The Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) announced today that world renowned curator Jose Roca and prominent philanthropist Gloria Sesana are the newest members of the foundation’s Board of Directors. Comprised by leading art patrons, professionals, curators, and artists, the board of directors is committed to fostering and furthering awareness of contemporary Latin American art, through programs such as CIFO’s Grants & Commissions. The program affords emerging and mid-career level artists the opportunity to develop and present new works to both local and international audiences in Miami.

“To have Jose Roca and Gloria Sesana join CIFO’s Board of Directors brings new perspectives,” said Ella Fontanals Cisneros, Founder of the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation. “As we continue to grow, and in keeping with our mission, it is crucial for us to collaborate with highly qualified professionals whose expertise and contributions will enhance our programs, and help bring forth new and ground-breaking Latin American artists to the International art scene.”

Based in Miami, Colombian philanthropist Gloria Sesana is an active member of the South Florida community since 1999. Mrs. Sesana has been a part of the Jackson Health Foundation for over 12 years, while also being involved in numerous organizations with various focuses including art, healthcare, and education. As such she has been a member and served the Guardian Angles and Golden Angels Society, worked with the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Gulliver Schools’ Board of Trustees since 2014, among others.

Jose Roca is world-renowned Colombian curator working from Bogota. He is currently the Artistic Director of FLORA ars+natura, an independent space for contemporary art in Bogota and Curator of the LARA (Latin American Roaming Art) Collection. From 2012 to 2015, Jose Roca was the Estrellina B. Brodsky Adjunct Curator of Latin American Art at Tate, London. During his career, Jose Roca has managed the arts program at the Banco de la Republica in Bogota; he was also the co-curator of the Poly-graphic Triennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico; the 27th Biennial de Sao Paulo, and the Encuentro de Medellin. He was also the artistic director of Philgrafika 2010, awards jury at the 52nd Venice Biennial and Chief Curator in the 8 Bienoal do Mercosur in Porto Alegre. He is the author of Transpolitical: Art in Colombia 1992-2012 (with Sylvia Suarez) and Waterweavers: A Chronicle of Rivers (with Alejandro Martin), published Bard Graduate Center in New York in conjunction with the exhibition Waterweavers: The River in Contemporary Colombian Visual and Material Culture.

“We are delighted to welcome Jose and Gloria. We know that colleagues with such prestigious backgrounds will provide fundamental contributions and further CIFO’s growth,” Said Manuel De Santaren CIFO board member. “We look forward to their invaluable input.”

Ella Fontanals-Cisneros established the non-profit Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO), in 2002. The foundation’s mission is to support and foster cultural understanding, as well as an educational dialog among Latin American artists and global audiences. CIFO is a platform for emerging, mid career and established Latin American artist through the Grants & Commissions Program, the CIFO Collection, the CIFO Art Space and other related art and cultural projects in the United States of America and internationally.

For more information about the award recipients, exhibition, and other programs, please visit cifo.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.