The Arts Administration Fellow is a year-long fellowship that works closely with the Engagement and Marketing & Communications team to support Duke Arts programs and campus and community events. Recently, Maya Ghanem has helped represent Duke Arts during tabling events around campus, brought new ideas, and generated content for our news and social media channels.
Maya graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the International Comparative Studies Department here at Duke this past May. They are an aspiring researcher, community builder, and artist focusing on queer Muslim solidarity. Maya wrote their honors thesis on queer Muslims and environmental futurisms, highlighting the interconnected potential to break Orientalist queer/Muslim and human/nature binaries. In addition to their academics, Maya led the group Jummah 4 All, where they organized events ranging from prayer services, artist workshops, and political involvement.
Read the Q&A below to learn more about Maya’s community-driven passions, artistic work, interest in deep sea creatures, and more!
I initially had a work-study with the Duke Arts Creative Arts Student Team in Spring 2024. That semester, I enjoyed brainstorming and contacting artists for future Duke Arts Presents seasons. I applied for this fellowship because I wanted to continue learning, working for, and building relationships with Duke Arts.
Through events oriented to queer Muslims, I learned more about how we can heal through community. As a queer Muslim myself, I have often felt marginalized by both LGBT and Muslim institutions. Connecting with people who have similar intersectional experiences inspired me to build intentional spaces for queer Muslim exploration and healing.
Many of these events intersect with the arts! Through Jummah 4 All, I helped organize an event series on collage art with artist Saba Taj, two queer Muslim and queer Palestine drag shows, and two events featuring esteemed queer/trans-Palestinian poets.
As an administration fellow, I’ve been excited to learn more about the student engagement side of Duke Arts. It’s been a pleasure to spotlight student art projects on our newsletter and website, and I look forward to supporting students in the creative arts for the 24-25 academic year!
Check out a recent story developed and written by Maya:
Duke Arts Studio Mentorships Launch Creative Student Projects
I’m proud of my make-up and photography work featured at VAE Raleigh’s Muslim Artists of North Carolina Exhibition. These pieces celebrate the introspection and relationalities I witnessed and experienced within queer Muslim community. I did the makeup and photoshoots with friends I made studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. While in South Africa, I felt supported in my queer Muslim identity like never before. I am grateful to form deep connections that helped me heal, affirm my values, and grow into myself during my early twenties.
I would probably write some cool facts about deep sea creatures. For instance, did you know that the punch of a mantis shrimp can tear water molecules apart? Future generations would be dumbfounded by how we could have known that in the stone age!
Any Kehlani song! I especially love their latest mixtape, While We Wait 2.
We’ve just posted a full-time position and part-time student positions:
• Manager of Campus Engagement
• Marketing & Communications Student Interns