Aldana Biography

Maria Gabriela Aldana is Art of Solidarity's cofounding director. She is a bilingual community artist, community organizer, oral historian, folklorist, and teacher. For over 20 years, Aldana has produced community-centered oral histories, murals, exhibitions, parades, documentary films, traveling exhibitions, family festivals, and multicultural events. Originally from Managua, Nicaragua, Ms. Aldana is a proud immigrant with a lifetime of experiences between cultures as a former asylee raised in Miami as a child by her family. She calls Baltimore, Maryland home where she earned her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003 and was part of the first group to earn a MA in Community Arts in 2006. She holds K-12 Fine Arts Teacher license in the state of Maryland from Notre Dame, University of Maryland. Most recently, Aldana directed and produced “Echoes from the Key Bridge: A Baltimore Longshoreman” oral histories and documentary, officially selected as part of the 2025 Richmond International Film Festival.