Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar - VCUQ, Doha - Gallery news: Renowned Islamic calligrapher and VCUQatar Joint Advisory Board member commissioned for work of art by US President

Renowned Islamic calligrapher and VCUQatar Joint Advisory Board member commissioned for work of art by US President (14.9.2009)

VCUQatar Joint Advisory Board Member Mohamed Zakariya Commissioned by U.S. President Obama

Doha, Qatar - Renowned Islamic calligraphy artist and VCUQatar Joint Advisory Board member Mohamed Zakariya was recently commissioned by U.S. President Barack Obama to create a gift of calligraphy for King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

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

Taken from the Qur'an (Chapter 49: Verse 13), the English translation of the script reads:
"O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The noblest among you in God's sight is the most conscientious of you. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware." In echoing King Abdullah's important calls for interfaith and intercultural dialogue, President Obama included this quote from the Qur'an in his speech at Cairo University in Egypt on June 4.

In response to the President's commission, master calligrapher and artist Mohamed Zakariya expressed, "I am deeply honored that President Obama chose my work as part of his historic initiative to open new doors between America and the Muslim world. I believe Islamic art can be a fitting ambassador of much-hoped-for policy change."

Commenting on this historic occasion, Linearis co-principal and managing director Suleyman Cooke remarked, "The profound power of art has played a key role in the President delivering his message of inclusion. Like many times in the past, art was used as an instrument of change, in this case, positive change. We are deeply appreciative for the opportunity to be part of history and the promotion of the President's positive message to the greater Muslim world." Mr. Zakariya has been represented exclusively by Linearis Institute since 2005.

Mohamed Zakariya is an American master of Islamic calligraphy. With no formal education, Mr. Zakariya learned his trades in aerospace-industry machine shops, in the Los Angeles atelier of Oscar Meyer, the French impresario of antiques and objects de virtue, at the British Museum and at Istanbul's Research Center for Islamic Art, History, and Culture, where he earned two licenses in Islamic calligraphy - the first Westerner to do so. Since settling in the Washington, D.C., area in 1972, Mr. Zakariya has traveled frequently to Turkey and the Persian Gulf and has exhibited and lectured extensively in the U.S. and abroad. Known for his design of the "Eid Greetings" U.S. postage stamp, he concentrates primarily on classical Arabic and Ottoman Turkish calligraphy.

About Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar:
Established in the US in 1838 and in Qatar in 1998 Virginia Commonwealth University offers students from all over the world the opportunity to earn Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in fashion, graphic and interior design. A team of highly skilled professors provide rigorous curricula that prepare students to assume leadership roles in the professional design field of their choice. VCUQatar regularly organizes and hosts exhibitions, gallery events, world-class conferences and holds an annual fashion show. VCUQatar is supported and funded by the Qatar Foundation. For more information please visit www.qatar.vcu.edu or call +974 492 7245.

About Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development
Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, and chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Qatar Foundation is a private, non-profit organization committed to the principle that a nation's greatest natural resource is its people. The headquarters of Qatar Foundation are located within its flagship project, Education City, a fourteen million square-meter campus which hosts numerous progressive learning institutions and centers of research, including branch campuses of six of the world's leading universities, plus a cutting-edge research and development center. Qatar Foundation also works to enhance the quality of life in Qatar by investing in community health and development.
For more information please visit: http://www.qf.org.qa

Images:
Mohamed Zakariya conducting a calligraphy workshop for students at VCUQatar

Mohamed Zakariya conducting a calligraphy workshop for students at VCUQatar

Mohamed Zakariya's calligraphy commissioned by US President Obama for King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz