Qatar Week 2025: October 13–15
Each year, VCU welcomes VCUarts Qatar to the Monroe Park campus in Richmond for Qatar Week, an exchange between the VCUarts Richmond and VCUarts Qatar campuses that showcases the success of the overseas branch and its researchers, alumni, students and faculty, and promotes new areas of collaboration between the two campuses. VCUarts Qatar held its first Qatar Day event in Richmond in 2002, which evolved into a week-long program.
Qatar Week 2025 is hosted by VCUarts Dean Carmenita Higginbotham and VCUarts Qatar Dean Amir Berbić and will celebrate with a series of events and opportunities to network and interact.
Events Overview
Islam and Visual Culture in Contemporary Asia: Cross-Campus Collaborations
Monday, October 13, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. | Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU
This panel brings together art history faculty from VCUarts Richmond and VCUarts Qatar to discuss themes from the upcoming 11th Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art. Learn more.
Exhibition Opening: Digital Drift
Monday, October 13, 5–6 p.m. | The Anderson
Far from being just a set of tools, digital fabrication is an emergent methodology—drifting across disciplines, materials, and modes of making. Digital Drift explores how contemporary art and design are reshaped when computation meets craft. Learn more.
The Future of Design Across Borders
Tuesday, October 14, 12–1 p.m. | The Anderson
The series of talks will feature three accomplished graduates of VCU and VCUarts Qatar—Michael Walker (Senior Product Designer, Amazon), Noha Olivia Fahmy (Head of Architecture & Merchandising, LVMH Fragrance Brands) and Fatma Abdel Aziz (Senior Consultant, Barker Langham). Each speaker will share their professional journey, highlighting the pivotal role their education at VCUarts Qatar played in shaping their creative and strategic thinking. From technology and luxury retail to cultural consultancy, the talks will demonstrate how design principles continue to inform diverse global industries and careers. Learn more.
Reconstructing the Rendered
Wednesday, October 15, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. | DePillars Building
Turn your digital designs into reality! Join us for this hands-on digital fabrication workshop, where you’ll transform a rendered 3D model into a physical object. Using slicing software and advanced color mapping techniques, you’ll prepare your design for laser cutting, then assemble the cut pieces into a fully realized 3D form. Open to current VCUarts students only. Learn more and register.
Creative Research Pecha Kucha
Wednesday, October 15, 2–5 p.m. | Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU
The Creative Research Pecha Kucha showcases the breadth of creative inquiry across our two campuses. This lively event highlights the meaningful research and projects developed within the School of the Arts, spanning diverse domains and disciplines. Faculty will share forthcoming initiatives, recently completed works, and long-term research objectives in the fast-paced Pecha Kucha format—20 slides, 20 seconds per slide—just 6 minutes and 40 seconds per presentation. Learn more.
Learn more about VCUarts Qatar
