Pasantía curatorial como herramienta formativa interdisciplinar: una experiencia en la galería de arte Humberto Hernández del centro cultural colombo americano de Cali

Abstract

The internship program at the Humberto Hernández Art Gallery of the Colombo Americano Cultural Center in Cali is designed as a formative experience that integrates artistic practice with cultural management and education. This institution, officially recognized by the U.S. Embassy in Colombia since 1954, has established itself as a cultural landmark in the Valle del Cauca region for its work in promoting intercultural dialogue through art and education. In this context, the gallery serves as a meeting place where temporary exhibitions of visual, plastic, and media arts converge, accompanied by educational activities that foster reflection, memory, and identity. Therefore, curation is understood as a critical and reflective practice that brings together the artwork, the space, and the viewer, enabling contemporary interpretations of art from an interdisciplinary perspective that links creation, education, communication, and cultural management. The choice of this space as a setting for practical training stems from its ability to integrate the fields of arts education, curation, and cultural mediation. Its exhibition program fosters participation in real-world processes of research, conceptualization, installation, and communication of exhibitions, which allows students to link theory with practice and understand curation as an educational tool. Based on these experiences, the program promotes an interdisciplinary education that transcends the boundaries of the classroom and extends into cultural management as a professional field for artist-teachers. In line with the graduate profile of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Santo Tomás University—which describes graduates as professionals capable of creating, analyzing, and interpreting educational experiences related to education, art, and culture—this internship is designed as an opportunity to strengthen competencies that integrate creation with critical reflection and pedagogical practice. Thus, the experience at the Humberto Hernández Art Gallery at the Colombo Americano Cultural Center in Cali not only broadens the understanding of artistic practice but also reaffirms the graduate’s role as a cultural mediator committed to social transformation and the construction of knowledge through art. This experience helps consolidate their profile as an artist, emerging curator, and future graduate committed to culture and arts education. Furthermore, these types of experiences help strengthen the bond between cultural institutions, educational spaces, and the community, fostering networks of learning and participation through art.