Vanessa Alvarado
Outreach Director/ALMA Artist
Vanessa considers herself to be a painter happily trapped in a ceramic world. At the University of New Mexico, She received her BFA in Studio Art: Painting, but has worked in Ceramic Tile Murals since 2006 and takes pride in bringing the painterly aesthetic to tile mosaic. She was born, raised, lives and still works in the South Valley of Albuquerque. In addition to working for ALMA, she continues to work as a teacher at La Academia de Esperanza and is also the Art Director for the South Valley Dia de los Muertos Marigold Parade. A driving force in her life has always been a need to give back and improve her community, she believes that art is the perfect vehicle for teaching, uniting and healing.
blubirdtileart.com
Margarita Paz-Pedro
Operations Director/ALMA Artist
Margarita has had a relationship with clay since 1999. She received her BFA with an emphasis in Ceramics in 2003 at the University of Colorado-Boulder and her MA in Art Education in 2008 at the University of New Mexico. She has worked as a lead artist with the Mayor's Art Institute since 2009. She is also a full time Art teacher at La Academia De Esperanza Charter High School. Both of these positions bridge her passion for working with community and youth in the arts.
pazpedro.com
Cassandra Reid
Executive Director /ALMA Artist
Cassandra believes that collaborative mosaic-making offers tremendous possibilities for personal transformation and community-building. She loves to hear the stories people tell, and she enjoys facilitating ways for people to translate their ideas, histories, hopes, and dreams into works of art. She has worked with people ages 4 – 95 in neighborhoods, community centers, schools, treatment centers, and shelters. She holds a BA in Studio Art from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of New Mexico. In addition to making public art, she has exhibited her work in galleries nationally and internationally.
lotustileworks.com