A program of VAEA · Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts · 501(c)(3) · New York
Where dispersion becomes
public memory.
VAEA operates the Venezuela Chapter of Exodus & Resilience — a structured cultural program to document, exhibit and publicly activate contemporary Venezuelan art created in diaspora.
Venezuela has lost more than 20% of its population in a decade. Among those who left is an entire generation of artists, curators, educators and cultural workers — still creating, still thinking, still producing work about what it means to leave.
Source: UNHCR · R4V Regional Platform, 2026
A structured program for cultural preservation and public impact.
Full program →Why this program exists
The Venezuelan diaspora — over 7.7 million people in more than 90 countries — carries a rich, sustained and underdocumented artistic production. Despite their quality and continuity, Venezuelan artists in diaspora face a specific barrier: institutional exclusion from the exhibition, documentation and critical circuits of their host countries. This gap is not a matter of talent. It is a matter of infrastructure.
What the Venezuela Chapter does
VAEA, as a New York 501(c)(3), implements the Venezuela Chapter of Exodus & Resilience — a four-pillar program combining professional documentation, institutional exhibition, critical education and measurable social impact.
The intellectual and curatorial direction is provided by Exodus & Resilience (E&R), operating as an independent contractor through By Sibarita LLC, under a transparent contractual framework (MOU v4.6) with documented fair market valuation, independent Board approval and complete documentary traceability.
What the program actually does.
Research & Archive
Professional documentation of artworks, artistic processes and trajectories: interviews, technical records, professional photography, critical texts and audiovisual archive. Each entry follows contemporary curatorial documentation protocols.
Exhibition & Activation
Public activations and institutional exhibitions in museums, universities and cultural centers across the U.S. and internationally. Priority venues include El Museo del Barrio, Bronx Museum, Americas Society and ArtsWestchester.
Education & Mediation
Pedagogical resources, artist talks and educational programs for students, educators, universities and Venezuelan migrant communities — using contemporary art as a tool to analyze migration, memory, identity and cultural rights.
Impact & Reporting
Rigorous measurement framework aligned with UN 2030 SDGs 4, 10, 11 and 16. Annual impact reports published publicly. Full fiduciary transparency under VAEA's 501(c)(3) obligations and IRS reporting requirements.
with professional contracts
and exhibited
in first phase
24-month horizon
and prioritized
in the pipeline
Designed for fiduciary clarity.
VAEA — Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts
VAEA is the charitable operating entity and fiduciary holder of all program funds, based in New Rochelle / Westchester, New York. Responsible for: program implementation and institutional ownership; fund administration and financial management; relations with donors, foundations and grant-makers; regulatory compliance with IRS and New York State charity law; institutional contracting with exhibition venues and providers.
Exodus & Resilience — Independent Contractor
E&R (By Sibarita LLC) provides the intellectual and curatorial direction as an independent contractor to VAEA under MOU v4.6. All services billed at documented fair market value (Annex B), approved by disinterested VAEA Board members, with complete traceability and periodic compliance review.
Transparency commitment
Every payment requires documented deliverables, prior approval and market-rate justification. VAEA reports annually on Candid (GuideStar). No automatic payments. No profit distribution permitted.
Three professionals, one platform.
President · VAEA 501(c)(3)
Ali Cordero Casal
Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts · New Rochelle, NY
President of VAEA and primary institutional counterpart. Brings 501(c)(3) infrastructure, fiduciary oversight and an extensive personal network within the Venezuelan-American artistic community. VAEA receives and administers all program funds under Ali's Board leadership.
Executive Director · Exodus & Resilience
Omar Bustillos Palis
By Sibarita LLC · Barcelona / New York
Founder of E&R and the program's operational architect. Venezuelan-born, Barcelona-based since 2003. Training in Marketing Analytics (ESADE) and Contemporary Art (MoMA New York). Over a year developing E&R as a platform for refugee and migrant artists; two years as Talent Manager at Stockinart, onboarding 50+ Latin American artists.
Guest curatorship · In development
Curatorial direction
Exodus & Resilience · International curatorial network
The program brings together a network of curators, researchers, and cultural professionals to support artist selection, the conceptual development of the archive, the production of critical texts, and future institutional exhibitions. Curatorial collaborations will be formally announced as working agreements and the public phases of the Venezuela Chapter are consolidated. In the meantime, Exodus & Resilience coordinates the program’s conceptual, editorial, and documentary framework under VAEA’s institutional supervision.
53 foundations identified. 14 at Priority One.
Priority One — Maximum mission alignment
Priority Two — Strategic pipeline
Your support builds a permanent cultural infrastructure.
VAEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers. All funds administered under full fiduciary control with independent Board oversight.