Alina Țuțuianu: Blending Art and Alternative Education to Create Living Spaces of Creativity and Inclusion

Explore Alina Țuțuianu’s journey at the intersection of art and education, and her vision of how creativity can transform entire generations.

Alina Țuțuianu works at the intersection of art and education, developing projects that bring together artistic research, alternative pedagogy, and community engagement. She is the founder of Flori, fete și băieți, a non-formal educational center dedicated to preschoolers, where early childhood education is combined with creative methods of learning.
Here, children explore the world through art, play, and reflection, in an environment that cultivates autonomy, empathy, and critical thinking.
In parallel, Alina has extensive experience in contemporary art, working as a curator, cultural manager, and initiator of educational and exhibition programs. She has co-curated more than 30 exhibitions in Romania and abroad and has collaborated in curatorial and managerial teams for major institutions and initiatives such as MNAC, Salonul de proiecte, and Frieze Art Fair.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence, in a way that would spark curiosity for those who don’t know you yet?
Alina: I’m Alina. I live in Bucharest with my husband, Adrian, and our two sons, Călin (7) and Sandu (2), and I work with children aged 2 to 6. My fields of interest revolve around contemporaneity, which I understand as a living, fluid territory where contemporary art and early childhood education meet, play, ask questions, and sometimes even provide answers.
I am deeply interested in how creativity, critical thinking, and experimentation can be nurtured from the earliest ages, as well as in how art can become a real tool for learning, discovery, and connection. For me, there are no boundaries between the “general public” and “little people” – everyone has the capacity to understand and experience art, as long as they are offered a genuine and vibrant space in which to explore.

C&B: If we were to follow the narrative thread of your career or business, what key moments defined you?
Alina: The first was when I gave up on the (very elitist) Law School in Bucharest and moved to London to study contemporary art – a radical but liberating decision that set me on an authentic creative path and gave me access to a completely different approach: I was no longer in competition, I was in a place of knowledge, where sharing mattered more than keeping to yourself; art is not in an isolated place, it connects to everything else; the space of art is one of generosity, curiosity, exchange, and constant learning.
The second decisive moment was becoming a mother – a profound transformation that completely rewrote my priorities and gave me an inner clarity that no school could ever provide. These two moments taught me courage, presence, and the importance of owning my story.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?
Alina: The hardest challenge has been, and still is, facing the feeling of helplessness when confronted with the need to support more people than my time and resources allow. It was difficult to accept that, although I wanted to help everyone, I couldn’t do it all alone.
I gradually learned to recognize the signs of emotional overload and to give myself permission to take breaks without guilt. Recently, practices such as meditation, self-reflection, and swimming have helped me maintain balance and return with energy and clarity. It’s an ongoing process that continues to teach me how important it is to take care of myself in order to be able to care for others.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, no matter the obstacles?
Alina: Looking back, I realize there has always been one dream guiding me through everything: to build a space where children are seen, heard, and encouraged. A place where education is not about conformity, but about trust, curiosity, and inner freedom.
Flori, fete și băieți was the concrete response to that dream. It wasn’t an easy journey – neither in vision nor in implementation – but it was profoundly aligned with what I believe about how people and society are formed.
For me, it is not just an educational project. It is a form of gentle activism, a declaration of faith in the potential of every child and in the impact that a safe, vibrant, and authentic space can have on a generation.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you’ve transformed since then?
Alina: At the beginning, I was brave but insecure. I had clear intuitions but not always the confidence to follow them through. I moved between “what I feel” and “what is expected.”
Over time, I’ve transformed into someone much more grounded in my own vision. I learned to listen to myself, to own my choices, and to stop seeking external validation for what I know deeply makes sense.
I shifted from searching for a “fitting” place for me, to building one. Now, I don’t want to check boxes anymore. I want to create vibrant spaces, cultivate presence, and remain true to a way of being that doesn’t compromise the essential.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Alina: I believe they would say I am present, engaged, and visionary. That I know how to hold space for people and ideas without forcing or controlling. They would probably also say that I am demanding but not rigid – that I hold high internal standards, but apply them with kindness.
That I care more about direction, meaning, and deep coherence than about superficial perfection.
And, above all, that I am fully there – when it truly matters.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?
Alina: The most important decision that shifted my path was partnering with Flavia.
It wasn’t just a business decision, but a profoundly personal one. Flavia is that rare kind of person beside whom you can show yourself completely – with your most fragile ideas, vulnerabilities, wild dreams, and big plans. She has a warm yet clear presence, a balance between emotion and structure.
Our collaboration brought me not only a trustworthy partner but also an honest mirror, a constant source of stability in chaos, and courage in difficult times. She helped me clarify my path, grow, and build more authentically than I could have alone.
Looking back, that “yes” I said to her was, in fact, a “yes” to a braver and more aligned version of myself.

C&B: What do you think differentiates your business or professional approach from the rest of the industry?
Alina: What differentiates my business and professional approach is the combination of radical love, true inclusion, and a fluid pedagogical vision that weaves together several philosophies – Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf – in a living, contextual, and empathetic way.
I believe in an educational space that doesn’t standardize children but listens to them. That doesn’t impose rhythms but observes them. And above all, I believe in an education carried out with gentleness, presence, and the deep belief that every child deserves to be seen, not just “molded.”
For me, inclusion isn’t a principle written on the walls, but a daily practice: in language, in gestures, in the way we sit together at the table, regardless of our differences. Even the name Flori, fete și băieți speaks to this: to diversity and the freedom to be yourself, beyond labels.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them every day?
Alina: The values that guide me are humanity, the courage to be authentic, and the responsibility to build spaces where people don’t just function but feel at home.
I deeply believe that education and care for others cannot exist without community. In a world where more and more parents raise their children alone, far from extended families, I believe we need to rebuild that “village” that supports the child – and implicitly the adult.
Every day, I practice this through small but essential decisions: how I listen, how I speak, how I create space for differences – be they cultural, emotional, or rhythmic. In my projects, diversity is not a detail, but a foundation. And activism is not a label, but a constant choice to make room for everyone.
I believe every gesture educates. And if we want a gentler world, we must model it starting with the way we look at each other.

C&B: If you were to share a message with those who follow your example, what would it be?
Alina: Trust your vision, even if it doesn’t look like anyone else’s. Your difference is your strength. Build from conviction, not from fear. Choose collaborations that nourish you, not just ones that work on paper.
And above all: stay true to your values even when it’s hard – because that’s where true leadership shows. Sustainable success doesn’t come from doing things “like everyone else,” but from creating a space where others find themselves precisely because you had the courage to be yourself.

Alina Țuțuianu’s story reveals how art and education can shape vibrant spaces where children and communities grow through creativity, empathy, and freedom.