VAEA promotes culture, diversity and education universally

HISTORY

VAEA was founded on June 13th 1990 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth in Acarigua, Venezuela of Jose Antonio Paez. Since its beginnings, VAEA has sponsored several cultural events in Venezuela and the United States. Our two countries have had a longstanding tradition of friendship for more than 200 years and VAEA’s commitment is to promote programs that will continue this tradition for future generations.

Mission

The Mission of The Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts (VAEA) is to promote through the visual and performing arts a deeper and richer understanding by Venezuelan citizens of U.S. culture, and by U.S. citizens of Venezuelan culture.

PAEZ AS A SYMBOL

JOSÉ ANTONIO PÁEZ (1790-1873)

General Páez (1790-1873)* is considered amongst the most significant and victorious fighters against the Spanish Crown, a notable figure in the History of Venezuelan War of Independence and a great influence in the history of South America during the 19th century. He later led Venezuela’s breakaway from Gran Colombia becoming the first president of the Republic of Venezuela and governed his country’s politics for nearly two decades (1830–1835; 1839–1843).

The PÁez Medal of Art

The Páez Medal of Arts is awarded by The Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts (VAEA) and presented once a year to an individual or group that has had an impact and contributed to excellence, growth, support and the proliferation of the arts and culture in Venezuela and the United States. It is named in honor of José Antonio Páez, leader of the Independence of Venezuela, who lived in exile during his last years in New York, and where he became a philanthropist.

ACARIGUA ARAURE MUSEUM

history

On December 22, 1987, the Acarigua-Araure Art Museum Foundation was established at the Museum of Fine Arts. This is a private, non-profit organization with its own legal personality, made up of civil society and aimed at providing the necessary financial support for the creation and operation of the museum that bears its name. In April 1988, the Foundation was granted the headquarters of the former Club Páez, a high-quality building from the 1950s, on a renewable 50-year lease.

Institutional Foundations

The MAAA prioritizes education in its entirety: An educational project that is grounded in the notion of creativity, a concept that focuses not on the results but on the process itself, on unbiased exploration, and on comprehensive rather than descriptive knowledge... Creativity as a tool for freedom.