Since its creation a few years ago by José Roca, curator of the space, and his wife Adriana Hurtado, FLORA ars+natura has been conceived as a place dedicated to contemporary art associated with nature, with a focus on the relationships between the environment, the city and people. Escuela FLORA was created with this purpose and also to further the development, interaction and creation of interdisciplinary spaces. The new project is also headed and funded by Roca and Hurtado, whose passion about art has now led them to act on this new great dream of theirs, with the support of volunteers (art students from universities in Bogota), artists who donated their works to help with the fundraising, as well as national and international institutions. From the moment one enters Escuela FLORA, the mission of FLORA ars+natura is present in the spaces conceived for the dialog and exchange among visitors, the staff, artists, art, neighbors and even journalists—as it occurred the day ArtNexus was invited to participate in a conversation and interaction that elicited an exploration of the ways we relate to contemporary art and its practices and the manner in which the press covers and writes about art. José Roca and Catalina López-Hurtado designed the architectural layout of the place. The new FLORA library was designed by Brazilian artist Daniel Acosta. The place's 12 residency spaces for national and international artists are aimed at generating exchanges between artists from different cultures, who will be able to interact with curators, historians and experts on indigenous themes. Escuela FLORA will also organize specialized talks with guest scholars, as well as conferences on pertaining to the Latin American art context. FLORA ars+natura offers activities for diverse publics invited to visit its space and learn more about contemporary art and the motivations driving the creative processes of the participating artists and the way in which these relate to nature. Part of the program of events include inviting neighbors to participate in activities like: "Throwing the Pencil," a workshop directed by artist Manuel Santana; "Hot Chocolate with the Neighbors," which consists of getting together with members of the FLORA staff and some guest artists to share an evening meal and exchange experiences. Other spaces, like the library, invite researchers and other individuals interested in having conversations centered on art, nature and the environment. The new project Escuela FLORA will include the participation of 12 artists from around the world with fellowships in different modalities. Some of these artists include: Guido Yannitto (Salta, Argentina, 1981), Margaret Mariño (Bogota, Colombia, 1987), Katherinne Fiedler (Lima, Peru, 1982), Balam Bartolomé (Ocosingo, Mexico, 1975), Lina Mazenett and David Quiroga (Bogota, Colombia, 1989 and 1985), Juan Carlos Jiménez (Pasto, Colombia, 1983), Sandra Rengifo (Bogota, 1979); who will be advised by prominent artists like: Abel Rodríguez and Carlos Rodríguez (Colombia), Bernardo Ortiz (Colombia), Clemencia Echeverri (Colombia), José Alejandro Restrepo (Colombia), François Bucher (Colombia), Abbas Akhavan and Abaseh Mirvali (Iran), David Batchelor (United Kingdom), and Eugenio Valdés-Figueroa (Cuba), among others.