Any human being who spends more than a couple of minutes with Álava knows that she is extraordinarily articulate and charismatic.
Todo ser humano que pase un par de minutos con Álava se dará cuenta de que tiene una extraordinaria destreza de palabra y es extraordinariamente carismática.
–John Rapko, philosopher, lecture on Trust Me, Universidad de los Andes, 2015
The brilliance of Álava’s methods remains a way of making contact with her audience, transforming them from passive viewers into active participants.
La brillantez de los métodos de Álava es el modo que tiene de establecer contacto con su audiencia, transformándola de espectadores pasivos a participantes activos.
–Jonathan Goodman, art critic, 2010
Álava’s unique approach when talking about Modern or Contemporary art has been described by Centerpointnow as “enlighting.” She has directed seminars in Post-graduate Programs, and has lead more than 2,000 talks for children, teenagers, adults and seniors at international institutions and museums worldwide in numerous programs, including Family, School, VIP, Professional Development, as well as Access Programs specially designed for individuals and groups with disabilities.
Alava’s PRIVATE TALKS IN MUSEUMS are MUSEUM EXPERIENCES based on the close observation, exploration and interpretation of artworks at a historical and a personal level.
HOW TO WALK AMONG HEXAGONS COURSES:
INTERACTIVE SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS
BILINGUAL ENGLISH / SPANISH
- SOCIAL PRACTICE / SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ART
- Secrets and Challenges of Women in Paintings
- Aggression and Violence in Art
- When Aliens Want to Understand Humans, They Go to a Museum
- MUSEUM INTERACTION & EDUCATION
- Museums as ecosystems where differences can be discussed via dialogue.
- Museums as places to investigate the transformation of thoughts that arise from engaging with art.
- EDUCATIONAL TOOLS FOR TEACHERS THROUGH ART
- How to Inspire Audiences via Relational Art
- Thinking with Images. Dialogue and Interactive Techniques
- Art and Art Projects as Educative Platforms inside and outside the Classroom
- WELL BEING WORKSHOPS & ARTISTIC WRITERS RETREAT
- Artistic Writers’ Retreat: Reconnect with Your Full Potential
- Raising Awareness about Sustainability with Art
“Over the last fifteen years I have been working as a lecturer and educator in several art museums in New York City, leading more than two thousand tours and gallery talks—Museums have allowed me to experience as an artist the key role that museum galleries can play in the development of more just and egalitarian societies worldwide, as well as the countless interactive possibilities that can be achieved within their walls.” –Gema Alava
“Los museos son perfectos ecosistemas donde las diferencias pueden discutirse a través de diálogos y, por lo tanto, son lugares idóneos para que algunos artistas investiguemos la transformación de pensamientos que surgen a raíz de estas diferencias. Observemos el modo en el que el público interactúa con las piezas, y tengamos en cuenta cómo las explicaciones verbales afectan el proceso interpretativo de una obra.” –Gema Alava
LECTURES & SEMINARS LED BY ÁLAVA:
NORTH AMERICA
USA
Cue Art Foundation, NY
Perez Art Museum, Miami, FL
Department of Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, NY
Instituto Cervantes, NY
Guggenheim Museum, NY
John Jay College for Criminal Justice, The City University of New York, NY
Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, NY
Margulies Art Collection at the Warehouse, Miami, FL
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
MoMA, Museum of Modern Art, NY
Morgan Library and Museum, NY
New Jersey Museum, NJ
New York University, New York, NY
Pratt Institute, New York, NY
Queens Museum of Art, NY
San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
SUNY Rockland Community College, NY
The Bolles School, Department of Fine & Performing Arts, FL
The Leadership Program, NY
The King Juan Carlos I Center, New York University, NY
United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY
Whitney at Altria, NY
MEXICO
Freims, Mexico City
EUROPE
SPAIN
Caixaforum, Fundación La Caixa, Barcelona
Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid
Escuela Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad Politécnica, Madrid
Universidad Complutense, Madrid
ENGLAND
Cervantes Institute, London
ITALY
Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Milan
GERMANY
APA-B, Association for Performance Art in Berlin, Berlin
SOUTH AMERICA
ECUADOR
Museo de la Ciudad, Quito
Museo Fundación Guayasamín, Quito
Universidad Pontificia Católica de Ecuador (PUCE), Quito
PERU
Upcoming 2022
COLOMBIA
Feria Internaconal del Libro de Bogota (FILbo), Garabato, Bogota’