Swiss Institute
Gabriela López Dena is an experienced professional who has held various roles in the field of arts and education. Currently, Gabriela serves as the Associate Curator of Public Practice at Public Art Fund and as a Guest Curator of Public Programs at Museum of Arts and Design. In the past, Gabriela has also worked in roles such as Community Liaison at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and Teaching Artist at Swiss Institute. Additionally, Gabriela is the Founder and Director of DENA and has a background in architecture with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Universidad Iberoamericana.
Swiss Institute
Founded on May 7th, 1986, the Swiss Institute was officially registered with the State and City of New York as an independent, not-for-profit organization on September 12th, 1986. The Swiss Center Foundation provided important support helping the Swiss Institute to start its program. In 1990, though the Swiss Institute is not affiliated with the Swiss government, the Swiss government agreed to give the Institute an annual contribution, in addition to the amount already awarded by Pro Helvetia, the Art Council of Switzerland. Both contributions were and continue to be approved by a committee of experts. Between June 30, 1992 and June 30 1995, corporate contributions more than doubled. In 1994, the Institute moved to a large loft in SoHo, in the center of the New York art scene, where there is an interested art audience. The loft's raw space was constructed to museum-standard specifications by architects Pagamenta & Torriani. The Swiss Institute has grown from a showcase of Swiss art and artists for a mostly Swiss audience, into an innovative international venue for art that provides a significant forum for cultural dialogue between Switzerland, Europe, and the United States. This unique angle fosters the interaction between the Swiss and the many other communities and nationalities found in New York City. The result is a distinctive view of art and a way of thinking which asks audiences to break with traditional assumptions about art and national stereotypes.