Mariela Acuña is an art administrator, curator, and occasional weaver from San José, Costa Rica, currently based in Chicago. In her position of Exhibitions and Residency Manager at Hyde Park Art Center, her primary role is to program the Jackman Goldwasser Residency, which invites local, national, and international artists and curators to hone their practice, develop research, and expand their networks in the context of a community-focused contemporary art center. Through her role at the Art Center, Mariela also curates exhibitions, manages publications, and collaborates with the team behind the innovative regranting initiative, Artists Run Chicago Fund, which awards grants to artist-run platforms in the city. Acuña’s recent curatorial projects include Joseriberto Perez: Bobo Deco (November 2022), the 2022 Ground Floor Biennial (co-curated with Allison Peters Quinn, December 2022), and William Estrada: Multiples and Multitudes (July 22-October 19, 2023).
Acuña has held positions at the Norton Museum of Art, the University Galleries at Florida Atlantic University, and Girls’ Club Collection, Fort Lauderdale. She earned a B.A. in Art History and a B.F.A. in Sculpture from Florida Atlantic University and a dual M.A. in Art Administration and Public Policy and Art History, Theory and Criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
