Ariana Maki

Dr. Ariana Maki earned her doctoral degree in art history at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, U.S. A two-time Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Ariana’s research focuses on Buddhist and Himalayan visual and material culture. She collaborates with Himalayan communities through cultural documentation and capacity-building programs, many of which generate open-access resources for use in teaching and research. Ariana co-directs the Life of the Buddha and is part of the team behind the Bhutan Cultural Library, among other digital humanities projects. 

Dr. Maki’s Fulbright project in Bhutan focuses on capacity-building in the field of art history. Her teaching enables learners to effectively distinguish between elements of traditional Tibetan, Nepalese, and Indian art, as well as the unique innovations and contributions of Bhutanese artists. In addition to providing workshops and training to students, artists, monastics, civil servants in the culture sector, and heritage preservation organizations, Dr. Maki is working with the Bhutan Echoes Literary and Art Festival to expand their arts-related programming as well as support festival content.