Ananda DeMello, Founder and Director, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Sociology from Florida International University in Miami, Fl. After completing her degree, Ananda started to work as artist liaison and curator in various alternative art exhibitions in Miami, Fl. In 2010, she worked as Public Relations Director for My Private Art Club, an artist run gallery and studio space based out of New York. During this time she also interned at the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery hosting exhibition openings and working with the artists. Bernice continues to be an important mentor in Ananda’s life. In her commercial art world experience, she worked for Miami based art dealer, Harvey Oxenberg, managing represented artists, as well as participating at numerous international art fairs. To widen her expertise, she joined Bakehouse Art Complex, a non-profit studio and exhibition space for over 50 artists, as Director of Exhibitions. There she was responsible for the coordination and management over 20 annual exhibitions held both internally and at outside institutions, overseeing both temporary projects and major installations at other museums/galleries. She was also responsible for the organization of monthly programming events and fund-raisers for members and the community. She played a pivotal role in the creation of development goals and objectives, and was responsible for the curatorial organization, authorship and execution of exhibition projects. In the summer of 2014, she stepped down from her position to focus on her studies. She is currently working on her Masters thesis in Communication with a specialization in Arts Management from St. Thomas University, where she was granted Graduate and Teaching Assistantship.