Richard E. Toscan, Interview
By Haupt & Binder

Haupt & Binder: Could you tell us about the history of the VCUQ, and about how the university involves itself in the cultural context in Qatar?

Richard E. Toscan: When we were invited to Qatar in 1997, the idea of a program meant exclusively for women was something that we found very interesting. I’ve always found a specialization of this kind interesting, and in this culture it seemed sensible. With the founding of the school, Her Royal Highness, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, hoped to make it possible for young women here to obtain a professional qualification that men here could barely obtain. Without having to compete with the men, who receive their degrees in USA or Great Britain, would improve the chances for women in the new, economic branch of design in Qatar.

From the start, we wanted by no means to simply transfer an American-style design sense from USA to here – the school should, after all, qualify these young women for working in the Arab world. We concentrated on conveying an American approach in the creative design process, and on how to avoid, in a non-hierarchical manner, becoming pigeonholed when dealing with design jobs. And under these method-oriented conditions, the students should develop a design sense that corresponds with their own culture and social values, and with all the other aspects, thus making it function in the Arab world.

But even the teaching of a process can have strong, political implications. In a culture very hierarchical by tradition, where the freedom to decide for oneself is far more limited than, say, with us in USA, we make a great effort to convey a sense of non-hierarchical thought when solving problems. In the past, I never thought that teaching design could have a political effect, which no doubt happens. This effect, however, is what clearly moves in the direction of the development that the Emir of Qatar and Her Royal Highness want to bring about in the country.

H&B: How did this invitation to build the VCUQ come about?

RT: The Qatarians took a look at the national rankings of art schools in USA, in the published yearly report, where we always had a good ranking. They wanted an American-style art school, and, in August 1997, they came for a visit. At that time, they invited us to Qatar – to show us their situation. When we paid them a visit, we met with her Royal Highness; we visited grade schools and secondary schools, and studied the art-related offerings. Impressed by what we saw, we returned convinced that such a project was possible. We had already worked in other parts of the world, such as South America, Central America, Africa, Asia, and, of course, in Europe; but never before in the Middle East – and that in itself was exciting.

H&B: The course of study lasts 4 years, and you’ve already witnessed the first class of graduates. Are you satisfied with the results?

RT: By all means. In fact, two classes of graduates have finished their studies. Their performance levels are impressive, and of a quality similar to the best works found at the university in Richmond, Virginia. Some people say that, in a few areas, the works in Qatar are even better than just comparable to the works made in Richmond. We just had an interior design project – I think, in connection with the theme of breast cancer – that was finalist at the Interior Design Educators Conference, which ended a few weeks ago. So the submitted VCU piece that won the competition came from Qatar.

H&B: What do colleagues in Richmond think about that? Do they see it as competition or does it inspire pride?

RT: Great pride – and amazement.

H&B: The program that your staff is realizing here seems, to us, to be an important contribution to breaking down the increased prejudices, since September 11, against the Islamic world as well as the USA. Do you see any significant developments in this respect?

RT: The State Department made it known to us that they see our project here as being very important – as a way of showing a different side of America. And I think that this really is the case. Since September 11 and during the Gulf War, the students have made clear to us that they realize the enormous difference between us, the teaching staff, and the US political powers. The teaching staff at the VCUQ has always felt welcome here and never simply grouped together with America’s current problems with the world.

From the beginning, we advise our teaching staff against getting involved in the political and social matters of the host country: if they want to make a political statement, it should be the teaching and thinking method. Thanks to this approach, students could always feel at ease with us, and they never see us as representing the Bush administration or America’s international power.

H&B: We were impressed by the familiar and friendly contact between students and professors – and some of these young women are, after all, the daughters of local decision-makers...

RT: You’re absolutely right, and after they graduate from the VCUQ, they’ll have a great influence on the situation. It was really very interesting how, in 1998, during the first year of the school‘s existence, many of the fathers of the young women studying here said that they noticed a difference between the daughters who studied at the State University of Qatar and daughters who studied here: those who studied at the state-run institution never had work to do at home, and studying at the university caused no noticeable change in their personality – every evening, they went as usual to the shopping center or somewhere else. By comparison, the daughters who studied the VCUQ stayed up until 10 or 11 in the evening doing their homework, and they sometimes went back to the school at night. And after the first six or seven months, they even noticed a change in their social behavior. They became more ambitious, more articulate; they were suddenly in the position to say what they wanted in the future, and conversed on a higher level with both men and women. As a result of the freedom based on the American-style approach of the education, what also comes about is a social transformation, and this has an effect on behavior and on how one views daily life.

H&B: And do the fathers like this?

RT: Yes. They mention it with praise and admire these qualities in their daughters.

H&B: We heard that the school is growing. What are your plans for the future?

RT: We don’t want for the number of students to surpass 200. At present, we have 150. That’s the appropriate size, since Qatar is a small country. Alongside expanding the school, we’re trying to build up a design industry for the Arab world in Qatar, and the highlight of this will be the campaign for the Asian Games 2006, in a partnership with Fitch International.

With the Qatar Foundation, we’re discussing new programs, possibly in the areas of museum and curatorial studies, among other things, because of the many new museums that are emerging here.

At the end of the hall, we have a gallery where we show 6 to 7 exhibitions from the Arab world – as well as from USA and other countries – every year. In this way, the students see examples of creativity from their own culture. We make an enormous effort to explore the meaning of design in the Arab world, which was so vital centuries ago and then lost, or whose splendor was so absorbed by the culture of daily life that it could no longer be recognized as design. Our school greatly stresses the honoring of Arabic influences in design and making them visible, so that traditional styles can be better embraced and better adapted to our present-day requirements and needs.

Haupt & Binder
Gerhard Haupt and Pat Binder. Publishers of Universes in Universe - Worlds of Art; co-publishers and editors-in-chief of Nafas Art Magazine. Based in Berlin, Germany.

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