Vcuarts Qatar Graduates Use Fine Arts Studies As A Springboard To Explore New Avenues

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Two of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) graduates prove that the skills they learned during their years studying painting and printmaking are applicable in emerging fields, from museum and gallery practice all the way to art therapy.

Tami Kaldari. Kaldari, a Class of 2023 BFA in Painting and Printmaking (PAPR) alumna from VCUarts Qatar, is currently pursuing an MSc programme in Art Therapy at Queen Margaret University in the UK. According to her, choosing PAPR for her undergraduate studies was a natural step, as she had always been very passionate about fine arts.

She said,“Although I did have some worries about what would happen after I graduated, I decided to follow my intuition and pursue what I knew I could put my all into – which was painting and printmaking.”

She also had another motivation – art therapy. As she puts it,“I knew I wanted to study Art Therapy even before I applied to VCUarts Qatar. However, I could not have imagined the extent to which I would apply my BFA learning to my MSc studies.

The PAPR course at VCUarts Qatar is unique in the sense that I was able to learn about art through a decolonial lens, which is what I am currently focusing my dissertation on.

“I was fortunate to be taught by professors who pushed me to research topics I was passionate about. In contrast to other art schools that teach you traditional ways of approaching art, my professors taught us how to conceptualize, defend our concepts, and approach and appreciate art through different lenses. When I told my professors that I intended to study at Queen Margaret University, they were very supportive and encouraging, happy to direct me to resources that could support my application.”

Kaldari intends to build on the learning she acquired at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

She said,“Art is integral to all societies. Art therapy can benefit anyone of any age who is willing to experiment with different mediums of expression, especially those who struggle to put their thoughts into words. Many people are not aware of art therapy and for those who do, they have the misconception that it was targeted towards children. In terms of my own practice, I plan to continue doing grassroots work within communities.”

Sumam Azzam who graduated from VCUarts Qatar with a BFA in painting and printmaking in 2015. Azzam currently works with Qatar Museums as an Art Educator at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. Originally from Iraq, Azzam had been interested in the creative field of fine art since childhood.

“Growing up, I knew I wanted to continue a career involving those pathways. I knew VCUarts Qatar was the branch campus of the top-ranking VCU School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Hence, joining VCUarts Qatar in 2011 was a natural choice. Though it was a relatively new programme, I felt, at that time, that it was exactly what I was looking for, and seized the opportunity.

After graduating from VCUarts Qatar, Azzam completed an MFA in Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Georgia.

Following that, he got a full-time job as a Learning Coordinator at Qatar Museums' Children's Museum (Dadu), before joining Mathaf.

A typical day in his current role at Mathaf sees Azzam organising and leading art workshops for adults.

He said,“I make sure to research and find out what kind of workshops interest adults. Then I look for fun and engaging methods to educate and convey techniques.

“Two of my current workshops are called 'Action Model Drawing' and 'Drawtastic'. These workshops focus on observational drawings of live human figures.”

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