Biological sciences students encourage creativity, artistic exploration
Khulood Al-Haroon and Noora Al-Shukri are both seniors in the Biological Sciences Program and co-founders of the CMU-Q Art Club. At the beginning of February, the Art Club hosted a two-week exhibition in the Qatar Foundation Student Center, open to everyone in Education City.
Why did you start the Art Club?
In 2018, there weren’t any clubs at CMU-Q related to the arts, so we decided to initiate Art Club and host mini art-related events at our campus. We paint, draw and motivate everyone to uncover their hidden talents and apply art in their lives.
Where did you get the idea to do an art show?
In the spring of 2019 we hosted a painting competition under the theme of social injustice. We found many people were interested, so we created an exhibition on this theme. It was open to the entire CMU-Q community, and we had submissions from all of the different majors. The exhibition was not limited to paintings from the competition; it included other artwork such as poetry and photographs.
What are your goals for the show?
Our goal was to encourage students to practice all forms of art and do interesting things with their studies and stressful life. It creates balance, just like doing sports. Both of us are self-taught, no courses, and we wanted to provide the kind of support we are always looking for, and encourage everyone to share their different style of art.
What kind of feedback did you get from people in Education City?
Everyone was very impressed because most of the participants are in science-based majors. We were also impressed of the number of talented students who participated, and the dean also came to support us, which was very encouraging and made it feel more significant.
Why is it important for people at CMU-Q, who are studying in non-artistic fields, to do art?
Art inspires students to keep the balance between their work and their hobbies. Being involved in a club like ours, participating in art shows or just painting at home teaches students how to try new things, express their feelings, manage risk, and handle failure.
Do you have any other projects in the works?
We are collaborating with the calligraphy club (Carnigraphy Club) for an event after spring break. It will be an art fun fair and allow students to do lots of activities related to painting. The event will take place during the Thursday Majlis and it will be open for everyone in and outside CMU-Q. We encourage everyone to bring their friends.
Sample artwork from the 2020 CMU-Q exhibition
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