not only the largest carbon sink on Earth and a sanctuary of biodiversity, but also home to hundreds of languages and other forms of cultural expression. In the early conversations about planning an exhibition focused on art of Amazonia, I remarked to Susan Segal, the president and CEO of Americas Society, how important it was to show this diversity and to find a curator that would know firsthand about all these cultures. She brilliantly referred to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’ s role organizing the 2023 Amazon Summit to coordinate efforts for the protection of the region, which inspired us to adopt a cooperative or diplomatic model in conceiving this show.²
That is why we invited curators from each of the nine countries of the region to curate this show together. Departing from traditional models that conceive of the curator as author, Americas Society coordinated a series of convenings in which each curator presented on the creators of the countries they represented. Of course, collective work is not easy. Led by
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