Edward Hayes is a bilingual art museum professional with over 15 years of experience working as a curator, exhibitions manager, and director of traveling exhibitions.
Hayes was most recently the Exhibitions Senior Manager for the McNay Art Museum in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, where he managed the museum’s robust exhibitions program, spearheaded traveling projects, and co-organized select exhibitions including Blurring Borders and The Art of SA Eats–two exhibitions that explore bicultural experiences through art.
Prior to retuning to Texas, Hayes was at International Arts & Artists (IA&A) in Washington D.C., a nonprofit dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and access to the arts internationally. At IA&A, Hayes was Director of the Traveling Exhibition Service which has produced and toured art exhibitions for over 25 years in all 50 states, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Hayes managed a program of over 25 exhibitions touring annually and launched ten new exhibitions into the marketplace including Cultural Encounters: Art of the Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean; Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936—Present; among others.
From 2013-2018, Hayes was Curator of Exhibitions for the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach, California. At MOLAA, he organized over 50 exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. He was curator of MOLAA’s first solo exhibitions of Chicano art including Dreamland: A Frank Romero Retrospective (2017) and Judithe Hernández: A Dream is the Shadow of Something Real (2018). Hayes also supported numerous international projects, including meaningful cultural exchanges with artists from Cuba and Mexico. In 2015, Hayes represented MOLAA at the inaugural Reimagining the Museum conference in Buenos Aires organized by the American Alliance of Museums and Fundación TyPA.
Throughout his career, Hayes has worked closely with pioneering collectors of Latinx and Chicano art including Cheech Marin, Drs. Ricardo and Harriett Romo, among others.
ABOUT EDWARD HAYES JR. Edward Hayes Jr. was born in San Diego, California to Edward and Xochitl Hayes. He grew up in San Antonio, Texas and has close ties to Mexico, where his mother’s family resides. Before moving to San Antonio, Eddie lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Quito, Ecuador, where his father was stationed. Eddie grew up speaking English and Spanish at home and feels that his upbringing in a bilingual and bicultural home contributed much to his interest in bridging disparate worlds together through the transformative power of art. He believes this lived experience and deep cultural understanding informs the work of engaging divided communities
Hayes holds a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA, 2006) and an MA in Art History from The University of Texas at San Antonio (2010).
Claudia S. Preza joined EPMA as the Assistant Curator in November, 2021. Previously, she worked at EPMA as a Curatorial Assistant in 2019 and as a Curatorial Intern from 2014-2016. She has a Master of Arts degree in Museums Professions with a concentration in Exhibition Development from Seton Hall University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Texas at El Paso. Preza has over 7 years of experience working in the art field, and has collaborated with various artists and art institutions such as Modern Artifact, Flor de Barro Gallery, Pierro Gallery of South Orange, Walsh Gallery, and the Morris Museum.
Irene Aguilar is a native El Pasoan, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She has successfully worked in the nonprofit community for the last five years. Irene also worked in municipal government for the City of Las Cruces in a role that directly served her community for a little over ten-years. Irene’s work focuses on creating long lasting relationships and connecting communities.
Nick Munoz joined EPMA in 2002, as a member of the Operations Department. He worked his way to Assistant Preparator and began his current position in 2005. He holds a bachelor’s in studio arts and studied with renowned metalsmith Rachelle Thiewes and sculptor Ray Parish. His prior experience included working in picture moulding production and as a retail frame store manager.
Bernadette Ramos joined EPMA in 2018, as the Art handler/gallery technician working closely with the Museum Registrar who she succeeded in 2020. She holds a Bachelor’s in Art with a certificate in museum studies from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Masters of Science in Library Science with a focus in Archival Studies and Imaging Technology from the University of North Texas.
Josie first joined the El Paso Museum of Art in 2016 as a Museum Store Associate, with over 15-years of experience in sales and customer service. She has since served as the El Paso Museum of Art Membership Assistant and as a Public Art Specialist, under the Museum and Cultural Affairs Department’s Public Art Program. This trajectory strengthened her passion of supporting and working with local artists in order to showcase the talent and culture of El Paso. In her new role as Membership Coordinator at EPMA, Josie hopes to grow and develop the program by showcasing the Museum benefits as well as the importance members play in the development of the Museum. Josie holds a Bachelors of Art in History from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and a Masters of Art in History from the University of Texas at El Paso where she specialized in Native American Civil Rights issues and was inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
Ivan Calderon first joined EPMA as a contract worker in 2018, eventually becoming a Teaching Artist within the Museum’s Art School, teaching Painting and Drawing and now serves as its Coordinator. Ivan has previously worked in art education at OLO Gallery, the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts and served as District Director for District 75 in the Texas House of Representatives. He is also a professional working artist with over 25 years of practice and exhibitions nationwide. He is also a founding member of Cult___ Studios, an artist collective and residency in El Paso. Ivan holds a Bachelors of Fine Art in Painting and Drawing from the University of Texas at El Paso.
