Statement
Lauren Benetua is an arts advocate and cultural worker. She holds a BA in History of Art and Visual Culture from UC Santa Cruz, and a MA in Museum Studies from the International Institute of Lorenzo de’ Medici (Florence, Italy). Her professional background is rooted in community engagement and social justice. She has had the pleasure to work with organizations across the Bay including Emerging Arts Professionals (San Francisco), Betti Ono (Oakland), American Arts Incubator (San Jose), and the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. She currently serves as the Community Catalyst for the OF/BY/FOR ALL initiative, leading civic and cultural institutions around the globe to build inclusive and equitable futures for their communities. In her spare time, she curates a coloring book project known as People of Coloring, a community-sourced coloring book that is generated by people of color in her community. She is also a dedicated culture-bearer who has been recognized by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts for her practice. She was recognized in 2014 as a Living Cultures Artist, and again in 2017 as a Master-Apprenticeship awardee, for traditional Filipino weaving and kulintang ensemble music respectively. Lauren’s passion is her community and she is convinced that creative changemaking rests at the intersection of courage and compassion.
Bio
Lauren Benetua is an arts advocate and cultural worker. She holds a BA in History of Art and Visual Culture from UC Santa Cruz, and a MA in Museum Studies from the International Institute of Lorenzo de’ Medici (Florence, Italy). Her professional background is rooted in community engagement and social justice. She has had the pleasure to work with organizations across the Bay including Emerging Arts Professionals (San Francisco), Betti Ono (Oakland), American Arts Incubator (San Jose), and the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. She currently serves as the Community Catalyst for the OF/BY/FOR ALL initiative, leading civic and cultural institutions around the globe to build inclusive and equitable futures for their communities. In her spare time, she curates a coloring book project known as People of Coloring, a community-sourced coloring book that is generated by people of color in her community. She is also a dedicated culture-bearer who has been recognized by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts for her practice. She was recognized in 2014 as a Living Cultures Artist, and again in 2017 as a Master-Apprenticeship awardee, for traditional Filipino weaving and kulintang ensemble music respectively. Lauren’s passion is her community and she is convinced that creative changemaking rests at the intersection of courage and compassion.
