Born in Beirut in 1970 and educated between Beirut and Paris, studied Literature and Theatre at the Sorbonne in Paris and graduated in 1993.  On returning to Beirut, she was involved in several cultural projects and became the Director of the Arab Image Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to preserve and study photographs from the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab diaspora. Arida has also served as board member of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture from 2007 to 2011. She is now the director of the Nicolas Sursock Museum in Beirut.