The Ramez Chagoury Faculty of Architecture Art and Design (FAAD) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) held on May 26, 2017, in Issam Fares Hall, the opening ceremony of its 17th annual End of Year Exhibition 2017 titled, “Weaving Discipline.” The exhibition puts on display students’ senior projects in the disciplines of Architecture, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Multimedia, Fashion Design, Photography, and Musicology.
Each End of Year Exhibition offers a distinctive program, depending on the number of graduate students and the diversity of projects exhibited. Given that the FAAD is a growing Faculty and the majors it offers are increasing, this year’s exhibition was brimming with rich diversity.
The 2017 exhibition addressed graduating students as thinkers, agents of change, and creative producers in our society.
FAAD Lecturer Charbel Tannous quoted Italian journalist and writer Italo Calvino who once said, “What matters is not the enclosure of the work within a harmonious figure, but the centrifugal force that produced it.”
Tannous thanked the students and their parents. “The art of forging relationships is nourished within the family unit and further fostered in our academic institution. Your work makes us proud and gives us, myself and faculty members, the impetus to push our personal boundaries so that you can always fulfill your ambitions,” he said.
For his part, FAAD Dean Jean-Pierre El-Asmar said, “We work to weave disciplines in creative spirits so that we can fuse art and discipline, and intertwine hope and truth while respecting God’s creation.”
Dr. El-Asmar added that although design disciplines are multiple and diversified; they aim at problem-solving and aesthetic quality. Accordingly, the graduating students’ exhibited work reflect a considerable awareness and attention to current concerns, be it political or cultural, environmental or social, local or international. He expounded, “As educators, our role is to have the courage to weave hope. As students, your role is to have faith and courage to reveal truths through your artistic work … Together, we participate in this perpetual multidisciplinary of weaving and of developing and respecting the environment, the community, and humanity.”
Vice-President for Academic Affairs at NDU Dr. Elie Badr said, “In whatever field you are, you need to design with humanity in mind.”
FAAD students then delivered short speeches in which they thanked NDU for everything they had learned and also thanked the University for providing them with the opportunity to become part of the community and for bringing minds together in pursuit of a greater vision.
Following the opening ceremony at Issam Fares Hall, attendees attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the FAAD building, which officially launched the exhibition. Musicology students performed some excellent songs while Fashion Design students exhibited the various outfits they had designed for their respective projects through an impressive fashion show. Architecture, Interior Design, Graphic Design, and Photography majors also displayed their unique and inspiring projects.