From gallery to community: Elsy Tavarez shares culture through art

As a marketing major and film studies minor, Elsy Tavarez, ‘27, displays her Dominican culture through art in her role at Lehigh University Art Galleries. 

As a museum educator, Tavarez designs and leads programs that highlight Latin American art while encouraging participants to explore and express their own cultural identities. Her role blends her academic interests with her passion for representation in the arts.

“I love spreading my culture,” Tavarez said. “I love seeing my culture being represented in the media or in important spaces.” 

She said she became involved with LUAG as a freshman while searching for a work-study position. She said she chose the gallery because she’d enjoyed visiting it as a student. 

She began as a desk clerk and was promoted to museum educator her sophomore year, where she gave tours and helped staff prepare for events. In February, Tavarez became a lead museum educator, a role that will be in effect next fall. 

Tavarez said being a museum educator requires students to design their own program and give a tour on a topic of their choosing based on the artwork in the gallery. 

“I get to do something that I’m interested in because I love researching the artists and the pieces and seeing why and how they were made,” she said. “It’s really cool.” 

At her most recent workshop on March 27, “Breaking Barriers: Conversing with Latin Culture Through Art,” Tavarez led a discussion on Latin American art and guided participants in depicting their culture using similar artistic techniques. 

Elise Schaffer, coordinator of museum experience and access at LUAG, attended the workshop and said she enjoyed hearing about Tavarez’s personal connection to the Dominican Republic through artwork by Dominican artists. 

“(Tavarez) brings a really good energy and a very creative lens to the programs that she runs,” she said. 

Schaffer also said Lehigh has a strong Latin American art collection in its permanent holdings, and was excited to see Tavarez highlight it through her event. She added that Tavarez effectively encouraged audience members to reflect on and share their own cultural experiences. 

“(Tavarez) has always been really exemplary in her work here,” Schaffer said. “Having someone that is so passionate about helping others to learn about art and to build a personal connection with art is great.” 

Kira Miller, ‘26, a fellow museum educator, said she co-led a Nellie Mae Rowe art tour with Tavarez last year. Like Tavarez, Miller joined the staff through a work-study position. 

Miller said Tavarez is knowledgeable about the tours she leads and the content she teaches, noting her ability to interpret art through a cultural lens. 

She also said Tavarez bridges the gap between education and engagement, ensuring participants both learn and leave with meaningful experiences. 

Tavarez’s tours highlight the diversity of art, which Miller said is especially important at a time when some voices and experiences are being overlooked. 

“It’s really good to amplify and empower marginalized people and artists, which is what (Tavarez) does,” Miller said. 

Reflecting on the LUAG events they’ve staffed together, Miller said their friendship grew out of the fast-paced environment of gallery programming. 

“I remember our conversations being so funny,” Miller said. “We were all over the place, but we never left each other’s side that day. It was so much fun, and just a really good time spent together.”

As Tavarez enters her final year at Lehigh, she said she plans to continue her involvement with the gallery with increased responsibility and leadership. She said she thinks of her role not as a job, but as a community of other like-minded art lovers. 

Looking ahead, Tavarez said she hopes to incorporate Latin culture and art into her career.

She said she plans to combine her interests in marketing and film studies to continue to promote diverse cultures in the arts, including in film, award shows and the broader entertainment industry.

Tavarez said her time at Lehigh and at LUAG has deepened her connection with the arts, build friendships and find a strong sense of community. 

“Art is always an outlet to share one’s identity or culture,” she said. “Latin art, specifically, speaks through color and provides an outlet for people to not just express themselves through shared culture, but also give a message to others, and it’s very beautiful to see.”