Azela Santana
Art Acquisition & Collection Management Specialist
Azela Santana has over 17 years of experience working in the arts and education non-profit sector, including serving 10 years as the Associate Curator for the Orlando Museum of Art.
During this time, Azela researched and curated permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, oversaw exhibition logistics, worked with private and corporate collections, and fostered relationships with museums, galleries, artists, donors, collectors, and art conservators. She currently oversees university-level arts fundraising efforts for programs, scholarships, and other activities to benefit students, faculty, and the community at large. Azela has cultivated many relationships with arts patrons and university supporters, including alumni, donors, and friends across Central Florida.
Curated and traveling exhibitions Azela worked on include “Taíno: Discovering a Caribbean Culture,” 2013-2014; “Rembrandt, Rubens, Gainsborough and the Golden Age of Painting in Europe,” 2014; “David Rathman: Stand by your Accidents,” 2014-2015; “Lamar Peterson: Suburbia Sublime,” 2014-2015; “Florida Prize in Contemporary Art,” 2014-2016; “Maya Lin: A History of Water,” 2015; “The Influx Series: Will Cotton, 2016; Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment,” 2016; and a rotating exhibition series “New Work: A Series of Bi-Monthly Exhibitions of Contemporary Art,” 2010 – 2014, which focused on artists living and working in Central Florida.
Azela holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix completed while living in San Quirino , Italy, and received her BA in Studio Art and Art History with a minor in Classical Studies from the University of Florida. She also studied at the Marchutz School in Aix-en-Provence, France where she focused on painting criticism and studio work; and completed an art conservation residency specializing in painting and paper conservation at Dobson Studios in Arlington, Virginia.
She has served as the Chairman for the City of Orlando Public Art Advisory Board and currently serves on the boards for Snap! Orlando and the Acquisition Trust of the Orlando Museum of Art. She is an active member of the American Alliance of Museums.
Azela oversees collections management for private collectors, as well as serves as a project-based art consultant.
