New National Hispanic Cultural Center curator brings diverse art experience to Center’s Visual Arts team
State Agency Press Release – From the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
Albuquerque, NM – The National Hispanic Cultural Center is pleased to announce that hazel batrezchavez has started work as the Center’s newest Visual Arts Curator, bringing a unique blend of artistic collaborations to the position.
hazel batrezchavez is a first generation, brown, queer Salvadorian and Mexican artist and curator. Before joining the Center, batrezchavez became a founding member of the fronteristxs Collective and Granadina Co-op, and co-owner of Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá, an experimental DiY art space out of a cargo shipment container.
Their curatorial work has been exhibited at 1415 Gallery, Santa Fe Art Institute, El Chante: Casa de Cultura, among others. batrezchavez received their BFA in Anthropology and Studio Art from Grinnell College and their MFA in Sculpture from the University of New Mexico.
“I look forward to learning, collaborating, and sharing knowledge with my colleagues, curating exhibitions and building the collections,” said batrezchavez. “I believe that the role of the curator is to be a risk-taker, to uplift the community, their narratives and preserve history. Joining the team here at Visual Arts Program at the NHCC, where they are already engaging in this deep community work, is just such a privilege, and I am very excited to be able to be a part of it.”
“I look forward to learning, collaborating, and sharing knowledge with my colleagues, curating exhibitions and building the collections,” said batrezchavez.
“I believe that the role of the curator is to be a risk-taker, to uplift the community, their narratives and preserve history. Joining the team here at Visual Arts Program at the NHCC, where they are already engaging in this deep community work, is just such a privilege, and I am very excited to be able to be a part of it.”
Above: hazel batrezchavez National Hispanic Cultural Center’s newest Visual Arts Curator.
batrezchavez‘s tenure at the Center began on May 12. As curator, batrezchavez will work with the NHCC Visual Arts team to host and develop innovative art exhibitions that highlight artists with diverse stories, identities, and talents. To learn more about the work of the Visual Arts team, visit nhccnm.org/museum.
More about the National Hispanic Cultural Center The National Hispanic Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and advancement of Hispanic culture, arts, and humanities. The NHCC presents mission-related events throughout the year, some produced by its history, literary, performing, and visual arts programs, and others by partnering with external organizations. Events take place at its 20-plus-acre campus, which includes a plaza, an art museum, a historically designated building, a library, and a genealogy center. The NHCC is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and is further supported by the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation.
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