International cultural leader, producer and researcher turning artistic experiences into spaces for meaning, belonging and transformation.
PhD · Hybrid Cultural Engagement in the Context of Crisis
Abu Dhabi · Alexandria · 23+ years
PhD · Head of Performing Arts · Founder, AGORA Co-founder, Basita.live · Author
Rooted in memory. Building what lasts.
01
The story
The work has always begun with a simple belief: culture belongs to everyone.
I began my cultural career at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina at 17. Across more than two decades, my path has moved between theatres, public spaces, digital platforms, research settings and community rooms — but the question has remained constant: how can culture help people feel seen, connected and able to shape their own lives?
Today, I lead performing arts at Abu Dhabi's Cultural Foundation, while continuing the independent work I began in Alexandria through AGORA, Basita.live and the Creative Resilience Framework.
I have also launched Cultural Programming with Impact, bringing together my reflections on participation, connection and expression, alongside that translate my research into opportunities for creative expression and reflection in everyday life.
2003–2016
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Thirteen formative years, culminating in leading performing arts programming.
2011
AGORA begins
Founded amid Egypt's revolution, beginning with culture in public space.
2016–present
Abu Dhabi
Cultural diplomacy, strategic programming and international collaboration.
2019–2025
Doctoral research
A framework connecting creativity, participation and resilience.
2020
Basita.live begins
A hybrid cultural platform connecting artists and audiences beyond physical borders.
Explore the work
Different forms. A shared purpose.
Culture and participation
Cultural Practice
Programming, public spaces and hybrid cultural access through institutional leadership, AGORA and Basita.live.
Research and resources
Creative Resilience
A framework connecting creative expression, supportive relationships and participation, with resources for everyday use.
Ideas and lived experience
Writing
Essays, books and reflections from Reem’s Window on culture, connection and the human need to express.
The latest creative resource
A window of their own.
Meet My Creative Window: undated planners and creative journals for children and teenagers, with separate guidance for the adults supporting them.
News & updates
The work in motion.
New conversations in research and new ways to connect through culture.
Objects by RK · 12 October 2026
Introducing the Butterfly Collection by Objects by RK
The Butterfly Collection by Objects by RK is inspired by transformation, growth and new beginnings. The butterfly is also the logo of my blog, Reem’s Window, and part of the visual identity of my book, Cultural Programming with Impact. It connects my writing and reflections with the objects I create, carrying the same ideas into another form.
For me, it connects the way we grow with the way our ideas develop: gradually, through curiosity, encounters and a willingness to see differently. In burgundy and warm peach, the collection carries that connection into clothing, accessories and objects for the home. It is a reminder that change can take time, that growth is not always visible, and that we carry something of who we have been into who we are becoming.
A special edition of Cultural Programming with Impact commemorating the 6 October War. Reflecting on the artists, songs and cultural engagement that accompanied Egypt from 1967 to 1973, and their connection to creative resilience.
I will present my research on creative engagement and psychological resilience at this transdisciplinary conference hosted at St Anne’s College, University of Oxford.
My forthcoming Heritages 2027 paper explores community transformation through living cultural practices, drawing on SAWA projects in Aswan, Luxor and Marsa Alam.
Basita.live · September 2026
A new chapter for Basita Virtual
Basita’s redesigned virtual platform and mobile apps make it easier to discover artists, events and stories across borders. Our vision remains one global cultural sector.
A personal and professional journey through the seasons that shaped me — and the return to our innate human nature, our Fitra.
Seasonal artwork created collaboratively by Dr. Reem Kassem and her son Haroun — a shared reflection on Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
Forthcoming · Dr. Reem Kassem
01
Summer
Connection
02
Autumn
Meaning
03
Winter
Resilience
04
Spring
Awakening
Scholarship, recognition and conversations
Research
Ideas grounded in practice
Doctoral research, academic participation and published work.
Recognition
Work that travels
Public Engagement with Impact, Women of Impact and international honours.
Public conversations
Voices across borders
Interviews, profiles, television conversations and professional networks.
Selected honours
2025 · Public Engagement with Impact Award2025 · Women of Impact Award2021 · 50 Most Inspirational Women in Egypt
Objects by RK brings my interest in art, culture and storytelling into objects for everyday life. Inspired by the spirit of museum shops, it offers designs that carry a sense of meaning, memory and discovery beyond the places where we first encounter them. Across clothing, accessories and objects for the home, I explore how something we wear, use or give can become a small expression of who we are and what we connect with.
23+ years across culture and the artsPhD · University of the West of Scotland
Creative Resilience by Dr. Reem Kassem
Creativity makes room for change.
A framework developed through my doctoral research, connecting creative expression, relational support, meaning-making and participation.
Recovery
Finding ways to regain balance after difficulty.
Sustainability
Maintaining supportive relationships, valued activities and sources of meaning through challenges.
Growth
Developing new capacities, perspectives and possibilities through experience.
These connected dimensions draw on Zautra and Reich (2012). My framework brings them into creative and participatory practice.
Artwork: RK Creations
03
Research into practice
Creative Resilience
Resilience is not simply endurance. It is transformation.
Developed through my PhD, the Creative Resilience Framework is a hybrid, arts-based approach for individuals and communities living through uncertainty. It brings together creative expression, relational support, meaning-making and hybrid engagement.
01Recovery
02Sustainability
03Growth
“Creativity is the tool. Community is the container. Growth is the outcome.”
Find your creative window
Undated · A5 · Your own pace
Ages 7–12
My Creative Window
Drawing, storytelling, gentle planning and room for ideas of their own.
Practical guidance for offering time, choice and a listening presence.
For educators and partners
Bring creativity into practice
Discuss workshops, participatory projects and future resource development.
Research foundations
From research to resources
Explore the doctoral work and the framework’s development.
“Creativity is the tool. Community is the container. Growth is the outcome.”
A growing collection
Future additions will explore different ages and settings through journals, activity books, toolkits and companion resources.
02
The practice
Ideas become real when people can enter them.
My practice moves across institutions, communities and digital space. Each initiative creates a different door into cultural participation.
01 / Cultural leadership
Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi
Leading strategic direction, programming and operations for the Cultural Foundation Theatre; developing year-round seasons, international partnerships, audience relationships and cultural exchange.
02 / Public space
AGORA for Arts & Culture
An Egypt-based organisation using arts, education and creative participation for social change, youth empowerment and cultural dialogue.
A digital cultural platform connecting artists and audiences, extending the life of performances and creating new pathways for access and sustainability.
A regional programme nurturing emerging artists through mentorship, exchange, collaboration and public presentation across the Middle East and North Africa.
Full biography
Dr. Reem Kassem
Dr. Reem Kassem is an Egyptian cultural manager, producer, and researcher
based in Abu Dhabi, and a former board member of the International Music
Council (IMC). In 2021, she was named one of the 50 most inspirational women in
Egypt in recognition of her innovation in the field, efforts in empowering
women, and her role in advancing gender equality, and in 2025, she was
honored with the Women of Impact Award for her exceptional role in driving
positive change and making a lasting difference in her community and beyond.
She currently serves as the Head of Performing Arts at the
Cultural Foundation
(Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi) and has 23 years of
experience in the cultural sector, covering performing arts, community
arts, arts for social, community, and economic development, cultural
policies, and cultural diplomacy.
Dr. Reem holds a PhD in Hybrid Cultural Engagement in the Context of Crisis
from the
University of the West of Scotland
, where her research explores the role of virtual cultural
engagement in fostering resilience and supporting disadvantaged communities
to emerge stronger from crises.
Her accolades include the
Pioneer of Egypt award
from the Synergos Institute, the Nahdet Elmahrousa and Barclays Bank award
for social innovation in employment, and the Anna Lindh Foundation Award for
intercultural dialogue. She is also an active member of several international
networks, including the
U40 global network of UNESCO
, the Cultural Innovators Network, the African Youth
Advocacy Network, and the
MusiConnect Asia Network
.
Dr. Reem served for one year on the board of the
International Music Council (IMC)
, contributing to global cultural policy discussions and
advocating for the role of arts and culture in social transformation and
crisis resilience.
She has also launched Cultural Programming with Impact, bringing together her reflections on participation, connection and expression, alongside that translate her research into opportunities for creative expression and reflection in everyday life.
Writing, photography and reflection
Reem’s Window
Ideas, fieldnotes and questions worth staying with.
Now available · My book
Cultural Programming with Impact
Seven essays on participation, connection and the human need to express.
Explore Creative Resilience resources, Objects by RK and my published book.
Ages 7–12
My Creative Window
An undated planner and creative journal.
Ages 13–18
Teen Edition
Space for ideas, choices and possibilities.
Objects by RK brings my interest in art, culture and storytelling into objects for everyday life. Inspired by the spirit of museum shops, it offers designs that carry a sense of meaning, memory and discovery beyond the places where we first encounter them. Across clothing, accessories and objects for the home, I explore how something we wear, use or give can become a small expression of who we are and what we connect with.
