BFA + MFA exhibition 2022

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university, has announced that the BFA + MFA exhibition 2022, a display of the work this year’s graduating cohort of students, will be open to the public from May 9 to 17, at VCUarts Qatar.

The exhibition will be presented on the ground floor of VCUarts Qatar’s building within Education City and can be accessed from Sunday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm. Visitors are not required to make appointments to view the exhibition but must present their green Ehteraz status before entry.

The show is a collective presentation of the unique and often convention-breaking work of 57 graduates from VCUarts Qatar’s Class of 2022. These include 52 students from the University’s undergraduate graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, and fashion design programs and five students from the University’s postgraduate program in design.

Design for inclusivity, homelessness, conflict, cultural conservation, third culture kids, mental well-being, nationality and identity, social hierarchies, and sustainable modular furniture are some of the themes that have been examined by this year’s cohort of graduates. 

Despite most of the last two academic years being held online, VCUarts Qatar ensured that students had access to resources that would allow them to incorporate techniques such as animation, textile design, silk printing, fabrication technology, visual languages, product, print and website design, typography, home fashion merchandising, building code requirements, interior graphics, printmaking, digital painting, screen-printing, lithography, computer programming, and photographic stencil techniques, in their final projects.

“This year, we’re thrilled to present the work of our graduating Class of 2022 to you as an in-person exhibition,” said Amir Berbić, Dean of VCUarts Qatar. “This physical show, along with an online presence, allows greater reach, offering industry and media professionals a chance to view and appreciate the talent and creativity at VCUarts Qatar. The projects on display show how this graduating group—despite spending almost two years fluctuating between online, hybrid, and on-campus studies—didn’t let any of these challenges distract them from exploring current issues that affect humanity across the globe, or from elevating the ordinary and the everyday into extraordinary, thought-provoking installations.”

The class of 2022 follows in the footsteps of alumni who are making their mark in the four corners of the globe. Some of them have been recognized through international awards – such as the Telly Awards, the Venice TV Award, International Property Awards, and the Red Dot Award – while others have had their work displayed at prestigious exhibitions and events in places such as Doha, Dubai, Milan, Venice, London, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, and Hong Kong. 

VCUarts Qatar offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Painting + Printmaking, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History, and a Master of Fine Arts in Design degree.