Teaching staff
SOPHIE AGUILERA
Sophie Aguilera Lester obteined her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Barcelona in 2008, and subsequently completed a Master’s degree in Art Direction and Set Design at the Catalonia Film and Audiovisual School (ESCAC).
Her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows throughout Spain and Europe. In 2018, she was invited to represent Spain at the European Ceramic Context Biennial (Bornholm, Denmark), and in 2019 she received the National Emerging Talent Award in Ceramic Arts from the Spanish Association of Ceramic Cities. She also received a short-term fellowship at the Archie Bray Foundation (Montana, USA), a pioneering institution in the research and production of contemporary sculpture and ceramics, where she was also awarded the Rudy Autio Fellowship.
NURIA BITRIA
Lecturer of Textile Art at Escola Massana, following a multidisciplinary career in the creative field. She holds a Degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Complutense University with a specialisation in Art Aesthetics and Theory from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She was an art director and set designer in feature films and advertising for more than ten years. She studied Textile Art at the Escola Massana and continued her studies in Belgium (KASK, Gent) where she focused her interest in openwork weaving and forged a stronger link with interior design. She completed a Master’s Degree in Artistic Creation at the University of Barcelona, where, through analogue photography, she explored the eye and its relationship with the environment. Creative Director of the textile design brand TEIXIDORS for nine years, she currently coordinates the Diploma in Contemporary Applied Arts at the Escola Massana.
With a British academic background, Anna brings with her a well-established career in textile creation, specialising in openwork weaving, as well as curating exhibitions, teaching and speaking at conferences on contemporary craft and its relationship with society. She works with Craftspace, the Crafts Council of Great Britain and the University of Vigo. She is currently a member of Spain’s Contemporary Craft Society (SACo). Her work, drawing on a process of conceptual research, explores a dialogue with the material. She has worked specifically with handlooms, both electronic and traditional, since 2000, and works with the textile industry. She is fascinated by the potential of openwork weaving as a poetic expression and has exhibited her work in national and international exhibitions. As a teacher, she communicates and translates complex textile concepts in a simple and approachable way.
https://annachampeney.com/
https://instagram.com/annachampeney/
GREGO GARCíA TEBAR
She studied jewellery from 1982 to 1989 at the Escola Massana in Barcelona under Professor Ramón Puig Cuyàs, where she discovered an innovative approach to contemporary jewellery. She has exhibited in several European countries, the United States and Canada since 1989. Her work has been acquired by the Musée des Bijoux-Arts in Montreal and forms part of numerous private collections. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Orfebres FAD from 1993 to 1995, co-founder of the international ENJOIAT competition and a member of the jury in various competitions.
Together with other jewellers, she is co-founder of various collectives–LOCAL D, AL RAS–that find new ways of cooperation between their members and partners. She founded the AMARANTO JOIES Gallery in 2003 and continues to run it to this day. In 2008 she was awarded the Col·legi Oficial de Joiers i Rellotgers de Barcelona prize. In 2013, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Granollers commissioned her to organise and manage the Mariposa exhibition, which featured a selection of works by 100 artists from across the globe.
OSCAR GUAYABERO
Oscar Martinez Puerta was born in Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood in 1968. He studied Art and Industrial Design at the Escola Massana. His work spans the theory, critique and analysis of design and architecture. Curator of exhibitions including Diseño para vivir (Design for Living) at the Design Museum, which won the 2016 Ciudad de Barcelona Award and served as the foundation for the annual conference on social design under the same name. Author of numerous books on design and architecture, including Retrato imperfecto de Curro Claret (2016), Encants de Barcelona. Memoria gráfica del Mercado de Bellcaire (2020), El diseño del día antes (2021) and Neutopías (2022). He currently divides his time between teaching creativity and the history of design and image at various schools in Barcelona, advising on communication for Barcelona City Council, and curatorial and exhibition projects. The latter includes a monograph on Javier Mariscal under the name ABCDario Mariscal (Madrid, 2020) and another on Enzo Mari as part of the Fiesta del Grafismo (Barcelona, 2022).
Wikipedia entry: https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Guayabero
MARC LIGOS
Marc Ligos is a designer of things. He holds a Master’s degree in Art and Design Research (EINA), a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Design (Escola Massana), and a Higher Level Vocational Training Certificate in Interior Design (Pau Gargallo School of Art). He has worked as a designer and project manager for organizations such as the Museu del Disseny, the FCB Foundation, and the Barcelona City Council. He has taught and conducted workshops at institutions such as Elisava, EINA, Bau, and Hangar.
YUKIKO MURATA
Born in Ishikawa, Japan, she studied ceramics, glass and design in Barcelona, Kanazawa (Japan) and Copenhagen, where she earned a Degree in Ceramics and Glass at Danmarks Designskole. She has exhibited her art in solo and group exhibitions in venues including Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona, Zaragoza, Segovia, Madrid, Andorra, New York, Tokyo and Kanazawa, and in European countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark and the UK.
Her work and research spans everything from the smallest formats, such as buttons, to larger-scale architectural projects; she is interested in both utilitarian pieces and those that are speculative and/or experimental in their design. She currently balances personal creation with teaching, both nationally and internationally, giving courses in ceramics, glass and design, as well as workshops on creativity, sustainability and specific aspects of Japanese culture.
https://www.instagram.com/llardeyukiko/?hl=ja
ÁLBIO NASCIMENTO
Álbio Nascimento is co-founder of The Home Project Design Studio and the Origem Comum platform. Since 2004, he has been researching the contemporary relevance of vernacular material culture and low-tech knowledge, connecting creation, teaching, publishing, and regional development across four continents. He is co-author of the “Saber Fazer Portugal” National Strategy and a consultant for the Directorate General for Arts (DgArtes) of the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.
IRENE PÉREZ
Born in Terrassa (1975), she first earned a Degree in Photography and then in Fine Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She launched her career as a visual artist in this city, where she found, through textile materials and techniques, the right language to explore ideas about cultural and social identity, gender, language and how knowledge is transmitted. Pérez participates in several social, feminist and environmental activist collectives as part of her artistic work, including as a founding member of the Media Subversiva group.
JESÚS-ÀNGEL PRIETO VILLANUEVA
PhD in Art History (2017) from the University of Barcelona, with the thesis The Fight for the Recognition of Artistic Crafts and the Escola Massana in Barcelona. Driving force and promoter of the Postgraduate Course in Contemporary Applied Arts, a programme he coordinated between 2014 and 2019. Lecturer at the Escola Massana since 1979, where he was coordinator and director from 1993–2000. He was president of A-FAD from 2003 to 2007, as well as promoter, organiser and coordinator of various conferences on contemporary crafts. As an advisor in the field of crafts and design, he sits on advisory boards for various public bodies. He writes articles, gives lectures and organises professional meetings on these subjects.