Consuelo Sellers Albaladejo is a research educator dedicated to answering whether women artists have existed and whether their presence has always been part of art history. The aim is to illuminate women through arts-related research and to ensure their visibility within scholarly and public discourse.
Although drawing and painting were part of their practice since childhood, sculpture revealed itself during university studies, when stone and wood carving and metalwork became new modes of expression. They earned a fine arts degree in Valencia and completed studies in artistic ceramics at the School of Arts and Crafts in Alicante. A decade later, they prepared a doctoral thesis grounded in teaching experience and projects focused on plastic and visual education. Their family line traces four generations of teachers, suggesting a practical, almost genetic, predisposition toward pedagogy and mentorship.
There is a belief that contemporary art can sometimes be perceived as an inside joke by segments of the general public that might not follow specialized discourse. In some contexts, major fairs like ARCO appear to spotlight artworks driven by aggressive marketing or extreme aesthetics, which can lead to a sense that postmodern practices lack a universal value and may seem inconsequential to everyday society.
Advances in technology have enabled the leadership of the Woman in Art initiative, which centers on identifying and preserving the legacies of female artists born before 1945. In 2022, the project succeeded in mapping more than a thousand female artists on a classified map created for Google Maps. The outreach extends through social media, with an account focused on teaching under the handle @motivart_e and a separate artistic profile @womeninart.top10, illustrating how digital platforms support both pedagogy and creative work.
Following these developments, major biographical platforms began to publish profiles of women whose contributions had been suppressed in art history. This momentum included scholars researching painters from Alicante and identifying overlooked figures such as Elena Verdes Montenegro, Elena Santonja, and Antonia Pando, among others, as part of a broader effort to recover and present diverse histories.
Two related initiatives emerged from this movement: DAS. Silenced Artists Done and Poets of the Literary Sea. The former engaged students aged 13 and 14 from IES Torrellano in Elche to explore gender equality through a transformative curriculum event hosted on a scholarly platform, pairing study with practical, hands-on learning. The latter project is interdisciplinary in scope and centers on rescuing 25 female poets connected to Alicante, culminating in the publication of a student-illustrated poetry book and an exhibition featuring many of these authors. Though influential in Alicante’s cultural landscape, the memory of some achievements has faded over time, underscoring the ongoing need to document and celebrate women’s contributions to the arts and letters.