Known for being an intuitive and mission-driven creative leader, Liz Hernández, CEO & Founder of ARTEZONA has over 25 years of experience as an art curator, gallery owner, and advocate for Artists and the Arts.
“I love art, music, dance, theater, and other forms of creative expression. Ultimately, it's passion that drives my role as an advocate for artists,” she explains.
Having owned and operated two brick and mortar galleries —in Tucson and Phoenix— she launched ARTEZONA in 2020 as an online gallery, and recently rebranded it as a nonprofit organization to support the creative work of Artists through grants.
“I’m excited to make a transition from the commercial art gallery scene to the philanthropic side of the art world,” says Liz.
“I created ARTEZONA, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation in order to support Artists' creative practice with direct funding and also provide them with access to the digital marketplace.”
Liz claims that while she’s not an artist herself, she cultivated a passion and a deep appreciation for art over time.
“Growing up with my parents, we always visited museums and galleries,” she says. “I took my first art class with my mom when I was 15 and have been signing up for countless workshops ever since! But I didn’t have the discipline, if you will, to make it a full-time practice, so I became an advocate instead," she adds with a smile.
Liz has served on the Board of Directors of numerous community organizations.
In Phoenix, she was a Board member of the Scottsdale Gallery Association, Industry Partner of ASID, member of the Phoenix Art Museum’s Contemporary Forum, and President of the Latin American Art Alliance.
In Tucson, Liz served on several boards including The Foundation for Creative Broadcasting, Girls Scouts of America, Tucson Pima Arts Council, and Arizona Theatre Company.
Liz currently lives inTucson where she presently serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Arizona School of Art, the University of Arizona Museum of Art Leadership Council, and is an Ambassador of MOCA Tucson.
Born in Queens, NewYork, and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Liz has two adult sons and two grandchildren. She is a lifelong cultural explorer who has traveled and learned about the art, architecture, and culture around the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas.
“I believe that artistic expression is essential to our human experience.”