Who we are
AtravesArte is a unique, female-led, bespoke travel service founded by independent curator and writer Leslie Moody Castro. AtravesArte has become an extension of Moody Castro’s practice, and thus follows a simple code of ethics that has garnered respect from the communities that we participate in.
AtravesArte operates with an unprecedented level of CARE through every aspect of logistics and planning for both our guests and the artists, spaces, galleries, museums, and restaurants we visit. We NEVER take commissions on sales from artists and instead are centered on supporting artists. We treat every studio visit like an artist talk, and PAY ARTISTS for their time. Every itinerary is well researched and thoughtful, and all visits are designed to CONNECT communities through our own expertise on the ground. Every aspect of our planning and logistics includes our own knowledge of where we are and the COMFORT of our guests, allowing them to really soak in the EXPERIENCE. In order to grow communities, we take pride in creating SHARED dining experiences with chefs who are committed to expanding and experimenting with food while shifting the ETHICS of the gastronomy community.
Our Team
Leslie Moody Castro | Founder and Program Director
Leslie Moody Castro is an independent curator and writer whose practice is based on itinerancy and collaboration. She has produced, organized, and collaborated on projects in Mexico and the United States for nearly two decades. She is committed to creating moments of exchange and dialogue within exhibitions, is a co-founder of Unlisted Projects Residency, Co-Lab Projects, and in 2022 served as inaugural curatorial fellow and curator in residence at New Mexico State University and Casa Otro Residency, respectively. She has been awarded two grants from the National Endowment of the Arts for her curatorial projects and a fellowship from the Department of State for her research on borders. Moody Castro was guest editor of Glasstire Magazine from 2021—2024, and has been selected as co-curator of the Aurora Biennial in Dallas slated for November 2024. She is the founder of AtravesArte and believes Mariachi makes everything better.
www.LeslieMoodyCastro.com | @LeslieMoodyCastro
Paty Siller | Production and Logistics
Paty Siller is a curator and arts professional with years of experience within the contemporary art world, specializing in artistic project management and production, including curating and event organization. Paty is interested in the commonalities between curatorship and artistic production and the way in which the existing limits between the two disciplines have faded. Currently, her research focuses on digital practices and emerging artists from Latin America.
Siller was the Production Director for Material Art Fair and she co-founded Janet 40, a curatorial collective based in Mexico City. She has also worked at OMR Gallery, Marso Foundation and Casa Maauad. She has been a resident at the Museum of Human Achievement (Austin), NoAutomático (Monterrey) and MÁS ALLÁ (Bogotá) and curated multiple exhibitions in galleries and independent spaces throughout Mexico City (Pequod Co., Arróniz, NIXXXON, Daniela Elbahara, El Arenero, Compás88, Casa Equis) and museums (Centro Cultural Plaza Fátima, Museo de la Ciudad de Querétaro, Museo de las Culturas del Mundo) around Mexico. She is currently a professor at CENTRO University and exhibition manager for Casa Lü, both in Mexico City.
@Paty_Siller
Michael Snyder | Writer, Journalist, and AtravesArte Food Expert
Michael moved to Mexico City in 2016 to write about food, architecture and design in Latin America, subjects that he'd been covering for the previous five years as a freelance reporter based in Mumbai, India. A Contributing Editor at T: The New York Times Style Magazine since 2020, Michael's work—published in a range of media that includes The Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, The Believer and, once upon a time, Lucky Peach—has been supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and recognized by the James Beard Media Awards, the International Association of Cooking Professionals and the Lowell Thomas Travel Writing Competition. More than fashionable restaurants or the flashy designs of global starchitects, Michael is interested in the ways that creative industries intersect with the histories, economies and cultures of the places he covers—art not as a product, but as a text.
Julia Clark | AtravesArte Operations
Julia is a Cultural Producer and Development Consultant, experienced in executing large-scale fundraisers, multi-day conferences, and mission-driven programming on a national and international scale. She works with organizations to amplify their mission through strategic planning, fundraising, event and cultural production, and programming. Her focus is on identifying creative and meaningful ways to engage community partners, audiences, and supporters with organizations and their missions. Previously, she was the Associate Director, Special Events at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Associate Manager of Global Partners and Events at the Guggenheim Museum. She is passionate about collaborations, culture, and community and has been involved with numerous grassroots initiatives including: co-founding Forward Union, a coalition-building initiative connecting social justice organizations, artists and creative communities; mentoring with the Lower Eastside Girls Club, helping girls learn how to empower themselves to be ethical leaders; and serving as a Executive Board Member of Flux Factory, a collective and artist-run residency in Queens, NY, and Executive Committee Member of Austin Museum Partnership.
-
THANK YOU ALL SO SO MUCH!!! This was an incredible experience and you all made it so smooth and easy to enjoy! I'm so glad that I signed up for this program and I can't thank you all enough for providing this amazing opportunity. <3
-Emma, University of California Sacramento
-
Honestly…I could write a novel about how great working with AtravesArte was..1. The first best thing about hanging with the AtravesArte Team was that we didn't have to think about what we were going to do in CDMX at all before we went. Usually, I spend hours planning trips and trying to find the cool things to do in each city, but you never know if certain things are REALLY going to be worth it, because the internet doesn't know your personality, only you do. With AA, they asked us valuable questions that helped shape our experience from the get-go. 2. Not thinking/worrying about stuff is cool, but on top of that, everything we did with them was an excellent experience. To stopping in awesome coffee shops, sharing a meal at the best restaurants in CDMX, to hanging in art studios one on one with artists and having full and direct access to the source, it was all unbelievable. 3. We always felt safe, comfortable, and happy. It's easy to feel lost in the biggest city in the world where you don't speak the native language very well, and have a tough time understanding the culture and everything that is happening around you, but with AtravesArte, they make it all very easy and convenient for you. If you are looking to experience the real CDMX and do it with two phenomenal guides (and friends- now), then you need to spend time with AtravesArte. They make the good, great, the best, better. And now we have new friends for life.
-Kevin, Art Collector San Francisco
-
Just thank you so much! I felt very well taken care of 🧡
-Student, University of California Sacramento
-
Yes. As a person with special dietery needs you met and exceeded my expectations!
-Anita, Artist, and Collector, Rockport, Texas
-
-
It was fantastic. Your choices were all spot on, thank you for making this trip so memorable! I hope it was as wonderful for you as it was for me!
-Luis Puron, Executive Director Rockport Center for the Arts