Elena Salazar's Plan for Visual Arts in Colombia

Elena Salazar, an artist and cultural manager, entered the Ministry of Culture in 2023 when visual arts were not a group but an annex to the Directorate of Arts. She formulated the first phase of the National Plan for Plastic and Visual Arts (PNAPV) by traveling to territories instead of convening in Bogotá. Meetings were held in Popayán, Amazonas, and Cúcuta, with translations into four languages. She left the Ministry in 2024. This is the third conversation in a series, following Alejandra Sarria and Giuseppe Ramírez. Salazar, a graduate of the National University of Colombia's School of Plastic Arts (2003), also holds a DES in Fashion and Creation from the University of Lyon 5 and a Master's in Plastic and Visual Arts from the UN. With over 25 years of interdisciplinary experience, she has spent more than 15 years in public and cultural management, including as a programmer at the National Museum of Colombia. Her policy expertise led her to advise on the creation of the PNAPV at the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Knowledge. She has also served as Coordinator of Plastic and Visual Arts at the Gilberto Alzate Avendaño Foundation (FUGA) and in the Directorate of Development of the Secretary of Culture, Recreation, and Sport, where she currently leads the Proyectos en Red strategy, redefining cultural promotion through associativity and sectoral collaboration.