Aya Nimer

Aya Nimer

Strategic leader and writer at the intersection of cultural strategy, arts philanthropy, and narrative.

Pillars Fund2021 – Present

Senior Program Manager (2024–Present) · Program Manager (2021–2024)

  • Co-designed the award-winning Pillars Artist Fellowship in partnership with Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films, Netflix, and Amazon MGM Studios.
Museum of Contemporary Art ChicagoFeb 2020 – Sep 2021

Assistant to the Chief Curator

  • Supported executive leadership on institutional strategy, exhibition planning, and cross-departmental coordination.
Afikra2021 – 2023

Series Moderator

  • Conducted interviews and moderated a public conversation series, leading outreach and shaping editorial direction for the podcast.
University of Chicago Art HistoryJul – Sep 2018

Research Assistant

  • Completed an extensive literature review on Martin Puryear for a curatorial essay submitted to the Venice Biennale.
  • Little Syria at the Brooklyn Academy of Music — CrossCurrents, March 2023
  • Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World — Ruckus Journal, Fall 2022
  • Crossings (Farah Salem & Anwulika Anigbo) — Ruckus Journal, 2022