Student Spotlight: Paula Calvo, Gallery Manager of Wynwood Art Gallery

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Paula Calvo is majoring in Art History and pursuing a minor in Art, and she is expecting to graduate in Spring 2014 through the College of Architecture + the Arts. In addition to concentrating on her studies, Calvo is currently working as a gallery manager at Wynwood’s Alma Fine Art, which exhibits photography and video art. Her acquisition of this role is largely a result of her proactive job search. She attended the opening of the gallery with a resume in her hand and, first, became an intern at Alma Fine Art. Now, as manager, she is in charge of training interns at the gallery among other duties like language translation, seeking out artists to exhibit, communicating with museums and collectors, and coordinating all public relations. During her time at Alma Fine Art, Calvo has successfully published an essay on one of the gallery’s exhibitions called Secrets, by Luis Gonzalez Palma. Her written work was featured in Nagari Magazine. Additionally, she is now working with Miami Art Dealers Association, which strives to help Wynwood develop as an art district.

“Paula Calvo has contributed positively to the development of the gallery, being a part of it since its inception,” said Alma Fine Art owner Veronica Grassi. “…I think Paula’s career may be the vehicle that helps introduce art in other socio-economic strata, favoring the ‘inclusion’ of new players [in] the art scene.”

At FIU, Calvo is a member of the national leadership and honors association Sigma Alpha Lambda, and is an active member of the Multicultural Programs & Services LGBT Initiative. Her favorite artistic activity is photography, a form she has adopted within the past several years. She started with a digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera in high school. However, she now enjoys using color-film photography, the discovery of which she ties to her acquaintance with Professor Peggy Levison Nolan.

Calvo encourages her fellow Art + Art History classmates to push themselves into professional, career-oriented opportunities. “Finding a job might be difficult, but Miami’s art scene is developing very quickly, and new art districts are emerging,” said Calvo. “Students are usually welcomed as volunteers in galleries, art fairs, and even artists’ studios….” Such experience in the professional art world has changed Calvo’s perspective on the subject of art itself. She said, “Experience in the art world will change all erroneous preconceptions you might have.”

For more information about Alma Fine Art, please click here.

The featured image is provided by Alma Fine Art.

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