The Faculty of Art, Music, and Design, established at the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year, intends to be a landmark that fosters the growth of learning in the creative fields of design, visual art, dance, drama, film, and music for the Palestinian community.
The establishment of such a faculty comes at a critical and pivotal time amid social, economic, and political challenges in Palestine.
The faculty puts creativity and cultural knowledge at the heart of the lives of students at Birzeit University through its courses, exhibitions, and activities. The different fields it offers will be part of a wave of change in learning at the university, and part of a cultural renaissance that will inspire generations to come.
The new faculty will be housed in a specially-tailored building, in which the learning environment with studios, art and design workshops, auditoriums, practice rooms, and stages is designed to create an ideal learning environment - one that is based on the importance of engagement, inspiration, and holistic and environmentally-friendly spaces, in which students have the ability and state-of-the-art resources to experiment, research, make, and present their work.
In addition to offering various programs and elective courses, the faculty seeks new partnerships with cultural institutions, art schools, and academies, both locally and internationally, as they are viewed as prerequisites for the development and implementation of the programs and as a guarantee of their richness and alignment with best practices and international trends.
Vision
The vision for the faculty is to have a specifically-built, integrated learning environment of educational studios, workshops, and specialist working spaces and resources. The faculty will be recognized for its contemporary teaching methodologies, employment of those working at the forefront of their fields and local and international partnerships in which exchange students and artists from all around the world can contribute to learning at this faculty. BZU believes these partnerships will lay as an important foundation, which will influence the development of higher standards, criticality, and advanced aesthetics for the cultural sector in Palestine.
Mission
It is BZU’s aim that this faculty will not only be the only one of its kind in Palestine, bringing together an interdisciplinary approach to the study of visual art, design, moving image, dance, drama, and music, but that it will also provide an important model for the region in the education, training, and the development of creative practitioners for the 21st century and will leave a lasting legacy in the region.
The new faculty aims to impact the university milieu by establishing itself as an essential cultural hub and by holding a wide range of activities, from performances and screenings to symposiums, exhibitions, talks, short courses, and public showcases. The faculty’s facilities are open to students and staff members to engage with the wide range of creative fields, to enable the university constituency to tap into its creative side, and to both engage and explore the wide potential of creative fields.
