Latest news with #ofFineArts
Zawya
05-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Snap Inc. and Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar empower the next generation of AR talent at Web Summit Qatar 2025
Hosting a workshop exclusively for the university's Foundation year and Bachelor of Fine Arts students, Snap's Global head of AR Developer Relations showcased the future of Augmented Reality and career pathways at Snap Middle East — Dedicated to empowering the next generation of Augmented Reality (AR) innovators, Snap Inc. teamed up with Virginia Commonwealth University School of Arts Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) to host an exclusive AR workshop for 50 Foundation year and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students at Web Summit Qatar. The workshop, titled 'Building a Snapchat Lens, Building Your Career,' provided students with a unique opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge from industry leaders, equipping them with the tools needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving AR landscape. The session, led by Joseph Darko, Snap Inc.'s Global Head of AR Developer Relations, was designed to showcase both the creative and technical potential of AR technology. Augmented Reality is digitally overlaid onto the real world, which Snap believes is the healthiest, most compelling way to communicate. Over the years, Snap's AR technology has evolved significantly, transitioning from fun, playful lenses to a powerful tool for both personal expression and business innovation. Globally, Snapchat sees over 6 billion AR Lens plays every day on average, and in the MENA region, more than 85% of daily users interact with Lenses each day. Committed to empowering the next generation, Snap taught students how to build their own Snapchat Lens, while also introducing them to practical strategies for succeeding in the AR developer community. Through its longstanding investments in AR, Snap is not only shaping the future of communication but empowering the next generation of developers in the region, aligning with the digital transformation agendas of the Middle East. 'Augmented Reality is the next frontier in human connection, and it was incredible to share the secrets to AR success with the talented students at VCUarts Qatar,' said Joseph Darko, Global Head of AR Developer Relations at Snap Inc. 'This workshop showcased how AR can amplify creativity, drive innovation across industries, and create tangible career opportunities for aspiring developers. At Snap, we're committed to building experiences that connect people and brands in authentic, meaningful ways, and we're proud to support talent in MENA - a region where we see enormous potential for AR to transform all sectors.' The partnership between Snap and VCUarts Qatar underscores the importance of experiential learning and industry collaboration in preparing students for the future of work. Students who attended the workshop left with a deeper understanding of how AR is already reshaping industries like fashion, sports, tourism, culture and AI—sectors in which Snap is leading the charge in leveraging AR for branding and consumer engagement. Lejla Niksic, Director of Strategic Engagement at VCUarts Qatar, said, "This collaboration with Snap empowers our students to explore innovative technologies like AR, allowing them to bridge the gap between creativity and the rapidly evolving digital landscape, ensuring they are equipped to lead in a future driven by innovation." Niksic further emphasized, 'For VCUarts Qatar, collaborating with Snap enhances our positioning as a key player in fostering cutting-edge creative practices that align with industry needs and technological advancements, ultimately preparing our students to thrive in a world where digital engagement is central to various design fields. The alignment of our shared commitment to creativity and innovation makes this partnership a natural fit, ensuring that our students not only gain valuable skills but also embody the forward-thinking and entrepreneurial spirit that both VCUarts Qatar and Snap strive to cultivate." Varvera Guljajeva, VCUarts Qatar Associate Professor of Kinetic Imaging, brought her entire class to the Snap workshop at Web Summit Qatar and expressed how meaningful it was for students to hear directly about new developments that they can explore and learn. According to Guljajeva, one of her students already has plans to incorporate Lenses into their current class project to make it more interactive. As AR continues to redefine consumer experiences across industries, the MENA region is poised for an accelerated demand for skilled AR developers. By supporting initiatives like the VCU workshop, Snap is not only cultivating the next generation of AR creators, but empowering students to explore new, exciting career possibilities within the immersive world of Augmented Reality. About Snap Inc. Snap is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company's three core products are Snapchat, a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world; Lens Studio, an augmented reality platform that powers AR across Snapchat and other services; and it's AR glasses, Spectacles. For more information, visit Media Contact:
Chicago Tribune
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
B-Series hip hop festival opens at a Dance Center fighting for survival
Fifty-one years ago, the Dance Center of Columbia College launched a series of professional performances aimed at fulfilling one of the university's key goals: to create a conduit between students and the field they aim to enter. The Dance Presenting Series looks different today than it did in 1974, evolving and fighting to stay alive every step of the way. Fifty-one years ago, hip hop was born, too. The Dance Center's hip hop festival The B-Series kicks off Feb. 27, opening a spring season that also includes a suite of solo performances March 13-15 by Nora Sharp and Jenn Freeman, aka Po'Chop. And on April 17-19, Red Clay Dance Company returns to the Dance Center for the first time in five years, presenting a world premiere by Bebe Miller. It's a modest lineup compared to previous years, and according to co-directors Meredith Sutton and Roell Schmidt, it indicates both practical and philosophical changes. 'How do we transform how dance gets presented?' said Schmidt, whose previous roles include a decade directing Links Hall. 'There had been such a wall between the academic side of the Dance Center and the Presenting Series side.' For decades, that made sense, Schmidt said. Grant and revenue streams were different. Student enrollment experienced steady growth. A robust touring network made booking out-of-towners more fiscally reasonable. 'But at this point in its history, it was just leaving it vulnerable to being cut,' she said. Before director Ellen Chenoweth's departure in 2022, the Dance Presenting Series pushed to make Chicago companies an official part of the line-up; local companies previously appeared at the Dance Center through a subsidized rental program. Columbia's declining enrollment, program cuts and faculty layoffs forced additional changes, including combining theater and dance into one school with shared leadership and phasing out the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. Curriculum changes broadening students' choices in the Bachelor of Arts degree are due to be rolled out this fall. 'It was going to be really, really hard to let go of dance,' said Lisa Gonzales, faculty member and former Dance Center chair. 'The college is going through so much, but it feels as charged and alive as ever.' Sutton and Schmidt made lemonade, pulling in funding and high-profile performances (such as LaTasha Barnes' spectacular, nearly sold-out 'Jazz Continuum' last season), and marketing student performances alongside professional ones — combined into what Sutton calls 'one viable machine.' 'We are having [students] traverse this pipeline to then become the next generation of professional dancers, who are pouring back into the ecosystem of the city of Chicago and beyond,' Sutton said. 'It totally lights us on fire. It only widens the scope of the offerings we're able to present to the public.' The B-Series also became part of the DPS last year — a change that brings resources, visibility and validation to the decade-old project. And vice-versa. 'There's nothing like the B-Series,' said Daniel 'Bravemonk' Haywood, who organizes the mini-festival of workshops, panels and a rousing dance battle with Kelsa 'K-Soul' Rieger-Haywood. Both are Dance Center faculty and collectively run BraveSoul Movement. This year's theme is 'B-yond Borders,' aimed at showcasing kinship between hip hop and social dance forms abroad. Sarah 'Sayrah Chips' Olaniran, a Nigerian international student who specializes in Afro-fusion dance, is a featured performer. 'It's people who normally would not find themselves in an institution,' Haywood said, 'who did not think they belonged because of gatekeeping and the one-sided cultural Eurocentricity of institutions.' The Dance Center wasn't originally imagined for hip hop. The proscenium performance space is less conducive to circular dance cyphers. Until a few years ago, shoes were not allowed on the Marley dance floors. 'In hip hop culture, the community holds you accountable,' Haywood said. 'I'm talking about the movers, the shakers, the innovators, the teachers. In academia, scholarship is something that's looked highly upon. It's going and doing the work. Putting your theories to the test. By bringing the B-Series in here, it's about reciprocity.' Mutual respect, dogged patience and communication eventually paid off. Columbia College now offers a Hip Hop Studies minor. Rieger-Haywood's classes no longer take place exclusively in the basement, but on the very stage Mikhail Baryshnikov has performed. 'It did feel in the beginning like this coveted space, even though I was working here full-time,' she said. ''Are they gonna let us?' was the feeling.' Barriers lowered, if only a little, students now come to the Dance Center seeking out hip hop, some coming expressly for and because of the B-Series — which no longer asks for permission. 'There's still work to do,' Rieger-Haywood said. 'It couldn't happen from our mouths. It had to happen from what we did.' Lauren Warnecke is a freelance critic.
