School of Art & Design Welcomes New Randall Chair and Turner Teaching Fellow

The Theodore Randall Chair was established in 2007 to honor the legacy of artist and educator Theodore Randall, remembered as the architect of the School of Art and Design at Alfred and as a significant artist and organizer in the field.

Simeen Farhat was born in 1968, in Karachi, Pakistan. Her work has been shown in museum shows including The Asia Society Museum, Houston, Arlington Museum of Art, Ithra Museum, Dahran, Saudi Arabia, The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX, Sharjah Museum of Art, UAE, and The National Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Farhat also has numerous solo and group exhibitions in New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain, Kuwait, Pakistan, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, 56th Venice Biennale.

Many of her works have been placed in numerous public and private collection including Ithra Museum, Saudi Arabia,  Parish School, Dallas Texas, Dallas Records Building, Dallas, TX, US Embassy, Islamabad, Pakistan, US Consulate, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Ammar Architecture Group, Bahrain Mesa Community College, Mesa Arizona, US, Uptown Dermatology, Dallas TX, Abu Dhabi Palace for the Crown Prince, UAE, Tudor Pickering Holt and Co, Houston, TX, Bur Juman, Arjaana Rotana Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel, Dubai UAE, Peninsula Hotel, France,.

Farhat’s art has been mentioned and written about in major publications, and catalogues such as: NY Times, Elephant Magazine, Selection Magazine Votergent, Contemporary Practice Philadelphia Inquirer, Dallas Morning News, Dallas Observer, Art and Seek, Artlies, Art and Culture, Houston Chronicle The Daily Dawn, Nuqta Art Magazine, Geo News, Canvas Magazine, Harpers' Bazar, Khaleejinesqe, and Kuwait, India Times, India Today, India Art Journal, Glasstire.

On being appointed the Spring 2024 Theodore Randall Chair, Simeen states, “ I am really honored and excited to be selected for The Theodore Randall Chair Position at Alfred University. The artist residency with access to its excellent studio facilities and everything else is like a dream come true. It will play a pivotal role in my career to recharge my creative process in innovative ways that I am really looking forward to. Teaching and sharing with a new group of students and working along with the outstanding faculty at Alfred will be an immense and valuable experience, both for me and for everyone else at the school and its  community. It will allow us all to create and foster newer ideas, concepts, and methodologies, among many other things.”

Established in honor of Robert Chapman Turner, distinguished Professor Emeritus at Alfred, the Turner Teaching Fellowship is a rotating position within the Division of Ceramic Art.

Eugene Ofori Agyei earned his BA in Industrial Art, majoring in Ceramics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Prior to his MFA at the University of Florida, he was assigned as teaching and research assistant in the same school where he received his BA for one year. Eugene creates sculptures and installations that incorporate African batik fabrics, yarn, ceramics, and everyday objects imbued with personal and cultural meaning to explore the notion of identity, belonging, memory, and dislocation. 

On joining Alfred University, Eugene states, “It is a dream come true to be selected as a faculty in an institution that has a renowned history when it comes to ceramic art innovation and education. I am thrilled to be part of the diverse ceramics team at New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University. I look forward to working hand in hand with my colleagues and the students to continue the legacy.”