Claudia Madrazo de Hernández

Claudia grew up in a family of educators and has been interested in learning and exploring the world since her childhood. Her need to explore and discover led her to art and its potential as a path of transformation. "For me, art is a discipline that activates and refines consciousness to shape internal and external realities with ethical and aesthetic forms. Active conscience is the capacity to observe, direct and transform thoughts, emotions and human behaviors in order to manifest new possibilities.” She manifests this approach through the co-creation of transformative experiences.

In 1992, Claudia founded La Vaca Independiente, a social enterprise focused on the principle of integrating art into daily life and schooling. She created the Development of Intelligence through Art program which has trained more than 25,000 teachers and benefited more than 500,000 students in Mexico. Today, La Vaca focuses on innovative education and the promotion of human development through art. In 2012, she founded Transformation through Art and Education, a not-for-profit organization, to expand the boundaries of art using this philosophy.

She is also committed to and engaged in conservation and sustainability issues and sits on the boards of The Nature Conservancy, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and the National Geographical Society’s International Council of Advisors. Claudia has a degree in Communications and Mass Media from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, and a Master in Museums Studies from Essex University in the U.K. She is the author of nine books as well as essays and articles.