new photo-your opinion needed for art project

Without thinking too much, please send me the first word that pops into your head that you would use to describe the veiled women in black. THANKS AGAIN!

Chinese Artist Who Led Protest Has Been Jailed, His Wife Says

In February, Chinese artists, including Wu Yuren, center, protested a real estate developer's plan to demolish their Beijing studios.

By EDWARD WONG

Published: July 8, 2010

BEIJING — Wu Yuren, an artist who helped lead an unusually bold public protest last winter over a land dispute, has been languishing in a Beijing jail for almost six weeks after having been beaten by police officers, his wife said on Thursday.
Mr. Wu’s wife, Karen Patterson, a Canadian citizen, said in a telephone interview that the police were accusing her husband of assaulting an officer when he visited the police station on May 31. Ms. Patterson said she learned this only through their lawyer because the police had so far not formally told her that Mr. Wu had been arrested. She decided to publicly discuss the arrest in recent days, she said, because of what she called her frustration with China’s opaque legal system.
“You don’t realize how arcane this system is until you have to deal with it,” Ms. Patterson said. “It’s a nightmare.”
Ms. Patterson said she and friends of Mr. Wu, 39, believe that he had been arrested because of his recent activism, including his leadership of a group of artists from an artists’ district known as 008 in resisting the encroachment of a real estate developer. In February, those artists joined forces with artists from another Beijing neighborhood to march down Chang’an Jie, a wide ceremonial avenue that runs past the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Chinese leaders are especially sensitive to protests in that area, and police officers stopped the protesters after they had walked about 500 yards.
The police detained Mr. Wu briefly in March. After he was released, he and the other artists successfully negotiated for compensation for the seizure of their studio space by the developer. Mr. Wu and some other artists then moved their studios to 798, Beijing’s largest arts district.
The land grab dispute had attracted lots of attention in the news media, in part because Ai Weiwei, a well-connected artist who is a vocal critic of the Communist Party, had joined the street protest and sent out Twitter feeds about it. Some of the artists in the protest, including Mr. Wu and Mr. Ai, had taken part in other kinds of activism, including signing Charter 08, a liberal manifesto calling for democratic changes that was signed by thousands of Chinese. Liu Xiaobo, an author of the manifesto, was sentenced to 11 years in prison last December.
Mr. Wu’s latest fracas with the police began on May 31, when Mr. Wu went with a friend, Yang Licai, to the Jiuxianqiao police station to discuss a dispute with a landlord at 798, Ms. Patterson said. The police argued with the two men and took away their cellphones, which then led to more insults, Ms. Patterson said, citing an account by Mr. Yang.
The two men were interrogated separately, and Mr. Wu was beaten by about five policemen, Ms. Patterson said. He has been held since then and was not allowed to see his lawyer until this week, she added. For reasons that remain unclear, Mr. Yang was released after 10 days.
A person answering the phone at the police station declined to comment and said senior officers were not available to talk.
Ms. Patterson and the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, Hannah, have not been allowed to see Mr. Wu. Ms. Patterson said she expected that Mr. Wu would be formally charged within a few months.
On Tuesday, she went to collect his personal belongings from the police station. His shirt, pants and shoes were in a plastic bag, she said, along with a letter he had written to the police telling them to call his wife.
Ms. Patterson said Mr. Ai, the prominent artist, had been lobbying on Mr. Wu’s behalf, but she had little hope that his case would be dropped.
“The police haven’t explained anything to me,” she said. “Trying to ask for accountability is very difficult.”

A version of this article appeared in print on July 9, 2010, on page A9 of the New York edition.

3 teaching positions in ART

Studio Arts; Assistant Professor (Position Code No. 10-203- AUKWEB06): Teach drawing and color theory courses, as well as introductory courses in chosen specialization, to non-majors and graphic design majors.  Candidates must have a firm working knowledge of concepts, processes, materials, and techniques as needed in studio courses.  University teaching experience and terminal degree in studio arts required. Candidate’s electronic application (see method of application) should submit a completed application including, 10-20 examples of personal work and 10-20 samples of student work.

Graphic Design; Assistant Professor (Position Code No. 10-201- AUKWEB06): The candidate is responsible for teaching design history, digital photography, and other introductory and advanced courses in graphic design that combines critical and formal skills with contemporary theory. Candidates should be comfortable teaching undergraduates in a multi-cultural context with a focus in design foundations. Other responsibilities include: engaging in research, serving as an academic advisor to Graphic Design majors. MFA in Graphic Design is preferred. Terminal Degree in Graphic Design or related field is required. Candidate’s electronic application (see method of application) should include 10-20 examples of personal work and student work.

Art History; Assistant Professor (Position Code No. 10-202- AUKWEB06): Teach survey courses in Western art history from prehistory to present, as well as introductory courses in chosen specialization, to non-majors and graphic design majors.  University teaching experience and terminal degree in art history required.

American University of Kuwait
Faculty Openings AY2011-12

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is a private university in Kuwait based on the US model of undergraduate liberal arts education. The medium of instruction is English. The University is accredited by the Private Universities Council of the Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education. AUK also has a Memorandum of Understanding with Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH and is working towards US accreditation. AUK admitted its first students in September 2004 and currently has over 2,000 students and approximately120 UG faculty members. 

The University is seeking terminally qualified faculty committed to excellence in teaching, scholarly research, and service.  American education and/or teaching experience are required as is evidence of research activity. English native speakers are preferred. Outstanding communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and effective use of classroom media and technology are expected.  Faculty rank will be determined by the candidate’s degree and previous employment history. Successful candidates will teach undergraduate classes to majors and non-majors of diverse cultural backgrounds, participate in student advising, honor office hours, and serve on faculty committees.

AUK offers an attractive and comprehensive benefits package.  There is no personal income tax in Kuwait.  For international hires, benefits include roundtrip travel for faculty members and dependents, health insurance for employee and family members, tuition allowance for up to two children through high school, accommodation subsidy, and annual summer leave travel for faculty and dependents, as well as an end-of-contract indemnity.  Kuwaiti nationals will receive other designated benefits. AUK is an equal opportunity employer, fully committed to becoming a model University of the 21st Century in the region.

Contracts are normally issued for 3 years and are renewable. Visiting appointments for 1 or 2 years may be available. The screening of applications will begin immediately. US interviews will be held in Washington, DC in November 2010.

Application Instructions:
Application packages are to be submitted electronically to faculty@auk.edu.kw. The package should contain the following:

1) Cover letter, detailing the candidate’s specific interest in AUK, and how the candidate’s past experience provides a suitable basis for performance in the position for which they are applying;
2) A current CV;
3) Statement on research and service and statement of teaching methodology, including curricular development that the individual has initiated and executed;
4.) Copies of teaching evaluations;
5) The names and addresses, both electronic and postal, of three referees;
6) Two recent publications/two writing samples; (For large items such as books, please send hardcopies to the:

Academic Dean’s Office,
American University of Kuwait,
Salem Al Mubarak Street,
Opposite Salmiya Palace Hotel,
Salmiya, Kuwait ).

In completing your application, please quote position code number.  Incomplete applications will not be considered. The deadline for receiving applications is September 14, 2010.

Visit the AUK website (www.auk.edu.kw) to learn about the degree programs, University facilities, and campus life.

your opinion needed for art project

Without thinking too much, please send me the first word that pops into your head that you would use to describe the veiled woman in black on the right side of this photo.

Your opinion is needed as part of an informal survey that hopefully will result in an art project included in an exhibit this summer in Madison, WI.

More info on the exhibition coming soon.

Thank you in advance for your participation!