Bilbao 2022
Ljubljana 2025
Speakers
Arts
Asia 2028

Prof. Sook-Kyung Lee

Director, the Whitworth & Professor, Curatorial Practices, The University of Manchester, UK

Prof. Sook-Kyung Lee is Director of the Whitworth and Professor of Curatorial Practices at The University of Manchester. Lee has worked as curator, writer, and lecturer in the UK and internationally, advocating global art histories and transnational curating.
Lee was previously Senior Curator, International Art at Tate Modern, working in exhibitions and acquisitions, and headed a major multi-year research initiative ‘Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational’, overseeing its strategic vision and associated exhibition programming. She was Artistic Director of the 14th Gwangju Biennale (2023), titled ‘soft and weak like water’, which explored themes of resistance, indigeneity, decoloniality and ecology. She also served as the Commissioner and Curator of the Korea Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015), presenting Kyungwon Moon and Joonho Jeon and Curator of the Japan Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale (2024), represented by the artist Yuko Mohri. Lee has served on several jury panels such as Turner Prize, VH Art Award and Nam June Paik Art Prize, and sits on a number of advisory boards internationally including the YS Kim Foundation, USA and deCentral, Thailand.
Exhibitions she curated include ‘Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled & Woven’ at the Cheongju Craft Biennale, Korea, National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, India and the Whitworth (2025-26), ‘Santiago Yahuarcani: The Beginning of Knowledge’ at the Whitworth, MASP, Brazil and the Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico (2025-27), ‘Mirroring: Lucio Fontana and Michelangelo Pistoletto’ at Prada Rongzhai, Shanghai (2025), ‘A Year in Art: Australia 1992’ at Tate Modern (2021-23), and ‘Nam June Paik’ at Tate Modern, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery Singapore (2019-21).

Carolina Juda

P&C Internal Communications & Organizational Development Senior Manager

Portugal

Connect with Carolina Juda on social media :

I believe in our inner light, a light that lives within each of us. When we choose to connect with it, not only do we feel better, but those around us do too.

I love connection. The word connection is broad, and I cherish it in all its forms… Connecting with myself, with strangers on the street, with people I’ve just met, and with my loved ones. I find deep meaning in connection, and over the past few years, I’ve been exploring this area with curiosity and intention.

My career has been anything but linear. With a degree in Business Economics, I chose to follow my curiosity and inner light, transitioning into roles focused on creating environments where people feel seen, heard, and valued for who they are, and invited to grow as a collective.

Before joining The Wellbeing Project, I worked in People Change Management and as a People Program Manager for various international companies. Today, alongside my role at the organization, I’m developing my own project that supports individuals on their journey back to their hearts.

What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

Inner Wellbeing for me is dedicating time and space to connect with myself and with others.

How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Expansion

Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?

Journaling, meditation, movement, nourishing meals, reading, sharing activities I like with others

Why is it important that we prioritise individual and collective wellbeing?

I believe it is important that we prioritize wellbeing so that we can live a more intentional life, feel more at ease with ourselves and with one another. I believe wellbeing promotes understanding, peace and community.

Do you have any favourite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote, or educate on wellbeing and related themes? 

I admire experts like Joe Dispenza and Gabor Maté. I find a lot of value in listening to The Diary of a CEO, as Steven interviews people who are making a big difference and he does it in such a humble and curious way.

Paulina Barrios

Development Manager

Mexico

Connect with Paulina: 

Paulina M. Barrios holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature with an emphasis on International Relations from Colorado College and a Master’s in African Studies from El Colegio de México. She has experience in translation, feminist resource mobilization, and has done research on feminist and queer urban literary and performative projects in Latin America and Africa. Her goal is to eventually broaden the connections between academia and activism, as well as show how crucial literature and art are for people’s lives.

GET TO KNOW PAULINA

 

– What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

I think inner wellbeing is feeling at peace with oneself and others, feeling cared for and accompanied by those we hold dear, and having the time and space to explore activities that bring us joy.

– How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Peace

– Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?

Walks with my dogs, calm yoga practice, taking a conscious break for a meal or coffee with my friends or family.

– Why is it important that we prioritise individual and collective wellbeing?

True growth and development are impossible without prioritizing wellbeing, both for personal growth and true lasting social change. Societal and environmental wellbeing are crucial to a sustainable future, one where we all have the ability and possibility to pursue life-changing opportunities.

– Do you have any favourite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote, or educate on wellbeing and related themes? 

One of my favorite books is bell hooks’ “all about love”, wonderful book that pushes us to rethink what love is regarding interpersonal relationships, and also self-love and care.

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Content Curation Advisory Board Member

Content Curation Specialist

Elena Crescia

Wellbeing Events Adviser, The Wellbeing Project

12+ years experience as speaker coach and content curator. Connector of Dots. Bridge Builder. Changemaker. Wellbeing Events Adviser at The Wellbeing Project | Program curator at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change 2022 | Content curator and organizer of The Wellbeing Summit São Paulo 2023 | Content curator at Hearth Summit Omega & Harlem Wellness Center 2025. Curator & Speaker Coach TEDxSaoPaulo | TED Speaker | Country Director Clubes TED Ed Curation consultant at The Skoll World Forum 2023 | Content Curator SOCAP 2023. Master of International Affairs, Economic and Political Development – Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs | Master in Financial Evaluation of Development Projects – Université Sorbonne | Impact Investor Manager course by ANDE and JPMorgan with Santa Clara University. Founder of Ideas Talk. Editora de Ideias and Portfolia.

Connect with Elena on social media :

IN ELENA’S WORDSIN ELENA’S WORDS

How do you think individual, collective, and planetary wellbeing are connected?

Individual, collective and planetary wellbeing are interconnected. We all affect each other and we can only flourish when we are take care of all of us, the communities and the environment that we live in.

What do you hope the outcomes are from the global Hearth Summit?

I hope all participants of the global Hearth Summit feel inspired to prioritize their wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people they care about, and we all strengthen our connection to nature and the arts, we learn new ways to improve our wellbeing and we make new friends.

Bilbao 2022
Ljubljana 2025
Speakers
Arts
Asia 2028

Manuel Bagorro

Creative Advisor at Carnegie Hall in New York City; Founder and Artistic Director of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) in Zimbabwe; Artistic Director of Bay Chamber Concerts in Camden, Maine

Manuel Bagorro is a long-time Creative Advisor at Carnegie Hall, working on the design, planning and implementation of a range of programs. He is also Artistic Director of Bay Chamber Concerts and Music School in Rockport ME, Founder and Artistic Director of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) in Zimbabwe and served as a program advisor for CultureSummit Abu Dhabi in 2017 and 2018. He curated the arts program for the first Wellbeing Summit in Bilbao, 2022 and leads the artistic team for the Global Hearth Summit in Ljubljana, 2025. For the last 12 years, his work with Bay Chamber Concerts and Music School has resulted in a new approach to the organization’s educational offerings and community engagement programs. Under his leadership, the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) became one of the most significant artistic and social impact projects in Southern Africa, weathering the social, political and economic turmoil in Zimbabwe for more than a decade.

He is also a pianist, having performed extensively and won prizes in the Newport International and Royal Overseas League Piano Competitions. He performed in the John Schlesinger film, Madame Sousatzka, and appeared as soloist with the BBC Welsh and Cape Town Symphony Orchestras. He composed the music for a series of documentaries entitled Africa Unmasked and played for Queen Elizabeth II and other dignitaries at a State Banquet in London in 1995.

Connect with Manuel on social media :

IN MANUEL’S WORDSIN MANUEL’S WORDS

How do you think individual, collective, and planetary wellbeing are connected?

Wellbeing begins with the individual – with the creative and innovative thinking of each of us as we journey through our lives. What I think our individual journeys make clear to us is that our own wellbeing relies not only on our personal practices and outlook, but on social groups, communities and a sense of belonging to a larger whole. The existence of this beautiful, human, wellbeing ecosystem is of course entirely dependent on planetary wellbeing – the planet provides the home for our journeys as humans, and our sense of individual and collective belonging. 

What do you hope the outcomes are from the global Hearth Summit?

I hope that the global Hearth Summit strengthens and emboldens our collective commitment to keeping our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of our planet in our minds and hearts long after the Summit ends. I hope for a collective realisation that the arts have a powerful role to play in nurturing individual, collective and planetary wellbeing.

Bilbao 2022
Ljubljana 2025
Speakers
Arts
Asia 2028

Carrie Rebora Barratt

Director, LongHouse Reserve, and Founder, The Solace Project

Carrie Rebora Barratt is an energetic and collaborative curator and executive leader, who has deployed her growth and resilience mindset into organizational culture in top cultural institutions. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Botanical Garden, LongHouse Reserve, and through her umbrella organization, The Solace Project, she leads through big transitions by championing collective intelligence of staff and board at the intersection of art, nature, and the human spirit, to welcome visitors to culture and build community.

At The Met, she rose from summer intern to Deputy Director, immersing herself in the vital importance of museum work in our world. As the leader of 27 departments and over 400 staff—curatorial, conservation and scientific research, libraries, education, publications, and digital—she worked with commitment to the common purpose of shaping the collection, putting on superb exhibitions, and enriching visitor experience. That work requires structured governance and decisive administration matched with collaboration, curiosity, and creativity. She delivered results through strategic planning, marketing savvy, institutional advancement, and facilities management.

In 2018, she took over the New York Botanical Garden as ninth CEO and President, the first woman to hold the position in its 127 year history. A 250 acre campus of art and nature with nearly 500 staff, NYBG faced a major leadership transition and weather challenges on the grounds. In just two years, she developed a long-range art exhibition plan with vital educational programs and new digital content, drafted an agenda for increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, improved facilities, heightened the garden’s role in the botanical and horticultural dimensions of climate change and human wellness, and expanded the urban gardening program in our region. She managed the challenges of the pandemic, and saw the Garden to reopening in summer 2020, staff intact, budget balanced, and visitors returning.

In 2020, during the pandemic, she founded The Solace Project as a vessel to write, talk, teach, and gather community in pursuit of basic wellness through art and nature. Her work in the space continues as a speaker, consultant to museums, gardens, and organizations sharing the value of resilience and wellbeing.
She joined LongHouse Reserve in autumn 2021, invited to lead the institution through transition and turnaround following the passing of founder Jack Lenor Larsen (1927-2020). Since then, she has stewarded the 16-acre integrated environment within a mission to inspire living with art in all forms, serving the community with vast open space, programs in art, nature, and wellness, providing a sanctuary for Long Island and beyond.

Connect with Carrie on social media :

IN CARRIE’S WORDSIN CARRIE’S WORDS

How do you think individual, collective, and planetary wellbeing are connected?

Through our breath and our collective growth as living beings. 

What do you hope the outcomes are from the global Hearth Summit?

Enhanced appreciation for art in nature as the tie that binds us, heals us, generates our curiosity, and creates those awe-filled moments that teach us to feel in our bodies.

WHAT CARRIE IS READING, LISTENING TO, AND WATCHING

Claire Wilcox, Patchwork: A Life Amongst Clothes (Bloomsbury, 2020)

James Elkins, Pictures and Tears: A History of People Who Have Cried in Front of Paintings (Routledge, 2001)

Brene Brown talks to David Eagleman Unlocking Us podcast about The Inside Story of the Every-Changing Brain

Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times (Riverhead Books, 2020)

George Mumford, The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance (Parallax Press, 2016)

Ruth La Ferla, “The Power of Positive Thinking, Reborn,” The New York Times, January 21, 2021

Why Ljubljana?
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Content Curation Advisory Board Member

Ecological Belonging Specialist

Aaron Pereira

Project Co-Lead, The Wellbeing Project

Connect with Aaron Pereira on social media :

Aaron recently came across an old and slightly dusty high school paper and was more than a bit surprised to see it explored the connection between inner lives and social change. It was lovely to (re)discover that his work in the Project touches on a life long interest alongside other wonderful things in life like travel, meeting people, reading, and hosting dinner parties or really gatherings of all kinds.

Aaron’s mom got him involved in social change work (some time before the high school paper) and it stuck. The key thread in much of his work is exploring the way we live together. Sometimes that’s taken the form of pop up experiments, boards, or running an organisation. A few other times he’s been a co-founder such as with CanadaHelps. CanadaHelps, one of Canada’s leading charities, engages over 3 million Canadians to raise over $400 million a year for social causes across Canada and around the world.

Taking time for a morning cup of tea helps his day start out gently and well. It started as a (gentle) daily ritual sometime during a 7 year walk-about which was all about taking time for and re-centering his inner life. Something the cup of tea helps with every day. He loves being based in Paris and continuing to spend a lot of time in India.

Bilbao 2022
Ljubljana 2025
Speakers
Arts
Asia 2028

Connect with Dr. Corinna on social media:

Connect with the Draifflessen Collection on social media:

Dr. Corinna Otto

Museum Director and Curator, Draiflessen Collection

Corinna sees her work not just as a job, but a vocation. For over 25 years, she has worked at the head of various exhibition centres and initiatives and as a consultant for art collectors. Her focus and expertise lie in contemporary art. After studying adult education, art history and philosophy she completed her doctorate on the communicability of contemporary art. As museum director and curator for Draiflessen Collection, Corinna is highly interested in tension fields between tradition and future, faith and doubt, boundaries and freedom, reality, and fiction. With her work it is always her aim to ask questions and to raise awareness of differing viewpoints and her conviction is that in the process, works of art can take on the function of mediation or translation, encouraging people to think and to discover new ways of seeing, promoting and supporting a critical look at themselves, the world around them, and society. As part of a single world that – whether we realise it or not – is closely interconnected, rooted and branched, she wants her work to draw attention to the fact that we are not just looking at an ecological system from the outside, but that we are a living and creative part of it.