Stuart Ashman is a cultural ambassador who has worked in the arts in New Mexico and internationally for over 35 years. He was raised in Matanzas and Havana, Cuba, before his family relocated to New York where he attended the City University of New York receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography and Fine Art. His additional studies include graduate work at the Rochester Institute of Technology and personal interactions on his photography with Minor White and Paul Caponigro. He was also selected to participate in the Getty’s Museum Leadership Institute.

He recently launched Artes de Cuba, a gallery of contemporary art and craft from Cuba. Previously, he served as the chief executive officer of the International Folk Art Alliance and as the executive director and chief curator of the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His experience includes postings as president and CEO of the Museum of Latin American Art; director of the New Mexico Museum of Art; executive director of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art; and an appointment by the governor as cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs where he served for two gubernatorial terms. He also served as expert consultant for the United States Peace Corps and expert speaker for the US State Department. He serves as vice-chair of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Board of Directors of Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum, and the Santa Fe County Lodger’s Tax Advisory Board.

He has published numerous articles and exhibition catalogs and co-authored Photography New Mexico in 2009, Abstract Art in 2003, and Harlistas Cubanos in 2006.