User:Miguel Blanco-Carrasco

Miguel is a Public Art Expert and Strategy Advisor with 20 years’ experience of initiating and realising large-scale cultural programmes in the GCC.

Currently serving as an Advisor at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Miguel is engaged in the Riyadh Life and Riyadh Art initiatives, with a focus on Public Art.

From 2019 to 2022, Miguel held the role of founding Executive Director of the ‘Noor Riyadh’ Festival, guiding it from inception to become the world's largest Light Art Festival. Under his leadership, the festival garnered over 50 international awards, including 14 Guinness World Records. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief Operating Officer at the MiSK Art Institute in Riyadh, which seeks to foster professional activity in the arts through support, expertise and education.

Before his tenure in Saudi Arabia, Miguel served as the founding Director of Cultural Diplomacy Projects at Qatar Museums, where he spearheaded the renowned ‘Years of Culture’ bilateral exchange programme.

Miguel holds an MSc in International Relations from the University of London, and an LLB from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.