This music and art maven has hip-hopped into her ideal job.
Indira A. Abiskaroon Valbuena MHC ’15 has joined The Hip Hop Museum in The Bronx as creative director and director of curatorial affairs. Abiskaroon Valbuena, who studied art history and classics at the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter, comes to the museum as the 11-year-old institution prepares to open in a new, 55,000-square-foot building on the banks of the Harlem River in Mott Haven.
“Indira brings exceptional curatorial vision, deep institutional experience, and an authentic understanding of Hip Hop's cultural significance — she is exactly the creative leader we need to ensure our exhibitions honor the brilliance and complexity of this culture as we approach our historic opening,” said Hip Hop Museum Founder and Chief Executive Officer Rocky Bucano.
A native of Jamaica, Queens, Abiskaroon Valbuena said she felt honored to join the museum as it transitions to its new space.
“I have witnessed firsthand the depth of meaning Hip Hop holds for this city and the world,” she said. “I am grateful for the singular opportunity to help build a program that honors the ingenuity of the culture in all its nuance alongside the very practitioners who were there when it all started.”
Abiskaroon Valbuena comes to The Bronx from the Brooklyn Museum, where she served as curatorial assistant of modern and contemporary art. In Brooklyn, she co-curated the exhibitions “Spike Lee: Creative Sources,” “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys,” and “Melissa Joseph: Tender.”
She supported exhibitions on Jimmy DeSana, Red Grooms and Mimi Gross, Hunter alum Guadalupe Maravilla MFA ’14, Christian Marclay, Thierry Mugler, and Oscar yi Hou, among other projects.
Earlier, Abiskaroon Valbuena worked at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She started her career at Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses.
Along with her Hunter degree, Abiskaroon Valbuena holds an MA in art and archaeology from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. At Hunter, she was a Solomon Bluhm Scholar, an elite program that nurtures students of classical civilizations.
About The Hip Hop Museum
The Hip Hop Museum will include a dynamic blend of traditional exhibits and immersive experiences, including rare artifacts, memorabilia, visual arts, interactive stations, digital installations, live performances and community engagement. These elements will allow visitors of all ages to engage deeply with Hip Hop’s history and its ongoing influence on modern life. The expansive 55,000-square-foot environment will reflect Hip Hop’s kinetic energy, ensuring the experience feels as vibrant, dynamic and communal as the culture itself. The opening of The Hip Hop Museum marks a historic occasion in the celebration and preservation of Hip Hop culture.
