Francisca Caporali, Program Director Francisca Caporali is a Brazilian artist based between New York and Belo Horizonte. She has her M.A. from MECAD – ESDI in Barcelona, Spain, and she is currently an M.F.A. candidate at Hunter College in Integrated Media Arts. She has received the AAUW International Fellowship 2007/08 and a 2008 LMCC Swing Space residency. Ms. Caporali’s work has been shown in various festivals and exhibitions including, SCOPE and Orchard47 in NYC, UnionDoc in Brooklyn, MANA in Jersey City, Gandy Gallery in Slovakia, Break 2.4 Festival in Slovenia and Paris, VideoBrasil, Wide World Film festival in Toronto and the Flaherty Seminar in Hamilton.

Xandro Gontijo, Executive Director Xandro Gontijo is a cultural administrator and project manager based in Brazil. He has a B.S. in Business Management and Communications from New York University. Mr. Gontijo was until recently the managing director of the Empresa Gontijo de Transportes Ltda Logisitcs department. He now concentrates on bringing his experience to bear on developing and managing cultural and social initiatives in Brazil.

Marina Câmara, Producer Graduated in Social Comunication at PUC Minas, Marina finished a Interactive Design Masters degree at Siena University and attended to the Graduate Programme in Design, track: Visual Communication and Multimedia at the Università IUAV di Venezia. She coordinated the Ibra Institute in the bilateral relations between Italy and Brazil and the international relations of the Creativity Festival in Florence. She is currently a student at PUC Minas, attending the Masters graduation in Social Communication, researching “media coverage and Interaction Processes”.

Natacha Rena, Coordinator of social and environmental projects

Pedro Mendes, Founder

Pedro Mendes obtained his B.A. in International Politics in Paris, France and his M.A. in Connoisseurship and Art History at Christie’s. He is founding director of the gallery Mendes Wood – Belo Horizonte and São Paulo. Mr. Mendes is currently the curatorial director of a series of on contemporary Brazilian artists. One of his projects is the realization of exchange between Brazilian and international artistic production.

Matthew Wood, Founder Matthew Wood received his B.A. in Philosophy in Paris, France. He is also a founding director of the Mendes Wood gallery — Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo; Mr. Wood is a published art critic and is currently editing a series of monographs on contemporary Brazilian artists.