I'm a Colombian and New York-based Creative, Strategic Communicator, Curator, Researcher and Educator *

ANGÉLICA CUEVAS-GUARNIZO

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Communications Specialist | Project Manager | Social Researcher | Curator | Colombian Fulbright Alumni
Spanish Native Speaker and Fluent in English
Holds a 01 US Visa.

︎ acuevas@newschool.edu
︎Brooklyn, NY, USA.

KEY SKILLS
  • Campaign Strategy Design & Execution
  • Grassroots Mobilization & Advocacy
  • Digital Activism & Social Media Strategy
  • Strategic Communication
  • Media Outreach & International Relations
  • Project Management & Team Leadership
  • Workshop Facilitation & Training
  • Educational Program Development
  • Research Coordination & Data Analysis
  • Insight Synthesis & Strategic Planning
  • Multicultural Collaboration & Human Rights Advocacy
  • Multimedia Content Creation & Storytelling

EDUCATION

Colombian Fulbright Scholar 2021-2023


M.A. Anthropology with a Minor in Design, The New School for Social Research, NYC. 2023

B.A., Social Communications and Journalism, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Col. 2011.

Contemporary Curatorial Practices in Colombia Program, Experimental School of Arts and Humanities, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Col. 2022.

Podcasting: Telling Stories in Sound Course, Berkeley Advanced Media Institute, Berkeley, CA. 2017.

Languages: Spanish: Native | English: C1 Advanced


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Communications Coordinator & Project Manager
ESCR-Net - International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, New York, USA (Dec 2023 - Present)
Visit ESCR-Net

  • Designed and executed communication strategies and campaigning actions to enhance the visibility of over 100 civil society organizations and advocates worldwide.
  • Coordinated media outreach efforts with journalists in the U.S. and globally to amplify human rights campaigns.
  • Led the implementation of internal communication tools to improve collaboration among ESCR-Net members across 80 countries.

Communications Consultant & Project Manager
The Shipibo Conibo Center, New York, USA (Dec 2022 - Dec 2023)
Visit The Shipibo Conibo Center

  • Co-designed a communications strategy with the Shipibo Conibo Indigenous community to promote their efforts to reclaim their right to govern their land in the Peruvian Amazon.
  • Developed the project website: areaecologicaindigena.org
  • Managed international media outreach to secure coverage of Indigenous stories in major outlets.

Teaching Assistant, Objects of Revolution Course
Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York, USA (Fall 2022)

  • Supported curator Hala Abdel in leading and facilitating discussions for a 17-student undergraduate course focused on global mass revolts.
  • Assisted in developing class content, grading assignments, and guiding students in analyzing revolutionary artifacts, their symbolism, and their historical significance.
  • Fostered critical thinking by encouraging students to connect social movements with visual culture and artistic expression.

Black Fashion Collection Research Fellow
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), Washington, D.C., USA (Summer 2022)

  • Collaborated with Elaine Nichols, Senior Curator for Culture, to research a historically significant garment linked to a prominent Black suffragist.
  • Conducted a literature review, identified key historical references, and analyzed photographic archives to support curatorial research.
  • Contributed insights that informed exhibit development and expanded historical narratives within the museum’s fashion collection.

Strategic Communications Consultant
Fauna Flora Funga Initiative, NYU School of Law, New York, USA (May - Oct 2021) | Visit Fauna Flora Funga

  • Co-designed a website, brand book, and strategic communication plan for an international campaign integrating fungi protection into conservation frameworks.
  • Engaged with international press to gain coverage for the initiative, featured in National Geographic.

Journalist Training Consultant & Project Manager
Heinrich Böll Foundation, Bogotá, Colombia (Aug 2021 - May 2022) | More info

  • Developed and led a training program for 40 local journalists to improve climate crisis reporting.
  • Designed interactive workshops blending data analysis, environmental storytelling, and investigative journalism.

Part-Time Faculty of Journalism and Innovation, School of Communication and Language, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Col.
Jan, 2020 – July, 2021
  • Educated undergraduate students on managing innovative journalistic projects and developing business plans for a newspaper company.

Senior Editor & Project Coordinator
Activamente - A Transnational Mental Health Journalism Network,
Fundación Mutante, Bogotá, Colombia (Aug 2020 - Jan 2021) | Visit Activamente

  • Managed digital strategy and coordinated a network of five Latin American media outlets, engaging over 750 volunteers, journalists, and specialists to cover youth mental health during COVID-19.
  • Oversaw content creation, data visualization, and multimedia storytelling.

Communications Coordinator & Project Manager
Dejusticia - Center for the Study of Law, Justice, and Society, Colombia (Jun 2017 - Jan 2020) | Visit Dejusticia

  • Led communication campaigns related to the Colombian Peace Agreement, Amazon protection, migration, and gender justice.
  • Produced multimedia content, podcasts, and press articles, collaborating with journalists and activists to expand public debate.
  • Designed and implemented creative advocacy actions to promote social change.

Science, Environment & Education Senior Reporter
El Espectador Newspaper, Bogotá, Colombia (2012 - 2015) | Visit El Espectador

  • Managed daily coverage of science, health, and education issues in Colombia.
  • Designed special multimedia reports and managed relations with external partners.Created The River Blog, an environmental journalism project on Colombian rivers, earning the Amway National Environmental Journalism Award in 2014.

AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS  

  • Open Society Foundations Drug Policy Reform Grantee (2024-2025)
    Learn more about Coca Palabra-Mundo
  • Colombian Fulbright Scholar (2021-2023)
  • Canal Projects Curatorial Research Residency, New York (2023) | More info
    Selected as part of the Liana Collective to conduct research on plant-based artistic practices and their mystical, political, and healing values.
  • ICFJ Alumni Engagement Grantee, International Center for Journalists, Washington DC (2020) | More info
    Developed and facilitated the workshop ‘Design Thinking: A Practical Workshop for Latin American Journalists’, training journalists on creative methods for impactful storytelling.
  • Gabo Foundation Grantee, for the Migration Storytelling Program, Colombia (2020) | More info
    Developed a special reportage on Venezuelan Indigenous refugees, combining investigative journalism with visual storytelling.
  • ICFJ Fellowship for Emerging Media Leaders (2019)
    International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Washington DC | More info
    Selected as a fellow for the Professional Fellows Program, aimed at strengthening leadership in digital media innovation.
  • Simón Bolívar National Journalism Award (2019)
    Colombia’s Most Prestigious Journalism Award | More info
  • Amway National Environmental Journalism Award, Colombia (2014)

NOTABLE EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS


COCAWORLDS at the United Nations | New York, USA (Nov 2024 - Jan 2025) | Visit Coca Worlds
  • Co-curated this exhibition featuring seven Colombian and one Bolivian artist to destigmatize the coca plant. Managed logistics, secured support from the Permanent Missions of Colombia and Bolivia to the UN, and led media outreach to amplify its message.

Riografías del Baudó | Doctors Without Borders LATAM, Colombia (2024) | More Info
  • Curated this photographic exhibition exploring confinement, violence, and resilience in Chocó. Collaborated with photographer Fernanda Pineda to amplify marginalized voices and raise awareness about the region’s humanitarian crisis.

The Right to Defend Human Rights Campaign | Dejusticia, Colombia (2018 – 2020) | More info
  • Co-created a campaign advocating for human rights defenders in Colombia. Designed visuals, coordinated media outreach, and built alliances to mobilize public support.

#JuicioALaDeforestación Campaign | Dejusticia, Colombia (2018) | Learn more
  • Designed a campaign supporting a climate lawsuit in Colombia. Managed media outreach, empowered 25 youth plaintiffs, and helped pressure authorities to protect the Amazon.


NOTABLE JOURNALISM PROJECTS

Relatos Anfibios Podcast | Dejusticia, Colombia (2018 – 2020) | Visit Relatos Anfibios 

Cúcuta: Emergency Exit | Dejusticia, Provea, and Open Society Foundations, Colombia & Venezuela (2018) | Read the Special Report
  • Coordinated a journalist training program and edited a cross-border investigation by 13 reporters on the Venezuela-Colombia migration crisis. Strengthened public understanding of displaced communities’ experiences through multimedia storytelling.

Bathed in Mercury | Vice News Colombia (2015) | Read the Article 
  • Investigated the environmental impact of mercury pollution caused by illegal mining in 17 Colombian regions. Raised national awareness of the health risks linked to contaminated rivers.

Savia Botánica Editorial Collection | Grupo Argos, Colombia (2015) | More Info 
  • Authored two chapters for this five-volume collection showcasing Colombia's botanical diversity. Combined scientific research with storytelling to engage diverse audiences.

Unhealed Wounds Multimedia Project | Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO), Colombia (2019) | Learn more.


SOME PRESS AND REVIEWS

Colombians arrive in New York to change perceptions about coca leaf - Semana Magazine, Colombia.
  • With works of plastic art, audiovisual installations and silk fabrics dyed with coca leaves, a collective of Colombian artists will exhibit their proposal to rdefine this plant beyond its illicit use starting March 8 in Harlem. Link.

COCAWORLDS: Art to think coca beyond cocaine - Bacanika Magazine, Colombia
  • A collective of Colombian artists and researchers launched an exhibition in New York to detonate new conversations around the coca plant, challenging the reductionist and problematic views brought about by the cocaine trade. Link. 

An exhibition of Colombians in New York to reflect on the coca plant- El Espectador, Colombia
  • A collective of Colombian researchers and artists presents an exhibition on the coca plant in New York that reflects beyond the narratives of the war on drugs.
Contemporary And América Latina- Critical art magazine focusing on Afro-Latin America, The Caribbean and Africa.
  • Feature exhibitions: “Las Yerbas” Apothecary - 01 July 2023 - 31 October 2023/ Canal Projects / New York City, United States.
Brooklyn, New York

Contact
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︎ acuevas @ newschool.edu

      ANGÉLICA CUEVAS-GUARNIZO
    Social Justice Researcher and Designer  Strategic Communicator Journalist • Anthropologist •  Curator • Educator

      © 2025