Catalina Rivera is a multidisciplinary curator, collections manager, and arts educator whose practice spans continents, disciplines, and cultural traditions. Working at the intersection of artistic practice, art history, and cultural stewardship, she is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of collections through research and storytelling. Her work reflects a synthesis of classical training, curatorial scholarship, and cross-cultural experience, positioning her within an increasingly global dialogue on art, heritage, and material culture.

Raised in Miami, Florida, Catalina developed an early appreciation for artistic practice while immersed in the creative environment of her stepfather's sculpture studio. Surrounded by working artists and the material processes of making, she cultivated a lasting interest in both the conceptual and tactile dimensions of art. She later attended specialised arts schools, concentrating on costume design before apprenticing at Pittsburgh's O'Reilly Theatre, where she gained experience in theatrical production, collaborative design, and visual storytelling. During this period, she also completed the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild Apprenticeship Training Programme, refining her practice in analogue and digital photography, darkroom techniques, and conceptual image-making. These formative experiences established a multidisciplinary foundation that continues to inform both her creative practice and her approach to interpreting cultural collections.

In 2012, Catalina earned a Bachelor of Science in Advertising with a minor in Graphic Design from the Art Institute. She subsequently founded Rivera Creative Studio, providing art direction, branding, and creative strategy while maintaining an active studio practice producing commissioned works and curating exhibitions for artists and cultural organisations. Her background in visual communication continues to shape her curatorial philosophy, emphasising the importance of accessibility, narrative, and thoughtful design in the presentation of art and cultural heritage.

From 2015 to 2020, Catalina lived and worked in Shanghai, China, where extensive travel throughout Asia profoundly informed her artistic and curatorial perspective. During this period, she exhibited internationally, completed large-scale murals and installations that remain on permanent display, and served as a freelance art director for multinational technology companies across China and Singapore. Living and working across diverse cultural contexts deepened her appreciation for the ways artistic traditions evolve through exchange, influencing her understanding of museums and collections as dynamic spaces for dialogue, interpretation, and community engagement rather than repositories of static objects.

Her growing interest in art-historical research led her to complete a certification in world art history through the Smithsonian Institution before earning a Master of Arts in art history and curating from the University of Birmingham in 2023. While in England, she co-curated a landmark exhibition at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in partnership with the Royal Collection Trust, presenting Renaissance masterworks by Albrecht Dürer from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. Following her degree, she remained in London, curating exhibitions and installations while furthering her expertise through professional study in art business and appraisal at Christie's Education and the art of appraisals at Sotheby's Institute of Art. Her academic training strengthened her commitment to rigorous research and reinforced the vital role that museums and cultural institutions play in shaping historical understanding and public discourse.

Today, Catalina serves as collections manager for Hānaiakamalama (Queen Emma Summer Palace) and Huliheʻe Palace, where she oversees the stewardship, preservation, documentation, and interpretation of significant collections that embody the legacy of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Her work focuses on ensuring that cultural assets are responsibly managed while creating meaningful, accessible frameworks through which diverse audiences can engage with history and material culture. Drawing upon interdisciplinary experience in curation, education, and design, she is committed to fostering deeper public understanding of cultural heritage through responsible collections care, thoughtful interpretation, and collaborative engagement.

Alongside her institutional practice, Catalina remains an active multidisciplinary artist, independent curator, and collector of Modern Masters. Her personal collection reflects a sustained interest in the evolution of twentieth-century art and its lasting influence on contemporary visual culture. Across both her professional and artistic endeavours, she continues to investigate the relationship between artistic production, historical inquiry, and cultural identity, bridging museum scholarship with creative practice while fostering meaningful dialogue across artistic, historical, and cultural contexts.