Following an artist road trip across the Middle East in 2002, Stephen founded Edge of Arabia (EOA) as an independent platform for creative collaboration between East and West. EOA now operates across multiple regions, applying its purpose-driven model to bring art and creativity to the centre of society. In 2015, Stephen established CULTURUNNERS as EOA’s not-for-profit arm dedicated to social impact. In 2020, Stephen launched Healing Arts as a series of city and country-wide activations to support an art-world response to the pandemic. In 2023, Stephen co-founded the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, New York University, and Community Jameel.
The Jameel Arts & Health Lab is a global initiative to measurably improve health and wellbeing through the arts. With a focus on overlooked and underserved communities, the Lab leverages scientific evidence, artist-led advocacy, and capacity building to drive the integration of the arts into mainstream healthcare.
