AUK Design Team Participates in Qatar Event

Two American University of Kuwait professors and their students took part in a major conference held in Qatar this week.

Graphic Design professors Maryam Hosseinnia, Marcella Kulchitsky and 12 AUK undergraduates were invited to participate in a four-day graphic design event at the Virginia Commowealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ), in Doha from March 3-6. The conference was entitled 'Design at the Cross Roads: The Interaction of Change and the Future.' The theme of the gathering addressed the transformations observed in traditional Bedouin art when their culture interacts with modern big city life.

"The VCUQ design program has been a beacon in the Middle East and it was great to see them draw speakers, students and academics from around the world to Qatar," Kulchitsky said.

The event attracted more than 12 design professionals from countries around the world, including the United States, South Korea and Kuwait. The occasion also provided academics and students the opportunity to take in design exhibitions, presentations and panel discussions from prominent experts and scholars.

One notable guest speaker, Amsterdam based graphic designer Irma Boom, explained in her talk how the role of the graphic artist is evolving:

"The designer has become more of an author. They don't just serve a commissioner's needs, they are part of the total creative process and raise new questions and look for unusual answers." 

For many students this was their first exposure to professionals in the interdisciplinary field of design. The students at VCUQ provided private tours of their studio space and shared their classroom projects with the AUK undergraduates.

Hosseinnia and Kulchitsky said they were pleased with the experience, noting the trip was a great opportunity and opened up a world of ideas for the American University of Kuwait.

"At AUK we are very excited to have the graphic design program now as a major. The program has grown with the support of the community and one day we hope to organize a similar design conference in Kuwait," Kulchitsky said.
 

AUK graphic design students attend one of the presentations that was held during the conference