George Mason University welcomes new Director of the School of Art
George Mason University has selected Hasan M. Elahi as the new Director for its School of Art. Carlyn Madden led the search process in partnership with Claire Huschle of Scaffold, a project management firm for visual artists and organizations. Elahi’s tenure began in August 2019.
Elahi is an interdisciplinary media artist with an emphasis on the social implications of technology and media. His research interests include issues of surveillance, citizenship, migration, transport, and the challenges of borders and frontiers. Elahi joins Mason from the University of Maryland, where he was an associate professor and the Director of the Design | Cultures + Creativity program in the Honors College.
Elahi sits on the board of Creative Capital. He has been recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Alpert/MacDowell Fellowship, the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award, and grants from Creative Capital, Arts Matters Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. His work has been featured at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, at the Venice Biennale, TED, the World Economic Forum The New York Times, and The Colbert Report.
Dr. Rick Davis, Dean of George Mason University’s College of Performing and Visual Arts said, “Of an extraordinarily qualified and interesting group of finalists, we have found a great fit in Hasan Elahi. I look forward to our collaboration as the School of Art takes its next exciting steps.”
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in both academics and research. The largest and most diverse university in Virginia, Mason holds a top U.S. News and World Report “Up and Coming” spot for national universities.
The School of Art is NASAD-accredited and offers a full-range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs including BA, BFA, and MFA with an emphasis on cross-disciplinary research and socially-engaged practices. A collaborative academic and professional community focused on advancing creativity through traditional and new media applied to varying social contexts, The School of Art educates artists and creative professionals to be responsible contributors to society, preparing them to be agents of change in an increasingly connected, complex, inclusive world. More information about George Mason University’s School of Art can be found at https://soa.gmu.edu/.
