Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar - VCUQ, Doha - Gallery news: VCUQatar announces Educational Speakers for Mousharaka

VCUQatar announces Educational Speakers for Mousharaka (4.2.2009)

VCUQatar announces Kelly Beaverford, Leland Hill, Farid Esmaeil, Brockett Horne and Ian Grout as Educational Speakers and 51 East as a Sponsor for Mousharaka

Doha, Qatar - Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar in partnership with Icograda is proud to announce the participation of Kelly Beaverford, Farid Esmaeil, Brockett Horne and Ian Grout as educational speakers for the Mousharaka conference. Mousharaka will take place at VCUQatar from 28 February to 5 March, 2009.

Kelly Beaverford has worked on design and education projects in Uganda, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Iran, Qatar, Turkey and Canada. Now teaching for the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba, she focuses on cross-cultural design and studio pedagogy. Ms. Beaverford is the founder and Executive Director of Architects Without Borders Canada.

Leland M. Hill is Assistant Professor at VCUQatar and his teaching focus is in Design History, and Typography. Outside of teaching, he has been the curator of exhibitions including Pentagram's New York office, April Greiman, Tarek Atrissi and the 5th Color as a co-chairman member of the university's gallery. Currently, he is collaborating with other universities in the US and Canada on international service learning projects that provide opportunities for students to build their interests in humanitarian action while encouraging a sense of global citizenship.

Farid Esmaeil is the founding partner of x-architects, a leading architecture and urban design practice in Dubai. His design work addresses issues of contemporary society, urban identity, and architecture and he has been a driving force behind conceptual projects such as the 60 hectare sustainable city in Dubai, 'Xeritown', and 'Al Nasseem', a 12 hectare community development in Al-Ain, amongst others. He has lectured and exhibited work in numerous universities and institutions worldwide and his design work has won numerous awards including regional Holcim Award 2008 and Cityscape Award 2008 Dubai. Mr. Esmaeil is also a founding member of Architecture Associations in UAE and currently serves on the board of directors.

Brockett Horne is a graphic design Professor and Department Co-chair at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Her creative work is inspired by a desire to encourage the spectator to look intensely. She has been exhibited and honored with multiple design awards, and has work in the permanent collection of the RISD Museum of Art.

For the past eleven years Ian Grout has been researching and teaching in Product Design at The Glasgow School of Art, where he is specifically concerned with future developments in Ecological and Sustainable design. He travels and teaches extensively throughout the departments International exchange network and has recently been the External Examiner for Les Ateliers in Paris and Goldsmiths Eco Design Course in London. He is currently Visiting Professor at HDK, Design School, Göteborg, Sweden. Mr. Grout's research interests concern the understanding of our emerging ecological aware society, its changing needs and the resulting impact on designing and design education, through which are developed new creative methodologies to design more ethically, ecologically and sustainably.

VCUQatar is also proud to announce 51 East as a sponsor for Mousharaka. This is the sixth consecutive year the company is supporting VCUQatar's annual design conference.

Established as a premium brand outlet by Abdullah Darwish in Qatar, 51 East pioneered the high-end department store concept in the country. The company deals in both trading and retailing activities and aims to provide shoppers with the 'Feel at Home' shopping sensation. It is aligned with some of the most renowned brands from across the world and offers a vast range of products to Qatar's consumers - from electronics and computers to watches and fashion, from cosmetics and shoes to music and games. 51 East strives to deliver enhanced and efficient services with modern technologies in place, while maintaining their strong link to local values and expectations.

About Icograda
Mousharaka / The Icograda Design Week in Qatar, presented by VCUQatar, is composed of the Education Symposium and the Professional Conference, when prominent speakers share perspectives on design and design collaborations. VCUQatar is also spearheading the creation of MEDEA - the Middle East Design Educators Association and launching Design Debate Doha - an opportunity for the design community to address an important global design issue in debate form.

VCUQatar, with its state-of-the-art facilities, will serve as the main venue for the conference. For more information about Mousharaka, featured speakers and events, and to register please visit www.mousharaka.com

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: www.qf.org.qa

VCUQatar announces Educational Speakers for Mousharaka Press Release as pdf-File 134 KB

VCUQatar announces Educational Speakers for Mousharaka Press Release as pdf-File 122 KB in Arabic language

Images:
Brockett Horne
Farid Esmaeil
Ian Grout
Kelley Beaverford
Leland Hill