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Education City: Where art and academics converge
Originally published by Qatar Foundation news, January 29, 2024.
Whether it’s the artwork that lines the walls of the Education City universities or the architecture of the buildings themselves, art is incorporated into the very fabric of the student experience at Qatar Foundation.
“When the students at Qatar Foundation partner universities experience the various art offerings available to them around Education City, it helps to create well-rounded and culturally aware individuals who are better equipped to think critically, communicate effectively, and navigate a complex and diverse world,” said Ameera M. Al-Aji, Community Arts Lead at Qatar Foundation (QF).
“Art at QF complements academic learning and enhances the overall educational experience.”
There are several permanent public art exhibitions located at Education City – including Seero fi al ardh and Mathaf Museum – that QF students can access. In addition to that, there are 45 hand-chosen art pieces located at the campuses of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), and Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar.
At CMU-Q, a Public Art Committee was formed prior to the building’s opening in 2008 to find the pieces that would complement the educational experience and building design. The committee included faculty, students, and staff with different voices and perspectives who visited local galleries and made connections with artists all over the world to choose the pieces that would come to line the walls of the building.
“The committee believed that art at CMU-Q should reflect Carnegie Mellon University’s position as a leader in education for the arts and creative research, and interesting and challenging pieces should expand this educational mission,” said Kara Nesimiuk, Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations at CMU-Q and an original member of the CMU-Q Public Art Committee.
“The committee sought out different perspectives by keeping all meetings open to the CMU-Q community so community members could learn about the piece and offer comment.”
One of the first pieces installed after the building opened in 2008 is a mural by Doug Cooper, Sarah Cooper, and Nina Gorger. Titled ‘Between Memory, Desert, and Sea’, it depicts the people, history, and traditions of Qatar, as well as touchpoint locations on the Pittsburgh campus.
The piece blends the visual iconography of the environments of both Qatar and the US. Doug Cooper is a faculty member in the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture and the mural was funded by CMU trustee Henry Posner, Jr. and his wife Helen and presented at the official building opening.
The CMU-Q art collection includes artists from around the world, reflecting the international diversity of this community. Qatari-based pieces included Ali Hassan’s ‘Views From My Country’, a striking mural of colors inspired by the sea and sun, as well as ‘Watercolours 1 and 2’. Salman Al Malik’s ‘Blues’ Wake, Nostalgia’s Span 29’, was inspired by daily life in Doha, employing vibrant colors and free form technique.
“More than fifteen years later, the public art collection in the CMU-Q building has become part of the Education City landscape,” said Nesimiuk. “We regularly host tours of the building for Qatar Foundation guests and Education City community members. Every day, students walk by the art pieces, they study next to them, and they contemplate them during quiet moments.
“Being part of this committee has been a highlight of my time at CMU-Q, and I continue to love the pieces. When members of the Public Art Committee return to CMU-Q, they tell me how pleased they are that the collection still inspires our students and community as we hoped it would.”
At GU-Q, students, faculty, administration, and staff often assemble to socialize between classes and meetings in the Atrium, which is home to the most notable art installation at its campus: a graffitied piece of the Berlin Wall.
Associate Professor of History, M. Reza Pirbhai, describes the significance of what can be viewed as an art installation that literally renders in concrete the subjects of the courses at GU-Q on modern politics, economics, history, and the humanities. It is a tangible reminder of the ideologies that dominated the twentieth century and the violent and destructive conflicts they sowed across the globe.
