Welcome to the first media museum in the Arab world.

media majlis museum at Northwestern University in Qatar is a museum dedicated to exploring journalism, communication, media and art. Through exhibitions, publications, programs and online resources we engage with themes that connect audiences to an ever-changing media landscape. Our interactive exhibition space uses digital technologies to challenge standard narratives and provide 360-degree views on global, regional and local stories. We aspire to represent the diversity of voices, perspectives, events and people that contributes to the evolving media world that surrounds and affects us all.

As a museum we believe there is always another side. media majlis museum is an active space where visitors can participate, comment and engage. We do not simply collect and commemorate media and journalism in its physical forms, we create opportunities to explore and interact with its content and messages. Our exhibitions are a place where visitors can interrogate and be inspired by all forms of media, challenging preconceptions, delving into the why? and to what end?, not just the when? or the how?

Since opening to the public in spring 2019 the museum’s exhibitions and programs have explored discussions ranging from the portrayals of Arab identity in film, to the changing uses of media in social change and by those who aim to bring issues and social awareness to wider audiences, and how smartphones have impacted journalism and the newsroom.

The museum is located in the Northwestern Qatar building in Education City. Inspired by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, media majlis museum is a central component of Northwestern Qatar, its educational mission and building.

media majlis museumis open to everyone—its presence extends Northwestern’s commitment to deliver a holistic education and to provide a site for learning and enjoyment for all residents of and visitors to Qatar.

MUSEUM MISSION
media majlis museum creates spaces and engagements for the interdisciplinary exploration and discussion of media, journalism, arts and communication for a variety of audiences. The museum exists to present and examine the multiplicity of its subject matter locally and regionally, with an emphasis on stories and perspectives from the Global South.  

The museum creates spaces for active inquiry, collaborative storytelling, the sharing of creative work, and research, to generate new insights and knowledge, contributing to the intellectual life of the university and Qatar’s diverse communities. 

MUSEUM VISION
Equip and empower visitors to examine and critique the media surrounding them every day. 

Core Values

-> There is Always Another Side—exhibitions and other museum engagements create spaces for debate, dialogue and exchange of alternative perspectives and ideas on complex subjects. Spaces for lesser heard voices and cross-cultural exchanges open alternative views and knowledge to wider audiences. 

-> Embody credibility and can-do attitude—honesty and ethics are not good enough; you need non-conformist risk taking to develop different and new insights.  

-> Futures orientated—in exhibition subjects, content and practices. We discuss the future to equip audiences and communities to engage with it. 

-> Visibly open to all—clearly offering multiple ways to engage and belong through welcoming approaches to learning and knowledge which reach across and accommodate a wide variety of audiences. 

Northwestern Qatar Joint Advisory Board
A full list of current members of the school’s advisory board can be found on the Northwestern Qatar website.

Exhibition Content Advisory Group and Audiences Advisory Group
The museum engages actively with members of regional media communities through two advisory groups aimed at strengthening ties with media professionals, and with community leaders in Qatar. 

Museum Code of Ethics
As an institutional member of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) The Media Majlis subscribes to the AAM Code of Ethics for Museums.  In addition, the museum has its own Code of Ethics addressing specific aspects of the museum, its location and subject matter.

Alfredo Cramerotti 
Director
alfredo.cramerotti@northwestern.edu 

Jack Thomas Taylor
Curator of Art, Media and Technology
jack.taylor@northwestern.edu 

Hicham Al-Baker 
Collection Development and Care Manager 
hicham.albaker@northwestern.edu 

Shahnawaz Zali
Manager of Integrated Marketing & Digital Content
szali@northwestern.edu

Syed Mehdi
Manager of Technology and Operations
syed.mehdi@northwestern.edu 

Safa Arshad
Manager of Audiences and Community Outreach
safa.arshad@northwestern.edu 

Maha Nasr
Audience and Front of house Associate
maha.nasr@northwestern.edu 

Amal Ali
Freelance Curatorial Exhibition Manager
amal.ali@northwestern.edu

For details on The Media Majlis staff please visit the NU-Q Directory page of the NU-Q website.

The Media Majlis employs students in a variety of roles including research, programming, and digital media production and filming. Available student employment opportunities can be found on the MyNU-Q website.