If I have to define myself, saying who I am, I promptly answer that I am a woman, mother, artist, educator, student, researcher, dancer, performer ... I am people that I have met and I am also places where I have been, I am relationality in phenomena.
I started my studies into art and education while I was studying Philosophy in the University of Sao Paulo and when I became a mother. One of the big changing of my life it was the motherhood. In being a mother, I understood that the only way to do any revolution in the world, nevertheless in your own world, is through education.
As an Artist Educator, I have developed my practice based on the spontaneity of the creation. The artistic image emerges as instinct and instinctively leads the senses to give shape to sensitivity linked to consciousness. Art is born of the explosion of feel the ultimate meaning of the existence and transform it into language.
I believe in education as a form of intervention in the world and the way we are committed to it will surely reflect in the future of our society. I believe in an education where the children are the precursor of the process, where their curiosity, creativity and imagination brings us to reveal the unknown, when we have time and space to exchange experiences, when we are equal learners and together we are searching for signification of signifiers and making the sense of our lives - an education where social and emotional development is as important as numeracy.
I did my MA in Artist Teacher and Contemporary Practices at Goldsmiths College and continued researching the connection that exists between the symbolic activity and the learning process. This research have proportioned the discovering of ways to collaborate with children so they can understand the reality in a casual and entertaining way, express how they see the world and also use their imagination and creativity to solve the problems and difficult situations in their lives. Based in these beliefs I have been developing several educational art projects such as “Green Toys”, Creativity in scene, Play matters, Dancing Cow, Building EDUCATION, Identity etc. in working with community centres, schools and art organizations.
I am a co-founder and CEO of WE Women - Women Empowering Women, a women’s network that aims to bring women together, to support each other and create a platform for sharing talents and skills. Under my leadership, WE Women revitalized our Local Community Library and transformed it into a community hub. providing different community programs and activities such as WE Women Circles, Yoga sessions, community lunches, and befrienders groups.
I am the chair of Co-oPepys – Community Arts project, a cooperative of artists who use its premises as free art studio in return of sharing their practices with our community. At the moment we are working collaboratively using the space and delivering workshops such as life drawing, printing, photography, textiles and mural painting for our community, especially young people.
I think that a culture of sharing talents, experience and good practice is the best way to improve our lives. I love to exchange ideas, advices with my colleagues and our community, providing the best possible experience of getting together and sharing skills. I love the different, it is a possibility to learn new things and expand myself. The other is also part of Me, of myself, so We together can create a better community.
