About Me.
I am an art educator and visual artist from Curitiba, Brazil, living and working in Richmond, Virginia. For the past few years, I have had the joy of teaching elementary art at Overby-Sheppard Elementary School, where I work with hundreds of young artists from PreK through fifth grade each week.
My classroom is the center of my creative life. It is where I get to introduce children to the foundations of drawing, painting, and making — guiding them through observational drawing in our Friday art club, watching kindergarteners discover what their hands can do at choice stations, and helping older students take pride in the moment a piece finally "clicks." Much of the art I make these days happens right alongside my students — demonstrations, examples, and small studies that show them what is possible — and there is something deeply rewarding about creating in a room full of young people who are watching, asking questions, and trying things themselves.
I hold a BA in Graphic Design from the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil and an MA in Art Education from City College of New York. Outside of school, I work in watercolor, gouache, and collage, and I am a published illustrator — most recently of Viagem a Subaúma by Brazilian author Danrley Silva. I have always been fascinated by people, by faces and stories and the small details that make each person unmistakable. That fascination is what first led me to art, and it is what keeps me coming back to a classroom full of young humans every morning.
Education
My path into Art Education began in Graphic Design and Illustration in Brazil and grew into a full commitment to teaching art to children. Each step along the way has shaped how I think about creativity, curriculum, and the role of the artist in the classroom.
Master of Art in Art Education
City College of New York, CUNY
2018–2020
My thesis explored how art education can foster eco-literacy in children. After noticing the volume of plastic waste in school environments, I began researching how eco-artists and recycled-material artists choose what they make from — and how those same questions could become the heart of an art curriculum.
The unit I developed asked students to create artwork from reusable materials they found at home, learning along the way that every creative choice is also an environmental one. The experience confirmed for me that art is one of the most powerful tools we have to help children form a more thoughtful relationship with the world around them.
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design
Universidade Federal do Paraná (Federal University of Paraná), Brazil · 2007–2012
My thesis project, Zupi, was an illustrated children's book designed to teach the alphabet through a fantastical narrative — a magical world where each letter has its own land, full of objects and creatures whose names begin with that letter.
The project combined illustration, storytelling, and interactive design to make early literacy feel like play rather than work. It was my first real experience designing picture book for children, and it planted the seed for the teaching path I would eventually follow.
Continuing Education
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School of Visual Arts, New York · Fall 2015 Silkscreen: The Artist's Book and Editorial Illustration
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Solar do Rosário Art Gallery, Curitiba, Brazil · Fall 2013 Live model drawing and human anatomy studies with Gustavo Diaz
Work Experience
Overby-Sheppard Elementary School — Richmond Public Schools Visual Arts Teacher, PreK–5
August 2023 – Present
I currently teach art to students from PreK through fifth grade, designing and delivering lessons across all elementary levels each week. My classroom runs on a system I created called BRUSH — a whole-class, points-based approach built around five expectations that help students take creative risks in a calm, predictable environment.
In my school, Fridays are dedicated for clubs, and students from 2 to 5 grade pick one of the Encore classes to participate during the quarter. My club often changes, we can dedicate one quarter to collage, another to introduction to character drawing and fundaments of drawing, and even creative sculpture, where we use recycled materials to create fun sculpture.
One of my goals as a teacher is to nurture curiosity in my students, because I believe curiosity is one of the building blocks of a creative mind. This year, a fifth-grader asked me why I had decided to become an art teacher — not as small talk, but with real interest in understanding. I took it as a quiet sign that I am on the right track: when students start wondering about the people and choices around them, they are practicing the same kind of attention that makes them better artists.
VOICE Charter School — New York City Art Teacher · K - 2
August 2021 – March 2022
I taught art to elementary students, creating lesson plans aligned with NYS Visual Arts standards. I used the art-on-a-cart model, bringing materials and instruction directly into classrooms, and incorporated mindfulness and breathing exercises to help students transition into their creative mindset. The year culminated in an end-of-year installation where each grade contributed a different element — the final piece looked like a tree growing in a garden, assembled from work across the entire school.
Assistant Teacher · K - 2
October 2019 – August 2021
I assisted with K–2 instruction in art, mindfulness, and guided reading, supporting students both in person and virtually during the shift to remote learning. I also conducted a weekly "mind, body, and heart" mindfulness class, substituted as art teacher when needed, and facilitated a virtual workshop for parents on reading strategies they could use at home with their children.
Digital Illustrator - Freelancer
Freelance · 2013 – Present | Mundo Circus, Brazil · 2013–2016
I have worked as a professional illustrator since 2013, first at Mundo Circus in Brazil and then as a freelancer. My published work includes the illustrations for Viagem a Subaúma by Danrley Silva, as well as book covers, educational illustrations, and branding projects. I work in both digital and traditional media, with a focus on watercolor, silkscreen, and gouache.
For more details, see Digital Art.
Practicum
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Ella Baker School, New York City · Sept–Dec 2020 Student teaching placement. Developed mini-lesson slides, activity demos, and instructional videos; co-taught art classes; curated student artwork.
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City Art LAB, City College of New York · Spring 2018 Led after-school art classes for teenagers covering printmaking, collage, and rubber etching. Guided students through their creative process and curated an end-of-semester gallery show.
Exhibitions
"On the Inside Looking Out" 2020 AnkhLave Garden Project Fellows · Indoor Culminating Exhibit · January – April 2021
Following the outdoor Garden Project, the six 2020 Fellows reunited for an indoor exhibit that brought together relics from the original installation alongside new and continued explorations. I exhibited two pieces:
Marielle Presente! (Acrylic on canvas, branches, and rope, 2020)
A portrait honoring Marielle Franco — a Brazilian politician, feminist, and human rights activist who was murdered on March 14, 2018 while returning from a speech, where she had been fighting against police brutality in Brazil. The portrait was originally installed amid the crabapple trees at Queens Botanical Garden. Like the trees — common, unspectacular alone, but powerful together — Marielle represents a living force whose fight continues. She is present.
Untitled (Acrylic on wood canvas, pussy willow branches, rope, 2021)
This painting is a reflection about those who suffer from poverty and violence in Brazil. Because of polarization of politics, the move away from social benefits for the population, and most recently the pandemic, people are being forced to do extraordinary things to survive.
The sparrows represent the people of Brazil. Sparrows are a common bird, brought to the Americas by conquistadores. In the painting, one lone sparrow flies out, moving away from a broken branch. The other birds are static, unaware of the disturbance nearby. The broken branches go through the painting, trapping and growing around the sparrows. The red is a reference to revolution, and blood.
AnkhLave Garden Project Fellowship 2020 Fellow ·
Queens Botanical Garden, Summer 2020
I was selected as one of six BIPOC women artists from Queens for the second annual AnkhLave Garden Project Fellowship — a public art fellowship in which fellows create site-specific installations throughout the grounds of the Queens Botanical Garden. The Fellows that year were five immigrant artists and one first-generation US citizen. Marielle Presente! was originally created and installed for this outdoor exhibition. The fellowship was featured in Time Out New York.
Certifications & Licenses
Teaching Licenses
Virginia Postgraduate Professional License — Visual Arts PreK–12 Virginia Department of Education
Issued February 15, 2024 · Valid through June 30, 2033 · Status: Active
Previous Certification
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New York State Public School Teacher Certificate — Visual Arts (Initial, 2021) University of the State of New York Education Department
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New York State Teaching Assistant Certificate — Level One (2021) University of the State of New York Education Department
Safety & Student Welfare Trainings
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Adult & Pediatric First Aid / CPR / AED American Red Cross
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Child Abuse & Maltreatment Reporting
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School Violence Prevention & Intervention
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Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Anti-Bullying Workshop New York Institute of Technology
Professional Development
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Dyslexia Awareness Module Virginia Department of Education