On April 29, 2025, the Gezairi Building Art Gallery on the Beirut Campus opened its doors to a new kind of homecoming: an exhibition that reconnected LAU alumni through a display of art and creativity.

Curated by the Department of Art and Design at the School of Architecture and Design (SArD) and the Alumni Relations Office, Luminaries yielded a diverse range of artistic media, including oil paintings, sculptures and even digital installations.

The exhibition, one of many LAU’s alumni engagement initiatives, brought together graduates active in various professions, some of whom had circled back to campus as educators.

To ensure a thoughtful selection process, the department formed a dedicated committee tasked with evaluating the alumni submissions. “The committee carefully selected the final body of work that would best reflect the theme of the exhibition,” said Associate Professor and Department Chair Chahid Akouri.

It also oversaw the design and setup of the exhibition space to better cater to the visitors’ visual and experiential experience, he added.

“We have a wide selection of cross-disciplinary works of art,” said Principal Alumni Outreach and Engagement Executive Ghada Majed in her opening statement. “Each piece here underscores LAU’s belief in the universality of artistic expression and its capacity to enrich even the most technically oriented professions.”

She went on to thank the alumni “for being the luminaries that continue to irradiate the path toward a more vibrant future.” This principle, added Majed, is but another torch handed down to them by their alma mater.

The exhibition showcased an array of themes, such as belonging, identity and culture, an “eclectic” collection, which reflected “the boundless potential of LAU alumni and their ability to infuse creativity into every path they pursue,” noted LAU President Chaouki T. Abdallah.

This sentiment echoed LAU’s broader mission of cultivating well-rounded individuals capable of fostering imaginative intellect in all domains. “We are proud to provide a platform for alumni to reinforce the idea that creativity is not merely an auxiliary skill, but a component of professional and personal development,” added Dr. Abdallah.

Linked by their shared LAU heritage, the participating alumni spoke about how they have carried the university’s legacy into their communities. Fine arts graduate Abir Baltagi (BS ’24), who founded her own art gallery, 30x30 Creative Space, captured her joy at transitioning from student to featured artist in a single word: “Finally.”

To her, being back on university grounds “gives me this reality check that I’ve finally made it, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the comprehensive educational career I had here,” she noted. Among her displayed work was The Sacred Places, a series of aerial-view paintings depicting religious architecture from multiple faiths. Hidden within the outlines of the paintings are traces of text that resonate with themes of universality.

In addition to the plethora of collections were works by Randa Abdel Baki (BA ’94), SArD associate professor and previous Art and Design chair. Her transcendentalist paintings explore, in subtle detail, the intricate factors that come into play when forming a relationship between nature and mankind.

When asked about her experience in showcasing her collection at LAU, Abdel Baki noted that she felt “humbled, if anything. It’s such a reflective point in time where we get to showcase to our students that we once stood in their shoes, and later down the line, they can stand in ours.”

By presenting works at the intersection of professional expertise and artistic skills, the exhibition also aimed to build on contemporary discussions about the value of arts education in the region.

“There is an enduring legacy in art that makes us feel and react on a universal level,” said Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations Abdallah Al Khal. A significant portion of that connection, he added, stems from the university’s commitment to ensuring that its former and current students remain at the forefront of purpose-driven work.

Among the alumni who took part were Abir Baltagi (BS ’24), Afaf Khalife (BS ’77), Christine Kettaneh (BA ’07), Dalia Baassiri (BS ’03), Dalia Khalife (BS ’14), Danny Khoury (BA ’02), Dima Youssef (’83), Gwenn Abillama (BA ’19), Haibat Balaa Bawab (BA ’75), Hayat Sheikh (BS ’09), Liane Mathes Rabbath (BA ’14), Mabelle Sawan (BS ’12), Majd Matalka (BS ’16), Maroun Kassab (BA ’99), Mireille Abdallah (BS ’07), Randa Abdel Baki (BA ’94), Rim el Jundi (BA ’91), Sara Ibrahim (BA ’19), and Toufic el Zein (BA ’88)—all of whom contributed meaningfully to the event.