Luis Valenzuela

When and why did you start working as an art curator?

I started my role as curator in a very organic way. I began curating my solo shows, and other artists and curators asked me to help them with their exhibitions.

Traveling, having a passion for life and history, collecting antique shoes, and my love for the arts create a perfect toolbox for me to work with in this fascinating field. I have a degree in marketing, journalism, communication, and Fashion/costume design; I am also my family's fourth generation of artists. Putting all that together with my passion for all the art forms is what I show in my creations as a curator.

There are many renowned curatorial projects you have dedicated yourself to over the years. Art Miami, Art Wynwood, Miami, The Art of Fashion Show, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, and Chelsea Art Museum, NYC, to name a few. But you are also an Art Instructor. How does the teaching experience enrich, inspire, and influence your being an artist and your commitment as a curator?

Being an art educator for many years complements my artistic approach to everything. The way to communicate a message is a crucial element in the creative process; teaching that principle for so long to kids and adults has brought me many opportunities to enrich my toolbox, my way of looking at everyone as a creator, my way of enjoying and celebrate nature as the most important creator, and my way of creating inspired by the sources and the messages. It gives me a complete view of possible scenarios to work with and still be open to experiencing new adventures due to the audience receiving the message.

What do you expect, and what do you hope (as director, curator, and artist) will remain with the viewer who visits exhibitions you curate?

Being an art educator for many years complements my artistic approach to everything. The way to communicate a message is a crucial element in the creative process; teaching that principle for so long to kids and adults has brought me many opportunities to enrich my toolbox, my way of looking at everyone as a creator, my way of enjoying and celebrate nature as the most important creator, and my way of creating inspired by the sources and the messages. It gives me a complete view of possible scenarios to work with and still be open to experiencing new adventures due to the audience receiving the message.