Strategic Planning

Over the course of 30 years in the cultural field, Mr. Cancel has helped numerous public agencies and private NGOs develop a strong institutional consensus around a clear mission-based vision. These strategic planning documents have varied in their time horizons between 3 – 5 years and are often produced by engaging key constituents and staff members in their drafting and adoption.

Cultural Facilities Planning

Mr. Cancel has been involved with and evaluated dozens of space plans for a wide range of cultural organizations, both as an insider and as a funder. He brings years of practical, hands-on operational experience that provide client/owners with a seasoned voice at the table when discussing these expansion and renovation plans with architects and Boards. These discussions often help clients to optimize the use of space and minimize future operating costs. As a member of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission, he was co-chair of the site selection committee that evaluated nine potential sites for the museum to be established in Washington, DC.

Introduction and Utilization of Media Tools

Mr. Cancel has been a pioneer and advocate for the use and introduction of digital media in museums. As the head of various public and private agencies, he has introduced the use of social media tools, like Twitter, Facebook, Internet Radio, Podcasting, video streaming of live and recorded events, and the optimization of organizational messaging across various media platforms. He has worked as the mediator between highly technical producers and their less techie clients and helped clients to achieve cutting edge style while maintaining broad audience appeal. Here’s a CultureWire interview with the musician Carlos Santana.

Curatorial Services

As a recognized scholar on Latin American and Latino art, Mr. Cancel has curated several major exhibitions, including the landmark “The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States, 1920-1970” organized while he was Director of The Bronx Museum of the Arts.

He also curated several major exhibitions including: The First, Second and Third Emerging Expressions Biennials: The Artists and the Computer; Devastation/Resurrection: The South Bronx; Krishna Reddy, a Retrospective; Legacy/Legado an exhibition designed to celebrate the bicentennial of The Old State House in Connecticut.