Doha

During 2011-2012, I joined Virginia Commonwealth University’s Art and Design School in Qatar, a small country diplomatically and culturally important in bridging eastern and western cultures. There, my daily interactions with students naturally stimulated many questions of how a visual culture can lay the groundwork for better understanding between people of different nationalities. If asked to be mediators or interpreters or agents of culture in our globalized context, what would these young artists seek to convey? In turn, what narratives could I draw forth to contribute to a fuller understanding of those living and working in Qatar? I decided to pursue answers to my conundrum in conjunction with my students.