Carolina Alvarez-Mathies is a cultural strategist and producer whose work moves between contemporary art, design, gastronomy, and community—cultivating spaces where creative practice and public life converge. She currently serves as Senior Director of Institutional Relations at OMR and Artistic Director of LagoAlgo, the gallery’s cultural center in Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park. Through both platforms, she develops exhibitions, partnerships, and cross-sector initiatives that foster dialogue between Mexico and the global creative community.
Before relocating to Mexico City, Alvarez-Mathies was Executive Director of Dallas Contemporary, a non-collecting museum dedicated to international contemporary art. During her tenure, she helped guide a period of renewal focused on financial sustainability, institutional growth, and expanded audience engagement.
Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at two of New York’s most dynamic art organizations. As Director of External Affairs at Creative Time, she oversaw communications and development for the organization’s landmark public art commissions and the international Creative Time Summit. Prior to that, she served as Head of Communications at El Museo del Barrio, where she helped shape the museum’s public voice and strengthen its community partnerships during a pivotal moment of transition.
Born in El Salvador, Alvarez-Mathies brings a global, cross-disciplinary perspective to contemporary art, advocating for models of cultural production that merge institutional rigor with experimentation and public engagement. A dedicated advocate for Salvadoran art, she served as El Salvador’s Ambassador on Special Mission for Cultural Affairs (2017–2019), promoting the country’s culture internationally and expanding opportunities for its artists. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Y.ES Contemporary, a non-profit supporting contemporary art from El Salvador and its diaspora.
Alvarez-Mathies is an alumna of Texas Christian University, where she forms part of the Young Chancellor’s Advisory Council, and a Fellow of the Central America Leadership Initiative of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network. In 2023, she was selected for the Women’s Forum Rising Talent program. She has served on juries including the Tulsa Artist Fellowship (2024–2026), the Heritage Craft Prize (2023), the CPGA Étant Donnés Prize awarded at Art Basel Miami Beach (2023), and is part of the Selection Committee for the Panama Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
