Casa de Cultura Maracuja

Art

Julieta Varela is an artist whose creations meditate on natural and urban sanctuaries. She isa first-generation Brazilian New Yorker who grew up in Harlem and Washington Heights. Julieta’s work incorporates drawing, painting and repurposed materials into sculptural and mixed media pieces. She is inspired by the botanical and urban landscapes of the cities and wilderness that she has visited or imagined. Her artwork seeks to transport viewers into these sacred, life-giving spaces – an offering of refuge in a complex world. 

Teaching

Julieta’s interest in web-weaving is reflected in her community organizing, curating and teaching work. She currently teaches Kindergarten at Brooklyn Friends School, an independent Quaker School in Brooklyn, New York, and taught early childhood and primary education at Little Red Lower School. She teaches culturally responsive and student-driven lessons that thread through all academic subjects of math, literacy, science and social studies, infused with creative arts to support diverse learning styles and needs. Julieta also brings her background of art education to her general classroom curriculum, teaching mixed media art lessons, that incorporate social and emotional learning. She guides her students to explore constructivist, process based art forms while navigating various art concepts and movements observed through historical and contemporary art. She combines methods for observational art making and abstraction, to equip students with a range of skills, integrated through differentiated lessons, in collaboration with learning specialists, occupational therapists and psychologists. Her pedagogy is founded on social justice values, eco-consciousness, scientific inquiry, and age-appropriate development of critical thinking skills, to nurture lifelong learners who feel resourced and empowered to research their curiosities and interests. She has taught art education for grades from preschool through high school, to senior citizens. Her classroom education spans from Kindergarten to Third Grade. Julieta’s love of museum education and curation, can be seen in her liaising opportunities for her students to have museum visits and as well as visiting educators in fields including geology, published authors, established artists, environmental educators, and social justice changemakers, discussing their process and providing pathways for students to envision their own potential in these fields of study. 

Organizing

As a classroom teacher, art educator and curator, Julieta has organized interdisciplinary workshops and showcases for local and international visual and performing artists. Julieta’s mission with Casa de Cultura is to co-create a community art space ith her neighbors in Harlem Julieta’s home, a place that has always provided her sanctuary. She created She co-created this collective haven as a love letter for Harlem, a place that’s steeped in artists looking for places to exhibit and share their creations. Julieta curated events programming, with her close and extended communities. They shared interdisciplinary workshops, art, dance, herbalism, fitness, self defense classes, curated visual art exhibitions, film screenings, celebration, ceremony, healing arts, music performances, and artisan markets. Click here for the calendar. Check out our Collective’s Directory of virtual offerings.

Casa de Cultura is fiscally sponsored by Urban Creators Organization.

Julieta has been a co-organizer of theHangNight™ at Heath Galleryvisual and performing arts showcase since its genesis in 2014. Since February of 2014, HangNight™ at the Heath Gallery has served as a platform for intergenerational and visual and performing creatives of many modes, to share, receive feedback and appreciation for their expressions. Julieta is on the committee forCreative Conversationsat Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop.