Arantza Cuesta Ezeiza is a Basque historian and cultural manager who has developed an extensive professional career in the preservation, documentation and dissemination of Basque cultural heritage. With a solid academic background and extensive experience in the cultural sector, she has held various positions of responsibility in prestigious institutions, culminating with her appointment as director of Eusko Ikaskuntza (Society for Basque Studies) in 2018.
Academic background and specialization
Arantza Cuesta Ezeiza began her higher education at the University of Deusto, where she studied Geography and History. Subsequently, she furthered her education by specializing in Art History at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, obtaining her degree in 1985.
Her commitment to continuing education led her to undertake various postgraduate studies, among which the following stand out: University Specialist in Basque Studies from the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) in 1997, and University Specialist in Digital Documentation from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona in 2002. Additionally, she completed a Master's Degree in Digital Documentation at the same Catalan university, thus consolidating her professional profile at the intersection cultural heritage and new technologies.
Professional Career
Arantza Cuesta's professional career began in 1987, when she started her activity in the field of historical-artistic heritage in Eusko Ikaskuntza, to carry out the inventory of the Architectural Heritage of Euskadi for the Basque Government. During this period, he developed competencies in the cataloguing, preservation and dissemination of cultural assets, laying the foundations for his later specialization.
1991 and 1994, he worked on the Catalog of Movable Goods of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of San Sebastian, for which he also carried out an important photographic work, taking more than 30,000 photographs of different heritage elements, artistic pieces and objects of liturgical use of hermitages, churches and shrines of Gipuzkoa. This collection, of which more than 4,000 selected images are preserved, documents paintings, sculptures, reliefs, altarpieces, baptismal fonts, gold and silverware, textiles and various types of religious furnishings from Gipuzkoa.
In 1995, Arantza Cuesta rejoined Eusko Ikaskuntza-Sociedad de Estudios Vascos, where she began a long and fruitful professional career. Initially, she held different positions of responsibility in the areas of documentary heritage and information and communication technologies (ICT).
1997 and 2002, he took over the management of the Mediateka of Eusko Ikaskuntza, developing preservation and dissemination tasks of the Basque documentary heritage. This period coincided with the rise of the digital revolution and the progressive incorporation of new technologies in the cultural and heritage field, a field in which she stood out and was a pioneer.
With the creation of the Euskomedia Foundation of Eusko Ikaskuntza in 2002, Arantza Cuesta was appointed director of this entity, a position she held until July 2014. During her directorship, she promoted significant projects such as the Basque Culture Information ‘Euskomedia’, which integrates different s, including the digital Auñamendi Encyclopaedia, the magazine Euskonews & Media, the Euskal Kantutegia and Euskal Cultura Prentsan 1900-1975. She also promoted the digitisation and networking of the editorial collection of Eusko Ikaskuntza and other cultural entities of reference, as well as the digitisation and data modelling of the Gran Enciclopedia Navarra, among other reference projects.
In 2014, Arantza Cuesta rejoined Eusko Ikaskuntza as Director of Promotion and Technology, taking over the areas of dissemination, communication and information and communication technologies. This new responsibility allowed her to continue developing strategies for the preservation and dissemination of Basque cultural heritage in the digital environment.
In 2017, he took over the coordination and technical secretariat of the XVIII Basque Studies Congress and the Eusko Ikaskuntza Centenary Events, demonstrating his organisational skills and strategic vision in the management of major cultural events.
In January 2018, Arantza Cuesta Ezeiza was appointed director of Eusko Ikaskuntza (Basque Studies Society), a position she currently holds, replacing Iñaki Ibarra Unzueta. This appointment was in recognition of her long career and commitment to the organisation, as well as her in-depth knowledge of the institution, where she began working more than two decades earlier.
Since Arantza Cuesta took over the management of Eusko Ikaskuntza in 2018, she has played a key role in the adaptation and consolidation of the new organisational and strategic model of Eusko Ikaskuntza, guiding the institution in a transformation process aimed at responding effectively to the contemporary challenges of Basque society. His leadership has been especially relevant in the organisation and projection of the last two Basque Studies Congresses - the XVIII Congress in 2018 Geroa Elkar-ekin / El futuro que nos (re)une / Notre futur ensemble and the XIX Congress in 2024 Elkartzen Gaituena / Lo que nos une - which have been key milestones in the redefinition of the role of Eusko Ikaskuntza as a central agent in the construction of the future of Eusko Ikaskuntza. Under his leadership, these congresses have become spaces for collective reflection, social participation and the formulation of strategic proposals, reinforcing the institution's commitment to applied knowledge, social cohesion and cross-border collaboration.
His leadership has provided a significant boost to the digital transformation of the institution. With a solid background in documentary heritage management and information technologies, Cuesta has promoted the modernisation of digital platforms to facilitate access and dissemination of knowledge. He has given continuity to initiatives such as the Euskomedia , reinforcing its role as a reference for information on Basque culture. It has also led the digitisation of historical archives and the adaptation of Eusko Ikaskuntza to the virtual environment during the pandemic, facilitating online events and collaborations. His experience has also been key to strengthening the institutional presence on the web and social networks, consolidating a digital strategy consistent with the new social and technological challenges.
Academic activity and contributions
Throughout her career, Arantza Cuesta has actively participated in academic and cultural life, attending and acting as a speaker at numerous congresses, courses, seminars and conferences both in Europe and America.
Her teaching activities include directing the University of the Basque Country's summer course ‘Virtual information. From the original document to the digital one’ in 2000, workshops on information s in Lima and Cuzco, as well as the workshop “Enhancing the value of digital heritage” at the Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires in 2004, demonstrating her international projection in the field of digital heritage management.
As a researcher, she has contributed to the Auñamendi Encyclopaedia, as well as to other publications, being the author of specialised articles such as the one dedicated to the Camino de Santiago, demonstrating her knowledge of the cultural heritage and historical routes of the Basque Country.
Arantza Cuesta Ezeiza's professional career reflects a sustained commitment to the preservation, documentation and dissemination of Basque cultural heritage, especially in its adaptation to the digital environment. Her multidisciplinary training, combining historical-artistic studies with specialisation in digital documentation, has enabled her to lead innovative digitisation projects and access to cultural heritage.
Throughout almost four decades of professional activity, she has played a fundamental role in the modernisation of important Basque cultural institutions, especially Eusko Ikaskuntza and the Euskomedia Foundation, contributing decisively to the preservation of the collective memory and the international projection of Basque culture. Her appointment as director of Eusko Ikaskuntza in 2018 represents the recognition of a career dedicated to the enhancement of Basque cultural heritage in all its manifestations.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)