Meet the Magisters: Fabiola López-Durán and Carlos Martínez-Rivera on architecture, wine and student bonds

By Arman Saxena and Juliana Lightsey     4/15/25 10:45pm

Behind an unassuming brick exterior lies abstract art, overflowing bookshelves and handcrafted wood furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the home of Fabiola López-Durán and Carlos Martínez-Rivera in natural light.

As the Hanszen College magisters, the two are in the unique position of providing guidance and support to an entire residential college of students. They have been magisters since 2019, an experience López-Durán said has been equal parts rewarding and challenging.

“This has been such an incredible journey … it has been the best and most difficult job of my life, and we love it,” López-Durán said.

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López-Durán and Martínez-Rivera are both Venezuelan, and the abundance of greenery in their home — willowy garden trees, thick jungle leaves and pointed kitchen-counter fronds — serves as an homage to the lush climate of their home country.

“We are from the Caribbean, so we wanted something quite tropical,” López-Durán said. “For us, it was important to live in a house that was our house, and to share with the students the life and the space that we create around ourselves. It doesn’t matter where we are.”

The house’s open concept, with huge glass panel windows in almost every room, also immerses the space in the greenery of the gardens outside, Martínez-Rivera said.

“The windows are open to the outside, it’s this fantastic thing,”  Martínez-Rivera continued. “It has a lot of character, we love that.”

López-Durán is a trained architect who teaches art history at Rice. Her passion for art and architecture is evident in their home, she said. An abstract wire sculpture adorns the kitchen wall, and a collection of print and multimedia works line the living room.

One of the most notable works of art in the house is much more functional — a cowhide Le Corbusier chaise lounge chair makes a bold statement in the living room. López-Durán said she has a complicated relationship with the controversial architect’s work.

“[Le Corbusier] is a protagonist of the fourth chapter of my book on eugenics and architecture,” López-Durán said. “I speak very badly about him in that book, but I’m fascinated by him without any question. This is my favorite chair in the entire house.”

Martínez-Rivera’s artistic touch is also evident in the wooden accent pieces he crafted by hand for the home, from a ridged, horn-like sculpture in the living room to a multitiered swivel coffee table in the pair’s bedroom. 

Martínez-Rivera said that one of his fondest memories is sharing his passion for film and video editing with the students. He hosts an annual video clip festival where students can showcase their creations.

“I love to project film that I have to the students,” Martínez-Rivera said.  “This is going to be the third clip festival happening at Hanszen.”

To López-Durán, the best part of the academic year comes in April, when she and Martínez-Rivera have a tradition of inviting Hanszen’s graduating seniors to a wine tasting in their house. 

“I make fun with people, [by] saying that wine is my second field of research, because I took that very seriously since I was 22 and living in Italy,” López-Durán said. “I enjoy very much … to introduce students who never had that opportunity into the wonderful flavors that you can taste in a single sip of wine.”

The ability to share their home, passions and life experience with Rice students — and watching them learn and grow in return — is the most fulfilling aspect of being a magister, López-Durán said. 

“This kind of intimate connection to the students is something really unique and fulfilling,” López-Durán said. “That process of discovering yourself … is probably the most important single process in the life of any single individual, [and] is just a privilege and joy to be a part of.”

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