Asmaa Walton

Asmaa is a proud Detroit Native that loves all things related to art education as well as community arts. She hopes that all of her experiences will help her create more equity within arts education so everyone has an opportunity for creativity expression, especially within her hometown. 

What drew you to the MA in Arts Politics?

I was unclear about the direction I wanted to go in after receiving my degree in Art Education but I knew I wanted to work in the arts. This program seemed like an opportunity to look at the arts from a different perspective and learn new skills that would be useful in the art world. 

How do you describe or identify your practice/ work?

Everything that I do is influenced from my interest in Art Eduacation.

How did your experience in the program shape your work? Is there a particular moment or project that you can remember as having an impact?

In Dr. Vega’s course we were required to create a mock up of an organization we would want to create and that gave me my idea for an arts organization in Detroit that I plan to start working on very soon. 

What are some of the challenges and/or rewards of this program?

One of the challenges is the amount of time we have to complete the program. We have a lot of knowledge and experiences that have to get stuffed into two semesters. One of the rewards is the connections that are made. Working with people from so many different backgrounds is amazing. You are constantly learning new things. 

What are you doing now?

I have recently completed an internship at the Toledo Museum of Art within the Education and Engagement Department. Now I am preparing to begin a 1 year position as the first ever KeyBank Museum Fellow at the Toledo Museum of Art. The KeyBank Museum Fellowship at the Toledo Museum of Art has been established to promote and develop diversity in the museum industry and specifically provides a year long fellowship to diverse candidates pursuing a career in the museum, cultural institutions or related field.