Art and activism will come together next week as the latest edition of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Education City Speaker Series explores what the creative world can tell us about the wider world – and about ourselves. Held in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts) in the US, the online event from 7 to 8pm (Doha time) on October 25 will tackle the theme Art and Conflict: A Window on the World, A Window Into Us, with a panel of local, regional, and international experts sharing their perspectives.
The discussion will delve into how art allows people to experience and empathise with viewpoints other than their own, and its role as a powerful tool for shedding light on conflict and the struggles of others. It will be the 12th online edition of QF's popular dialogue platform, which, since moving to virtual form at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, has attracted tens of thousands of viewers from across the world.
Speakers for next week’s event will be Dr Abdellah Karroum, director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, which is based at QF’s Education City; art dealer, curator, activist, and arts journalist Zayna al-Saleh; and Assil Diab, a visual artist, designer, and graffiti artist who is based in Qatar. The talk will be moderated by Basma Hamdy, associate professor of Graphic Design at VCUarts in Qatar.
The first Education City Speaker Series, which will be jointly held with the main campus of one of QF’s international partner universities, reflects both the current Qatar – USA Year of Culture 2021, and the lasting ties between QF and leading US universities who have long-established branch campuses at Education City.
Since its establishment, the Education City Speaker Series hosted everyone from global health experts and United Nations leaders to authors and entrepreneurs. In its online form, it has addressed topics as diverse as Covid-19 vaccines, youth and identity, the future of education, regenerative development, and the need to amplify the voices of Palestinians on a global scale.
Created through QF’s belief in the power of dialogue to foster greater understanding and appreciation of different perspectives, and allowing the sharing of knowledge and ideas, the Series enables audiences in Qatar and internationally to hear from and interact with experts and thought leaders on key topics influencing global society.
The latest edition of the Education City Speaker Series on October 25 will feature a 40-minute moderated discussion followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer segment, with the online audience being able to pose questions to the speakers.
Viewers watching on Microsoft Teams will be able to access Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Italian subtitles, and the event will also be streamed live on QF’s YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter channels.
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