rendering of the exterior of the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in Richmond, VA. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the ICA is anticipated to open in 2015. Image courtesy of Steven Holl Architects.

Issue 1 — 41

A D E ST I N AT I O N F O R D I A LO G U E

VCUarts Sonya Clark Exhibits at VCUQatar This spring, the Gallery at VCUQatar

prayer packets are found in other traditions

presented The Beaded Prayers Project,

as well. They are known as doaa nameh in

curated and directed by Sonya Clark, chair of

Iran, scapulars among Catholics, dhuwas

Craft/Material Studies, VCUarts in collabora-

in Sri Lanka, and mezuzahs and tefillin in

tion with art educator Sara Wilson McKay.

the Jewish tradition. Even the Romans and

The project was originally launched in 1998 as an international, collaborative project to celebrate diversity and unity through a

“Each packet contains the wish, hope, dream,

participatory art form. Since then, over 5000

blessing, or prayer of an individual partici-

people—ages six to 90, from 35 countries—

pant, written on a piece of paper and

have participated in the project by creating

encased with a covering that includes at

and contributing the beaded packets

least one bead on the surface,” said Clark.

exhibited at VCUQatar. There are four parts to the project—a lecture, a workshop, a traveling exhibition, and a reflective publication.

The exhibition at VCUQatar represents the culmination of this project, concluding a tour that has taken it to over 25 venues.

“Most participants made two packets: one to keep and the other for this installation, which celebrates the role of the individual and the importance of that person’s place in the community. From the exquisitely crafted to the crudely stitched, each beaded packet

The name of the project comes from the

is the unique expression of an individual

shared etymology of the words “bead”

aspiration. Even those pieces that resemble

and “prayer.” The concept for creating

one another on the outside no doubt have

packets with potent contents was inspired

different messages sealed inside.”

by traditions among different peoples from Africa and the African Diaspora. Powerful

42 — Issue 1

Greeks had a practice of using lamellae and phylacteries.

Fourth Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art

Scholars from around the world explored individual objects held by

The keynote address was delivered by Paul Goldberger, the Pulitzer

the Museum of Islamic Art during the fourth biennial Hamad bin

Prize-winning author and architecture critic for The New Yorker.

Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art, October 29–31, 2011 at the Museum

Twenty fellows were selected for the Hamad Bin Khalifa Travel Fellow-

of Islamic Art in Doha. Widely considered the preeminent conference

ships out of over 200 applications. They attended the special events

regarding Islamic art and culture, the three-day symposium, God

and were awarded a Hamad Bin Khalifa Fellowship certificate.

is Beautiful; He Loves Beauty: The Object in Islamic Art and Culture,

The Hamad Bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art is organized by

featured 12 speakers from around the world, all of whom are leading

Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom who have shared the Hamad

scholars in Islamic art and architecture. Their papers addressed

Bin Khalifa Endowed Chair of Islamic Art at Virginia Commonwealth

objects held by the Museum of Islamic Art, including an Umayyad

University since its establishment in 2006. God is Beautiful; He Loves

Koran manuscript, an Ottoman calligraphic album, 17th-century

Beauty was co-sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University

Persian oil paintings and the stucco of Samarra.

School of the Arts, Qatar Foundation, VCUQatar, the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA).

Issue 1 — 43

03

01 01 Fashion designer

Eric Gaskins 02 Bruce Sterling’s lecture 03 Rhys Himsworth’s

“Entropy” exhibit 04 Crispin Jones 05 Sonia Ashour 06 A performance at

Think Tank 2012 07 “F for Faculty”

Exhibit 2012

04

02 05

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A D E ST I N AT I O N F O R D I A LO G U E

06

07

Issue 1 — 45

FOSTERING Co m m u n i t y In v ol v e m e n t

Service Learning Trips Thirteen students and four faculty went to Yogyakarta, Indonesia in May 2012 as volunteers on a trip organized by Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) during which students led four five-day workshops on art and design at the SMK ROTA school in Bayat. The Student Affairs office also collaborated with theInterior Design department and Into The Wild on a service-learning trip to northern Thailand in May 2012 with 12 students and three faculty/staff participating in community-building projects.

01

02

01 Display of bracelets by local artisans 02 Locals making bracelets in Bayat 03 Students painting a wall in Cambodia 03

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FO ST E R I N G C O M M U N I T Y I N VO LV E M E N T

Community Classes As part of our mission to provide educational experiences in art and design, and cultural opportunities to the various communities of Qatar, VCUQatar offers classes to the community each spring and fall. Our faculty and alumni are committed to participating in these classes. This year 696 community members took part in 78 four to eight weeklong Community Class programs in both English and Arabic. The university collaborated with the Qatar Social and Cultural Center for the Deaf to offer an eight-week graphic design and photography course for the hearing impaired, culminating with an exhibition at Katara, and teamed up with the Community College of Qatar for an eight-week fashion design and illustration course. Thirty-eight Qataris participated in these programs.

Sheraton Charrette

At the request of Her Excellency Sheikha Al

Al Bayan Educational Complex for Girls;

Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Carolyn

Al-Ieman Secondary Independent School for

Freeman, chair of the Interior Design (ID)

Girls; Al Khor International School; Al Wakra

Department at VCUQatar, and Roger Griffiths,

Independent Secondary School for Boys; Doha

director of Entrepreneurship, worked with

College; Gulf English School; Qatar Academy

Qatar Museums Authority, Qatar National

and Qatar Leadership Academy. In a high-en-

Hotels Company and the Sheraton Doha Resort

ergy, two-day charrette in late January at the

and Convention Hotel, to develop a competi-

Sheraton, the 10 teams developed concepts

tion that involved a collaboration of VCUQatar

to redesign the Sheraton’s State Suites for

ID students and faculty with architecture

the GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,

students and faculty from Carnegie Mellon

Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

University and Qatar University as well as students from eight local high schools:

Issue 1 — 47

CLASS OF 2 012

48 — Issue 1

C L A SS O F 2012

Commencement 2012

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar held its 2012 Commencement Ceremony on 7 May at the Education City Student Center, conferring 43 Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Fashion, Graphic and Interior design and two Master of Fine Arts degrees in Design Studies. This, the 11th commencement brought the number of VCUQatar alumni to 365.

“Graduation is a time for celebration and reflection,” said VCUQatar Dean Allyson Vanstone in her message to the graduating students. “Your years at VCUQatar have been transformational for each of you. You have enriched our university and our wider community through your projects, research, service, activities and unique voice.

You have already contributed toward our vision of a Qatari society that innovates through art and design. You are fortunate to graduate within an environment that acknowledges your talents and challenges you to participate in building the nation and to contribute to the Qatar National Vision 2030,” she added.

During the ceremony renowned Master Calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya received the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, VCU’s highest form of recognition. Zakariya is considered the preeminent ambassador of the art of Islamic calligraphy in America.

In 2009, Mr. Zakarya was commissioned by U.S. President Barack Obama to create a gift of calligraphy for King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. He was a member of the VCUQatar Joint Advisory Board from August 2003 to May 2011.

Anne Marie Paltsou, fashion and public relations consultant from Milan, delivered a commencement address that reflected on her experiences in the industry.

VCU President Dr. Michael Rao addressed the graduating students during the ceremony. “My greatest privilege in this role is honoring our students who dream big and accomplish much, who possess an unrelenting desire to create, and who are distinguished in their pursuit of excellence. The pinnacle of your academic pursuits, whether you study in Richmond or in Doha, is always commencement. I am honored and delighted to be with you on your day,” said President Rao. “In your time at VCUQatar, you have demonstrated a desire to be the very best and nothing else.

Now, you are called upon to be leaders in your field. That is what graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University do all around the globe. Not take jobs, but create them. Not consume, but innovate. Not simply to be a part of the world, but to change the world. This is what we ask you to do as VCU’s newest alumni. And this is what the world will expect you to do because of your credentials. As you graduate, you become further evidence of why VCUarts is ranked so highly,” he added.

President Rao concluded his address by saying, “You depart with a tremendous responsibility, and I am confident that we can count on you to accept the challenge of advancing new opportunities for humankind throughout the world.”

Convocation 2012

Hamad bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Senior Convocation took

Qatar Foundation Chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint

place on 8 May, 2012 at the Qatar National Convention Centre.

Nasser, and President of HBKU and Vice President of Education at

During the Convocation, 373 students from Virginia Commonwealth

QF His Excellency Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani were joined by uni-

University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Texas

versity presidents, deans and faculty members in celebrating the

A&M University at Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar,

success of QF’s latest graduates. Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint

Georgetown University – School of Foreign Service in Qatar), Qatar

Nasser and His Excellency Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani addressed

Faculty of Islamic Studies, HEC Paris in Qatar and Northwestern

the graduating class.

University in Qatar were honored in front of family and friends.

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C L A SS O F 2012

BFA & MFA Showcase 2012 & Annual Fashion Show BFA & MFA Showcase 2012, the annual exhibition of VCUQatar’s 43 BFA and MFA graduating artists and designers opened with a reception on 6 May 2012. The Showcase was conceived as a satellite exhibition, with visitors invited to go on their own mini-tour of the VCUQatar building and discover the departmental exhibition zones located over three floors.

“We asked students to approach this exhibition as they would approach an exhibition in the real world as artists and designers,” said Caitlin Doherty, exhibitions and speaker curator at VCUQatar.“ The works on view comprised couture fashion, furniture, book projects, graphics, and interior designs that reflected the creativity of each individual student, as well as the variety of curricula explored at VCUQatar.”

VCUQatar’s thirteenth annual fashion show, Arabesque, showcased the work of four graduating seniors whose thesis collections were an eclectic mix of day to evening looks and consisted of a minimum of 12 looks featuring a range with components of the traditional, handcrafted, modern, eclectic, architectural and glamorous.

Issue 1 — 51

THANK YOU VCUQatar’s remarkable achievements would not have been possible without the generosity of our donors who contributed their time,

M E M B E R S O F T H E J O I N T A D V I S O R Y B O A R D 201 1– 201 2 CO - CH A I R H.E. S H E I K H D R. H A M A D N A S S E R A L TH A N I A DVI S O R AT TH E G E N E R A L S ECR E TA R I AT O F TH E CO U N CI L O F M I N I S TE R S

talent and gifts to make the university the success it is today.

CO - CH A I R

It is this thoughtfulness that will allow VCUQatar to continue on its

D R. B E VE R LY WA R R E N

journey of creativity and innovation.

PROVO S T A N D VI CE PR E S I D E NT FO R AC A D E M I C A FFA I R S, VCU

S T U D E N T S C H O L A R S H I P S & G R A N T S 201 1–201 2

MEMBERS

Ali Bin Ali Group

M R. JAY CO O GA N

Arab Engineering Bureau Higher Education Institute (HEI) Mannai Corporation Ministry of Interior Qatar Building Company Qatar Foundation Qatar Museums Authority Sarah Abdulghani United Nations COP 18

PR E S I D E NT, M I N N E A P O LI S CO LLEG E O F A RT A N D D E S I G N D R. A H M E D H A S N A H A S S I S TA NT VI CE PR E S I D E NT FO R H I G H E R E D U C ATI O N, Q F M R. SA M U E L H O I PR E S I D E NT, OTI S CO LLEG E O F A RT A N D D E S I G N D R. RO G E R M A N D LE S E N I O R A DVI S O R TO TH E CH A I R O F TH E B OA R D O F TRU S TE E S O F Q ATA R M U S EU M S AUTH O R IT Y M R. J E FFR E Y N E S I N PROVO S T, S CH O O L O F VI SUA L A RT S M R. DAVI D RO S S G E N E R A L CO U N S E L , VCU

GIFTS

M R. J O S E PH S E I PE L D E A N, S CH O O L O F TH E A RT S, VCU

Maserati Qatar Museums Authority Qatar Shell Service Company WLL

E X- O F F I C I O M E M B E R S H.E. D R. A B D U LL A A L TH A N I PR E S I D E NT, H A M A D B I N K H A LI FA U N IV E R S IT Y A N D VI CE PR E S I D E NT FO R E D U C ATI O N, Q F M S. A LLYS O N VA N S TO N E D E A N, VCU Q ATA R

52 — Issue 1

CONTEXT CREDITS

©Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar The VCUQatar Magazine is published annually by the Office of Communications. We welcome your comments.

Please send them to mckaan@qatar.vcu.edu

E D ITO R Meike Kaan WR ITE R Priya Lorraine Dominica D’Souza DESIGN Sara Shaaban Jordan Gushwa PH OTO G R APHY Markus Elblaus CO NTR IB UTO R S Lauren Maas Peter Chomowicz John Guthmiller CO PY E D ITO R Anna McAllister Nadia Abu Dayeh TR AN S L ATO R Adel Jamal Awad