Goldsmith Talks: Mónica del Arenal, Guadalajara Mid-Century Modern Buildings
Exploring Forty Years of (almost) Unknown Architecture.
Mónica del Arenal is an architect with a master’s degree in Restoration of Monuments of Architecture from UPC in Barcelona, Spain; an Advanced Diploma in Historic Buildings, Collections, and Sites: Sustainable Strategies for Conservation, Management, and Use, from University College London in United Kingdom; and a Graduate of the Program in Higher Direction of Museums in 2013, led by the Getty Leadership Institute and the ITAM in Mexico City. In 2007, she completed the Course on Conservation of Built Heritage at ICCROM in Rome, in collaboration with the Herculaneum Conservation Project.
She has been the director of Albertina Cultural Projects since 2007, a consulting firm that focuses heritage and territory research, the dissemination of cultural heritage, and conservation education and awareness. She has published and presented exhibitions in Italy, Spain, the United States of America, Canada, Chile, and Mexico. Her main field of study is Cultural Heritage and Built Heritage: She is Member of Docomomo (Documentation and Conservation of Modern Movement) since 2014 and member of the National Academy of Architecture in Mexico, Chapter Guadalajara, since 2015.
As the director of the Guadalajara City Museum (2012-2015), her greatest achievement was spearheading community engagement and presenting signature events with a broad sense of culture. Several events focused on history, gastronomy, music, literature, urban and architectural heritage, visual and performing arts.
Mónica’s best-known publications are the Architectural Guide of Guadalajara (Arquine, 2016) and Guadalajara/ Builders, Dandies and Cyclists (Albertina, 2010). In addition, she has about 20 years of experience as a professor in the architecture and conservation field.
In 2017, she received the Making a Mark on the World recognition, the Visionary Award, from the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in San Antonio, Texas.
She was the Graduate of the Year 2012 and received the Annual Award of the MOB Grants. This foundation aims to promote high-level education for Mexicans who wish to study abroad and intend to return to Mexico to improve knowledge in their chosen field of study.
In 2011, Mónica received two important distinctions in Mexico: The Annual Prize of the Benemérita Sociedad de Geografía y Estadística, awarded to persons who have rendered distinguished service to society in the state of Jalisco in the field of the arts and sciences, and Third Place among the Special Prizes (Social Impact category) of the XX Cemex Building Award for La Ronda, a project that identifies architectural and urban heritage in Greater Guadalajara.
From April 2016 to April 2018, she was the Culture and Education Counselor for the Mexican Foreign Service, as the Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in San Antonio, Texas, where she developed 65 cultural activities in collaboration with about 30 institutions and government entities.
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Goldsmith Talks is an open-format series of presentations organized by UTSOA faculty, staff, and students. the series aims to encourage and promote presentations that are outside of the scope of the main lecture series. Examples are: invited seminar presentations, book talks, lectures by designers and scholars who may be in Austin for another engagement, round-table discussions, film screenings, product demonstrations, or any other activity related to research, scholarship, and teaching activities and at the school. The format provides a platform for encouraging the dissemination of work by visitors and members of our community. The goal is to raise awareness, increase access, and better integrate such events within the public life of the school.