Practices of Cultural Futures conversation series bringing together cultural leaders, curators, specialists and practitioners from across Qatar Museums to consider how institutions produce knowledge, shape public imagination, and contribute to cultural futures. Through talks, presentations, and discussions, the series explores the often-unseen processes through which culture is researched, exhibited, conserved, and made public.
This panel explores how creative development programmes shape the future of cultural practice in Qatar. Bringing together perspectives from institutions that support artists, designers, and other creative practitioners, the discussion considers how these interdisciplinary initiatives create the conditions for experimentation, collaboration, and sustained creative growth. Rather than focusing on the production of finished work, the conversation examines the role of mentorship, peer learning, research, and process as essential components of creative development. It asks how these programmes cultivate environments where ideas can be tested, practices refined, and meaningful connections formed across disciplines.
Held during the open call for Fire Station’s Artists Intensive Study Program (AISP), the panel also reflects on the broader significance of such initiatives within Qatar’s evolving cultural landscape. As cultural organisations expand their networks and modes of engagement, the discussion considers how investment in people, knowledge, and creative exchange contributes to a more connected, resilient, and sustainable cultural ecosystem.
Dr Elina Sairanen is a museologist and art historian specializing in privately founded art institutions. She holds a PhD from the University of Leicester and an MA from UCL. She is currently pursuing a post-doctoral project centered on collectors’ art museums funded by the Finnish Cultural Institute. She advises private collectors on acquisition policy and cultural strategy.
Marrakech Arbuckle is an educator and facilitator based in Doha, Qatar, with nearly 20 years of experience working in community-based learning, skills development, and capacity building across the United States, the Middle East, and Asia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, a Master of Arts in Education, and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from Michigan State University. She believes that both young people and adults learn best through experiential learning, and a commitment to community engagement has guided both her professional and volunteer work. Her previous experience includes roles in community-based organizations, higher education, and international non-governmental organizations, including Reach Out to Asia (ROTA). She is currently the Acting Head of Programs at M7, where she works with Qatar-based and regional designers to strengthen their industry skills, knowledge, and exposure while supporting the growth of the local creative economy. In addition, she develops programs that bring together adults, children, and families to create meaningful opportunities for creative connection.
Maryam Al-Homaid is an interdisciplinary Artist with a Bachelors in Fine Arts and a Master's degree in Design Studies from VCUArts Qatar. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor in the Graphic Design Department. Maryam envisions a symbiotic relationship between technology-based mediums and the DIY culture, acting as bridges connecting contemporary high-tech expressions with the traditional crafts of the Arabian Gulf. Her recent artistic endeavours are inspired by her experiences as a millennial in Qatar, where she has witnessed substantial economic and social changes. These transformations in various aspects such as lifestyles, language, behaviours, technology, and architecture greatly influence her artistic approach. Rather than dwelling on nostalgia for the past, Maryam’s work embraces the evolution of these memories over time.
Rose Lejeune is currently Head of Academic and Community Programmes at the Fire Station. Before this, she worked as an independent curator, where over a few self-initiated and institutional projects, she developed a reputation for curatorial innovation across the art ecosystem.
Her recent work includes Co-Curator for the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, where she led a large-scale live programme, the first of its kind in the country; Founding Director of Performance Exchange, the UK-wide initiative integrating performance into collections by working with both commercial galleries and museums; and Curator of Delfina Foundation’s Collecting as Practice, where she lead a programme of commission and talks interrogating the history of British museum collections alongside contemporary global collecting practices. In 2024, she completed her PhD on the institutionalisation and arsenisation of performance art.
This panel is in collaboration between Fire station and Qatar Creates Talks.