Students from various high schools across Qatar took part in the second edition of the Summer Art and Design High School Programme recently conducted by the Community Education Programme at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) – a Qatar Foundation (QF) partner.
The online programme was led by VCUarts Qatar alumni.
The course consisted of two phases with a third optional phase.
The week-long first phase – an introduction or foundation module – aimed to provide an overview of art and design.
The second phase extended over two weeks and saw participants choose from four of the five pathways – graphic design, painting and printmaking, fashion design and interior design – that VCUarts Qatar offers, providing them a deeper understanding of the academic programmes.
Following this, a few participants chose to continue the optional one-week portfolio development workshop to learn the fundamentals of developing a portfolio of their creative work.
“This year, we are proud of our participants and the level of engagement they showed,” Aysha AlKhooheji, programme manager for Community and Continuing Education, said. “The standard of the artwork they produced is evidence that the programme brought out the best in each participant.”
“Through careful mentoring, our instructors were able to help participants explore design concepts and apply the skills they learned in the programme,” she added. “And this year, we’re delighted to showcase their creativity in an online exhibition created exclusively for the purpose."
Athba al-Marri, one of the participants, said: “I’ve always been artistically inclined since I was a child. I saw the summer programme as a great way to take that one step further, to explore my options and to enhance my skills and experience.”
“The programme definitely met my expectations,” he said. “As a budding graphic designer, I feel it built on my observation that the world over, art and design are being increasingly used both as modes of expression and to address the concerns of different segments of the community we live in, and interact with.”
The course consisted of two phases with a third optional phase.
The week-long first phase – an introduction or foundation module – aimed to provide an overview of art and design.
The second phase extended over two weeks and saw participants choose from four of the five pathways – graphic design, painting and printmaking, fashion design and interior design – that VCUarts Qatar offers, providing them a deeper understanding of the academic programmes.
Following this, a few participants chose to continue the optional one-week portfolio development workshop to learn the fundamentals of developing a portfolio of their creative work.
“This year, we are proud of our participants and the level of engagement they showed,” Aysha AlKhooheji, programme manager for Community and Continuing Education, said. “The standard of the artwork they produced is evidence that the programme brought out the best in each participant.”
“Through careful mentoring, our instructors were able to help participants explore design concepts and apply the skills they learned in the programme,” she added. “And this year, we’re delighted to showcase their creativity in an online exhibition created exclusively for the purpose."
Athba al-Marri, one of the participants, said: “I’ve always been artistically inclined since I was a child. I saw the summer programme as a great way to take that one step further, to explore my options and to enhance my skills and experience.”
“The programme definitely met my expectations,” he said. “As a budding graphic designer, I feel it built on my observation that the world over, art and design are being increasingly used both as modes of expression and to address the concerns of different segments of the community we live in, and interact with.”
