VCUQatar and Faculty Among New Intake as Artists in Residence at Doha Fire Station

September 26, 2016
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Faculty and alumni from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar) are among the 20 artists who have been selected by Qatar Museums to become Artists in Residence at Doha Fire Station for the 2016/17 year.

The group of artists, which includes 10 Qataris, consists of artists from a range of different disciplines including art, photography, video, design, painting, poetry and drawing.

The Fire Station ‘Artist in Residence’ program is hosted at the Doha Fire Station building, and aims to create a space that offers an indigenous, local approach to creativity and artistic production. The residency program, which is open to local Qatari artists and residents of Qatar, runs in nine-month cycles.

The residency program will involve mentoring and tutoring from respected local artists and will give the residents the opportunity to be in close contact with some of the big international names that Qatar Museums continually attracts to Qatar. This is in addition to access to world-class curators, art historians and professors. Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is Chairperson of Qatar Museums.

The Fire Station grounds also feature public attractions including a park, an informal library, an arts and crafts shop, a cinema, a plaza and a newly opened restaurant, all aimed at creating an engaging environment and cultural venue for everyone living in Qatar to experience and enjoy. The Fire Station is located opposite the Civil Defence signal, near the Corniche in Doha.

The faculty and alumni from VCUQatar who have been selected to become Artists in Residence at Doha Fire Station are: Richard Blackwell, Maryam Al Homaid, Ahmed Al Jufairi, Nesma Khodier, Nawar Al Mutlaq, Hana Al Saadi, Zach Stensen, and Maryam Al Suwaidi.

A group of four jury members convened to agree on the final 20 artists from a highly talented pool of more than 150 applications. The judging panel included H.E. Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Board Member and Managing Director of Qatar Leadership Centre; Wissam Saleh Al Mana, Executive Director at “Al Mana Group”; Faraj Daham, Qatari artist; and Rhys R. Himsworth, Head of Painting & Print Making Department at VCUQatar.

Qatar Museums is ‘local first’ in its outlook, investing in the people of Qatar as a priority and extending their horizons. It brings international artists to Qatar and showcases local and regional artists to the world.

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