Manuela Paz, born and raised in New York, is cofounder of Embajada, a gallery and exhibition space in San Juan promoting Puerto Rican and Caribbean voices in an international context. There, Paz, together with her partner, artist Christopher Rivera, have maintained a rigorous exhibition program showcasing important local artists since 2015. Paz started her career in the arts receiving a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City (2003). In 2005 Paz started working for The Armory Show in New York, beginning as an assistant and working her way up to Director of VIP Relations over the course of eight years. During her tenure at The Armory Show, she co-founded Armory Arts Week, a city-wide public programming series recognized and supported by New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. In 2013 Paz was appointed Membership Director at the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), developing year-round programming for emerging galleries. In 2017 Paz took on the position of Director of Development and Strategic Planning at Independent Curators International (ICI) in New York, an organization that produces exhibitions, events, publications, and research centering on the role of the curator as a contextualizing and infrastructural force for contemporary art. She stepped down from ICI earlier this year to focus full time on the gallery, Embajada. Throughout her career, Paz has shaped meaningful experiences for today's leading arts patrons and collectors, while providing artists with a platform for exposure and growth.
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