In this interview, PublicsLab alum Daniel Valtueña speaks about his experiences of negotiating his identities as a scholar inside the academy and as an arts manager outside. Daniel shares how the PublicsLab prepared him to plan his job search, and how his internship with the Queens Council on the Arts opened new career paths.
The conversation was recorded by Jess Applebaum in both December 2022 and March 2023.
PDF Transcript: Interview with PublicsLab Fellow Daniel Valtueña
PublicsLab allowed me to think more broadly. To think that knowledge production can be created in multiple formats and for a variety of people. And it should be also for the public good, it should have a social impact for people that exist beyond the academy.
— Daniel Valtueña
Daniel Valtueña received his PhD in Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures in 2022. He earned his BA in Art History at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and his research focuses on contemporary Iberian cultures and queer theories. As part of his PublicsLab fellowship, Daniel worked at the Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). He was mainly involved in the Artist Commissioning Program (ACP) which democratizes the traditional commissioning process by enabling local community members to fill gaps in US culture by awarding commissions to artists whose projects highlight untold stories and underrepresented protagonists. As part of this role at QCA he edited the book How You Can Commission Art: A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing New Culture. His dissertation España rarita: performances festivas en tiempos queer (2008-2020) addressed contemporary Iberian artistic practices in the intersection of queer and national identities after the 2008 financial crisis in Spain. In 2016 he was awarded the Young Talent Award in the category of Culture by the Madrid Region for his arts management trajectory and in 2020 he received the National Undergraduate Studies Award in Art History by the Spanish Government.
Daniel departed The Graduate Center with a full-time position as the European Projects Coordinator at the Youth Department of the Madrid City Hall. He now works as a freelance consultant in the fields of arts, culture, and higher-education.
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