Mariela Acuña is an art educator, art administrator and first year graduate student of Art Administration and Public Policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mariela is currently the Exhibitions and Residency Coordinator at the Hyde Park Art Center. Before moving to Chicago, Mariela held the positions of Public Programs Manager and Family Programs Coordinator at the Norton Museum of Art, where she worked to develop and implement programs for people of all ages and backgrounds to be inspired, think, make, and build relationships through art. She previously worked at the University Galleries at Florida Atlantic University, and Girls’ Club Collection, Fort Lauderdale. Mariela was born in San Jose, Costa Rica and was raised in Guatemala City. She holds a BA in Art History and a BFA in Sculpture from Florida Atlantic University.
ARTnews has named Social Medium: Artists Writing, 2000–2015, one of the best art books of the decade. The book was published by Paper Monument, the nonprofit art press of Assistant Professor Dushko Petrovich (New Arts Journalism).