ABOUT
LAURA VARELA
Laura Varela
Laura Varela is a San Antonio-based documentary filmmaker and media artists whose work as a storyteller is shaped by her roots growing up on the US/ Mexico Border in El Paso, Texas. Her work navigates between ideological, cultural, linguistic and physical borders through the use of film and contemporary art installations.
She is currently developing the PBS documentary raúlrsalinas and the Poetry of Liberation, about the life and times of Xicano poet and activist. In March 2009 she created the site-specific public art installation “Enlight-Tents” at the Alamo with German artist Vaago Weiland. Her installation work has been exhibited at the San Antonio Museum of Art, Blue Star Center for Contemporary Art, The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Gallista Gallery, and the UTSA Downtown Art Gallery.
She is a fellow of the 2006 CPB/PBS Producers Academy, the 2006 NALAC Leadership Institute, and the 2003 NALIP/UCLA Latino Producers Academy. She attended the Sundance Filmmaker’s lab in 1997 and in 1993 received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas in Radio TV and Film. Artist Residencies include Swarthmore College, PA, Art for Change in NYC, and the Hoschule Neiderrhein and Faust Academy in Germany.
Contact Laura at lauravarela (a) varelafilm.org
EN ESPANOL
Laura Varela es una cinematógrafa y artista visual cuya labor como narradora ha sido influenciada por sus raíces al haber crecido en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México, en El Paso, Texas. Su trabajo navega entre lo ideológico, las fronteras culturales, lingüísticas y físicas, utilizando Filme , Video, Fotografía e Instalaciones de Arte Contemporáneo como medio de expresión.
Actualmente, Laura se encuentra creando el documental “Raul Salinas y la Poesia de la Liberación” para el canal PBS sobre la vida y el tiempo de el poeta y activista chicano. En Marzo del 2009 Laura creo una obra de instalacion de arte público frente al Alamo en San Antonio Texas llamado “Elight-tents” en colaboracion con el también artista visual alemán Vaago Weiland. Sus instalaciones han sido exhibidas en el Museo de Arte de San Antonio, el Museo Alameda Smithsonian, en el Blue-Star Center for Contemporary Arts, The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, La Galería Gallista y la Galería de la Universidad De Texas en San Antonio.
