Riyadh Art: Ideation & Lead Advisor
Project Title: Riyadh Art Public Art Master Plan
Project Type: Citywide public art, placemaking, and cultural infrastructure strategy commissioned by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City under Vision 2030
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Overview:
Launched under Royal Decree, the Riyadh Art initiative is one of the most ambitious public art programs in the world, encompassing more than 5,000 locations across Saudi Arabia’s capital. Designed to reimagine Riyadh’s civic landscape and strengthen its cultural identity, the program integrates eleven major initiatives into a unified vision for public art, creative placemaking, and urban transformation aligned with the goals of Vision 2030.
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My Role:
I served as the strategic and curatorial lead for the master plan, overseeing all facets of concept development, site strategy, governance planning, and program delivery. I created and formalized a joint venture between HWKN (New York), Futurecity (London), and UAP (Brisbane/Dubai), bringing together global leaders in urban design, cultural strategy, and fabrication to deliver a cohesive and executable framework at unprecedented scale. This multidisciplinary coalition ensured that the program was both visionary and operationally sound.
My team was the first woman-led consortium to be awarded a public art project of this size and significance in the Kingdom. We presented the master plan directly to HRH Mohammad Bin Salman at the Royal Courts, and subsequently to senior officials at the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Finance. These presentations were instrumental in securing multi-billion dollar investment for Riyadh’s cultural infrastructure and public realm development.
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I led the authoring of the Strategic Placement Manual, which detailed protocols for site selection, architectural overlays, typology matrices, demographic context, and heritage integration. I collaborated closely with architects, urban planners, PMCMs, and government stakeholders to ensure each artwork recommendation was embedded in its context and supported by technical and civic data.
In parallel, I designed and implemented a comprehensive public art procurement strategy, including artist identification, regional and international competitions, RFP development, contract modeling, panel selection frameworks, and long-term maintenance systems. I also developed all documentation, workflows, and outreach strategies to institutionalize best practices for artist engagement and commissioning.
Civic impact and accessibility remained a core priority. I led regional artist workshops, capacity-building programs, and content development to ensure the work could speak to both global and local audiences. We created public-facing communications and digital assets that translated curatorial concepts into accessible narratives for communities throughout Riyadh.
This work exemplifies my approach to cultural strategy, bridging policy, place, and creative vision to transform how cities are experienced and remembered. It reflects a core belief in using public art not just as embellishment, but as infrastructure that drives identity, inclusion, and economic momentum. By aligning cultural storytelling with urban development, I helped shape a legacy project that will define Riyadh’s public realm for generations.
Project Type: Citywide public art, placemaking, and cultural infrastructure strategy commissioned by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City under Vision 2030
Overview:
Launched under Royal Decree, the Riyadh Art initiative is one of the most ambitious public art programs in the world, encompassing more than 5,000 locations across Saudi Arabia’s capital. Designed to reimagine Riyadh’s civic landscape and strengthen its cultural identity, the program integrates eleven major initiatives into a unified vision for public art, creative placemaking, and urban transformation aligned with the goals of Vision 2030.
My Role:
I served as the strategic and curatorial lead for the master plan, overseeing all facets of concept development, site strategy, governance planning, and program delivery. I created and formalized a joint venture between HWKN (New York), Futurecity (London), and UAP (Brisbane/Dubai), bringing together global leaders in urban design, cultural strategy, and fabrication to deliver a cohesive and executable framework at unprecedented scale. This multidisciplinary coalition ensured that the program was both visionary and operationally sound.
My team was the first woman-led consortium to be awarded a public art project of this size and significance in the Kingdom. We presented the master plan directly to HRH Mohammad Bin Salman at the Royal Courts, and subsequently to senior officials at the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Finance. These presentations were instrumental in securing multi-billion dollar investment for Riyadh’s cultural infrastructure and public realm development.
I led the authoring of the Strategic Placement Manual, which detailed protocols for site selection, architectural overlays, typology matrices, demographic context, and heritage integration. I collaborated closely with architects, urban planners, PMCMs, and government stakeholders to ensure each artwork recommendation was embedded in its context and supported by technical and civic data.
In parallel, I designed and implemented a comprehensive public art procurement strategy, including artist identification, regional and international competitions, RFP development, contract modeling, panel selection frameworks, and long-term maintenance systems. I also developed all documentation, workflows, and outreach strategies to institutionalize best practices for artist engagement and commissioning.
Civic impact and accessibility remained a core priority. I led regional artist workshops, capacity-building programs, and content development to ensure the work could speak to both global and local audiences. We created public-facing communications and digital assets that translated curatorial concepts into accessible narratives for communities throughout Riyadh.
This work exemplifies my approach to cultural strategy, bridging policy, place, and creative vision to transform how cities are experienced and remembered. It reflects a core belief in using public art not just as embellishment, but as infrastructure that drives identity, inclusion, and economic momentum. By aligning cultural storytelling with urban development, I helped shape a legacy project that will define Riyadh’s public realm for generations.
