Soy Mar Abella, la creadora de o museo pequeno. Soy de A Coruña y retorné en 2021 después de haber pasado 29 años estudiando y trabajando en Los Ángeles, EE.UU., de restauradora, educadora, artista, y comisaria de exposiciones. Quiero promocionar a artistas locales y ofrecer talleres didácticos a la comunidad.
Después de mi jubilación en EE.UU. quiero continuar mi trabajo de comisariado de exposiciones en A Coruña. He pasado muchos años trabajando con artistas, museos, galerías, coleccionistas, e instituciones sin ánimo de lucro, y eso es algo que me llena de satisfacción.
En las páginas siguientes he incluído algunos de los proyectos y exposiciones que desarrollé en EE.UU. para que os hagáis una idea de lo que me fascina y qué tipo de ambiente me gusta crear.
Mar Abella
Soy una experta en la historia y práctica del arte, con más de treinta años de experiencia de restauradora, investigadora, comisaria de exposiciones, program manager, educadora, y artista. Me gradué de la Universidad del Sur de California con un máster en historia del arte y museología que estudié gracias a una beca de la Fundación Pedro Barrié de la Maza. Previamente me licencié de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, escuela de Bellas Artes, especialidad restauración. También allí complete los cursos de doctorado en museología, materiales pictóricos, y restauración, y acabé la primera versión de mi tesis doctoral sobre las técnicas de los pintores de paisaje de la escuela de Barbizón. En 1995, una vez terminados mis estudios en EE.UU., inicié mi carrera museística en varias instituciones de Los Ángeles, incluyendo el Museo Fisher de la universidad del sur de California, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), UCLA Hammer Museum, y el Getty Research Institute.
En 1998 comencé a trabajar en el Museo Afroamericano de California (CAAM), primero de educadora, y después de comisaria de exposiciones. En este museo he comisariado unas cincuenta exposiciones, y contribuido a muchas otras, seleccionando obras de arte y diseñando espacios expositivos, creando programas educativos multidisciplinarios, guías, y catálogos, así como incorporando cientos de obras a su colección permanente. Entre mis exposiciones más importantes se encuentran retrospectivas y monográficas de artistas como John T. Riddle, Jr., Milton Bowens, Artis Lane, Dewey Crumpler, John T. Scott, Mark Steven Greenfield, Derrick Adams, Lezley Saar, Robert Pruitt, Adia Millett, April Bey, y Matthew Thomas.
Uno de los temas que mas disfruté investigando mientras trabajaba en el Museo Afroamericano de California fueron las exposiciones que exploraban la relación entre la cultura latina y la africana/afroamericana, como por ejemplo, Common Ground, o Inside My Head: Intuitive Artists of African Descent. En el 2011 fui la comisaria de una gran retrospectiva del artista mexicano Miguel Covarrubias, The African Diaspora in the Art of Miguel Covarrubias: Driven by Color, Shaped by Cultures, y en el 2011, asistí en el comisariado de la retrospectiva del artista cubano Manuel Mendive.
Durante mis últimos cinco años en EE.UU. también desarrollé mi carrera como artista, y pertenecí a las asociaciones California Art League, Collage Artists of America, y Women Painters West, donde además trabajé como directora de programación durante cuatro años. Estas afiliaciones me facilitaron exponer mi obra en numerosas galerías en Los Ángeles y sus alrededores.
Mar Abella
Short biography
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Mar Abella is a bilingual (English and Spanish) art professional with over thirty years of experience as a conservator, researcher, curator, program manager, artist, and educator. She earned her MA in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Southern California and conducted doctoral studies in Museum Studies at the School of Fine Arts, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain, where she had graduated with a BA in Fine Arts and Art Conservation. Ms. Abella’s studies in the United States were funded through a major grant from the Spanish Foundation Pedro Barrie de la Maza. After graduating from USC in 1995, she worked in various capacities at major art institutions in Los Angeles, including LACMA, MOCA, the UCLA Hammer Museum, and the Getty Research Institute.
In 1998 Ms. Abella began her tenure at the California African American Museum, where she created a wide portfolio of accomplishments as educator and visual arts curator. At CAAM she curated and co-curated close to fifty exhibitions and project managed many others, as well as their accompanying educational programs. Ms. Abella has organized retrospectives and solo shows of artists John T. Riddle, Jr., Milton Bowens, Artis Lane, Dewey Crumpler, John T. Scott, Mark Steven Greenfield, Derrick Adams, Lezley Saar, Robert Pruitt, Adia Millett, and April Bey.
Reflecting her Spanish background, Ms. Abella has particular expertise in developing exhibitions that bridge Latino and African American cultures, such as Common Ground and Inside My Head: Intuitive Artists of African Descent, both presented at CAAM. In 2011 she curated a large retrospective of the Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias focused on his representations of peoples of African descent: The African Diaspora in the Art of Miguel Covarrubias: Driven by Color, Shaped by Cultures. In 2013, Ms. Abella assisted in curating a retrospective exhibition of the art of Cuban artist Manuel Mendive.
During her years in the USA., Ms. Abella has been a member of Women Painters West, the California Art League, and the Collage Artists of America. Her own artistic practice currently emphasizes photography, assemblage, and figurative painting.
Mar Abella C.V.
Education
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Master of Arts. Art History-Museum Studies, August 1995MA thesis: Landscape in the Making: Barbizon Paintings from the Fisher Collection at USC: A Technical Analysis.
UNIVERSITY COMPLUTENSE OF MADRID, SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS, SPAIN
Qualifying Exam for PhD, Art Techniques and Conservation of the Barbizon Painters, October 2002 (ABD). Thirty-two units of graduate school courses in Conservation and Museum Studies, June 1991. Diploma "Specialist in Conservation of Wood Panels," February 1991. Bachelor of Fine Arts - Art Conservation, June 1989
California African American Museum, 1997
Experience
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MUSEUM WORK (Curatorial and Educational)
California African American Museum (CAAM). Los Angeles.
Visual Arts Curator and Program Manager, July 2008 to August 2021. Created original, in-house exhibitions about African American art and culture. Managed traveling exhibitions. Created educational programs for the public. Designed exhibition space. Researched, actively sought, and accessioned pieces to the permanent collection. Wrote didactic labels and catalogs. Trained and supervised interns and temporary help. Supervised vendors such as artists, designers, framers, installers. Introduced new technology into exhibits. Promoted new partnerships with other Los Angeles organizations, including museums, galleries, art/creative venues and non-profits.
Interim Program Manager for Visual Arts, November 2007 to June 2008.
Curator II, Visual Arts and Conservation, August 2006 to October 2007. Worked as Project Manager for exhibitions and curator in the Visual Arts Department. Assessed collection, recommended treatments, conducted treatments on artworks and artifacts.
Curator I, Education, January 1998 - December 1998. Assisted the Director of Education. Created K-12 curriculum, educational spaces and games, touring aids, family guides, didactic labels, workshops. Assisted Director of Education in Teachers-in-Training workshops. Trained and supervised Gallery Educators, work-study students, and docents. Created and coordinated programming with other museums and institutions in the Los Angeles area. Worked with Development Officer and Curator of Education in grant proposals to secure education funds. Wrote grant reports. Developed outreach programming in Oakland and San Diego for Artists in the School and Artists in the Community Programs. Curated exhibitions in-house and in partnership with the Japanese American National Museum, the Chinese American Museum, and Self-Help Graphics and Art. January 1999 to July 2006.The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
Partnership Assistant. January 1998 - December 1998. Coordinated, developed and assisted in the creation of educational curriculum, programs, and activities for the Arts Education Initiative in conjunction with the California African American Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum. Served as liaison with additional partnership members, including the Pacific Asia Museum, the UCLA Fowler Museum, and Plaza de la Raza.
Con la artista Lezley Saar.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles. August 1997 - March 1998.
Outreach Educator. Taught sequential art programs to families with hands-on workshops in off-site locations, including libraries and housing projects, created art workshops, led tours at the museum. Received educational training on latest educational trends. Followed Contemporary Art Start Educational program and curriculum guide developed by MOCA.
The Paul Getty Research Institute for the Arts and the Humanities, Los Angeles. August 1996 - June 1997.
Research Assistant in the Collection Development Department. Conducted historical research on Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Art. Assessed rare books and manuscripts for accession into the collection.
UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum of Art, Los Angeles. April 1996 - September 1996.
Acoustic Guide Director. Coordinated and directed personnel for rental of acoustic gear. Increased sales, maintained books, monitored maintenance of equipment, served patrons.
Bookstore Clerk. Organized books and other merchandise. Served patrons.
USC Fisher Museum of Art, Los Angeles.
Intern. Assisted in creating educational programming and curating art exhibitions. Assisted in registration, fund raising, inventorying, marketing, exhibition installation. Translated catalogues and educational aids. Taught art conservation to students. August 1994 - May 1995Curator and Art Registrar, MA class’ exhibition, Isaac Cruikshanks and the Politics of Parody. August 1993 - April 1994
Con galeristas y artistas, incluyendo a Eleana Del Rio y a Robert Pruitt.
CURATED EXHIBITIONS (all at CAAM)
Con los artistas Teresa Tolliver y Tim Washington.
Con Charmaine Jefferson and Vida Brown.
Asistiendo en la instalación de Hands on Design.
PROJECT-MANAGED EXHIBITIONS (all at the California African American Museum)
CONTRIBUTOR/ASSISTANT TO THE FOLLOWING EXHIBITIONS AT CAAM (Activities included the following: educational programming, curriculum writing, pre-visiting materials, interpretative label writing, educational brochure, design of educational spaces/activities within exhibition, script for touring, after-tour and week-end workshops)
CONSERVATION
Conserved and restored pieces from:
FINE ARTS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
GRANTS/AWARDS
PUBLICATIONS
Training, Computer, and Language Skills
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Memberships and Affiliations
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Con coleccionistas de Los Angeles
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS (as an artist)
La Galería Gitana, San Fernando, California, Hollywood Comes to San Fernando, 9/12/20 – 10/16/20. Award: Best of show.
The Art of the Square, bG Gallery, Bergamot Station, WPW, Juror and curator Kate Stern, 1/18/2020-1/28/2020
Avenue 50 Studio, Dia de Guadalupe, 12/14/19 – 1/18/2020
Avenue 50 Studio, 2019 Year-End 8 x 8 Silent Art Auction. 12/14/19 – 1/18/2020
Sacred Memories: Cross Cultural Expressions of Day of the Dead, El Tranquilo Gallery, 10/19/19-11/24/19.
Falling into Place, SFVACC, WPW, Juror Holly Tempo, 10/29/19 – 10/23/19
Two paintings, Nueva Vida, Vidas Nuevas, and Coatlicue, appeared in the 2019 Latino Heritage Month calendar, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, November 2018
Selection of six works for the Day of the Dead’s Basilica Art Exhibition at Hollywood Forever Cemetery exhibition, curator Luis Villanueva, October 2019
Reality is Highly Overrated, Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center, Collage Artists of America, Juror Peter Frank, 5/3/2019-5/23/2019
Above & Beyond, Tag Gallery, WPW, Juror Paige Wary, 4/16/2019 – 5/11/2019
Renewal, San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center, Juror Anette Power, 4/2/2019 – 2/27, 2019
New Beginnings, Topanga Canyon Gallery, WPW, Juror and curator Edith Baumann, 1/9/2019 – 1/27/2019.
Con Raoul de la Sota en Ave. 50 Studio
Annual Fundraiser, Avenue 50 Studio, December 2017- January 2018
Through the Looking Glass, Encino Terrace Center, WPW, Juror and Curator John Paul Thornton, 10/2/2018 – 3/29/2019
One painting, Carmen, appeared in the 2018 Latino Heritage Month calendar, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, November 2018
Selection of 20 works for the Day of the Dead’s Basilica Art Exhibition at Hollywood Forever Cemetery exhibition, curator Luis Villanueva, October 2018
Fantasy 2018, Gold Medal Show, at the San Fernando Valley Art and Cultural Center, juror Dino Mehaffie, 10/2/2018 – 10/28/2018
Hot and Cold, Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center, juror and curator Marie Thibeault, June 8 – June 28, 2018
Back to the Ebell, The Ebell Los Angeles, WPW Winter Exhibit, juror J Michael Walker, January-February 2018
Snap to Grid, LACDA, December 2017
Annual Fundraiser, Avenue 50 Studio, December 2017
Sacred Testimonies, Biscailuz Gallery, October-November 2017
Honoring the Ancestors, Ave. 50 Studio, October-November 2017
Glow (Gold Medal exhibition, California Art League, curated by Donna Geist Buch), October, 2017
Three paintings included in the 2017 Latino Heritage Month calendar, published by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, September 2017
Unintended Consequences, Women Painters West, Chaffey Community Museum of Art, Ontario, California, curated by Steven Thomas, September-November 2017
From Her, Biscailuz Gallery, March – April, 2017
Silent Testimonies, Ave. 50 Studio, December 2016 - January 2017, curated by Raoul de La Sota
El Encino Gallery Juried Group Show, Women Painters West
Snap to Grid, LACDA, December 2016
Silent Testimonies, Gallery 50 Studio, December 2016 - January 2017, curated by Raoul de La Sota
Holiday Show, ArtShareLA, December 2016 – January 2017
Four paintings included in the 2016 Latino Heritage Month calendar, published by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, November 2016
Que Ves? Angel City Brewery, September 22 – October 7, 2016
Open Call: Play, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, August-September 2016
Endless Summer Group Show, Buena Park Cultural Center, June-August, 2016
Your Art Here, ArtShareLA, June - July 2016
El Encino Gallery Juried Group Show Women Painters West, April-June 2016
Juried Group Show Women Painters West during the Brewery Art Walk, Lamperouge Gallery, April 2016
From Her, El Tranquilo Gallery, March - April 2016
Hearts and Flowers, The Folk Tree, Pasadena, January - February 2016
Snap to Grid, at LACDA (Los Angeles Digital Center for Digital Art, December 2015
One painting, Rosa Cósmica, appeared in the 2015 Latino Heritage Month calendar, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, November 2015
Brewery Art Walk at Surreal Box Cinema Gallery, October 2015
Selection of 10 works for the Day of the Dead’s Basilica Art Exhibition at Hollywood Forever Cemetery exhibition curated by Luis Villanueva, October 2015
Sacred Memories, El Pueblo Historical Monument, October – November 2015
From Her, An Exhibition by Women about Women, El Pueblo Historical Monument, Pico House, March 2015
Virtual exhibition for MOLAA’s Women’s Day Festival, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, March 2015
New Beginnings, Topanga Canyon Gallery, WPW