Diana Ledesma is a New York-based writer and works as an administrator for The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Originally from the Midwest, she relocated to Phoenix to study trans-border art and museum studies at Arizona State University. She founded the Aztlán Collective after completing her Master’s thesis at New York University on the status of the Contemporary Mexican American art market. She currently resides in Harlem with her husband and two cats.
Marissa Del Toro is originally from Southern California, she received her MA in Art History from the University of Texas at San Antonio, with an overall focus on the modern and contemporary art of Latin American, Latinx, and US artists. Del Toro has co-curated and contributed to the development, arrangement, installation, and programming of several art gallery exhibitions and projects.
Her current research involves the artistic representation and framework of Latinx identity through art and zine production. She lives in Los Angeles and is the 2016-2017 Graduate Intern at the Getty Research Institute. She seeks to continue her career in curatorial and museum work with a promotion and advocacy for diverse narratives within art.
Website | Instagram | Linkedin
Veronica Xochitl Valadez is a visual artist, dancer, and educator based in Ventura, California. Born to Mexican immigrants, Valadez was the first in her family to attend college. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Chicana/o Studies at UC Santa Barbara and teaching credential from Cal State Channel Islands, later completing her master’s in Chicana/o Studies from Cal State University Northridge in 2012.
Valadez’ efforts as a community activist, artist, and scholar have been recognized by the Consulate of Mexico and the City of Ventura to name a few with awards including the Cultural Activist Recognition Award, the Mayor’s Arts Award, the Latino Leadership Award, and Ford Fellowship Award, in addition to others. Valadez strives to use art as a way to create critical dialogue in order to build stronger relationships within our communities while embracing, celebrating, and “Re-Membering” our Indigenous identities.
Jo Novelli-Blasko is an artist and writer based in Phoenix, AZ, and Rosarito, BC. Since 2013, she has been developing The Habitorium, a platform that considers how habits work and shape everyday life. Jo earned a master in Performance Studies at New York University and is currently writing a collection of short stories called ‘Crying in Public.’