Fusion Cuisine and Bedouin Handcraft: the Transformative Power of Heritage Preservation in Saudi Arabia

Heather Radke is a writer, radio producer, and curator in Chicago. For the past four years, she has worked as the Exhibition Coordinator at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum where her curatorial credits include the community curated exhibitions “Unfinished Business: 21^st Century Home Economics,” and “Unfinished Business: the Right to Play.” She has written and produced audio work for national outlets and cultural institutions including RadioLab, WNYC, WBEZ, the Field Museum, the Newberry Library, Museum Magazine, and University of Chicago Press.

Maha Al-Senan is the Executive Director at the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society and an assistant professor at Princess Noura University, Riyadh. She earned her PhD in archaeology (art history) from King Saud University, Riyadh in 2009, and has expertise in both pre-Islamic art and contemporary fine art in Saudi Arabia. Al-Senan advocates for women in the arts through her weekly columns in Al Jazeera newspaper and her role as a member of many cultural committees. She has been widely lauded for her work through prizes, awards, and fellowships in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, and the United States.

Heather Radke is a writer, radio producer, and curator in Chicago. For the past four years, she has worked as the Exhibition Coordinator at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum where her curatorial credits include the community curated exhibitions “Unfinished Business: 21^st Century Home Economics,” and “Unfinished Business: the Right to Play.” She has written and produced audio work for national outlets and cultural institutions including RadioLab, WNYC, WBEZ, the Field Museum, the Newberry Library, Museum Magazine, and University of Chicago Press.

Maha Al-Senan is the Executive Director at the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society and an assistant professor at Princess Noura University, Riyadh. She earned her PhD in archaeology (art history) from King Saud University, Riyadh in 2009, and has expertise in both pre-Islamic art and contemporary fine art in Saudi Arabia. Al-Senan advocates for women in the arts through her weekly columns in Al Jazeera newspaper and her role as a member of many cultural committees. She has been widely lauded for her work through prizes, awards, and fellowships in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, and the United States.