Veronica Olivares-Weber

Teaching Artist

veronicaolivaresweber@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/veronicaow

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I have been a teaching artist for over twenty years. I discovered my passion for art when I moved to New York City in 1996, where I took ceramics courses for several years at Teachers College Columbia University and audited Art History classes at Columbia University. In 2001, I volunteered at the Children’s Garden Studio and taught art and Montessori classes for preschoolers.

I am originally from Guadalajara, Mexico and I love integrating my culture, heritage, and language into my art classes. In 2007, I joined the Arts Council of Princeton as part of their faculty. I have been teaching weekly art classes, summer camps, and afterschool art classes for several elementary schools, and community art workshops. I have also participated in local community art exhibitions and free programs for low-income students.

In 2009, I created a bilingual class called “Spanish Through Art“ and a few years later a class titled, “The Movement of the Muralist”. Both focused on teaching different art mediums and the artwork of Mexican artists, exploring Mexican culture and heritage. In 2022, I helped create a new free art program "Smart Kids” for low-income middle school students. I have also been organizing and coordinating Day of the Dead events for over fifteen years at the Arts Council of Princeton and have built altars for the holiday. During the Fall of 2020, I co-curated a Day of the Dead exhibition at the Taplin gallery for the Arts Council of Princeton, and in the Fall of 2021, I co-curated and helped install in the Dohm alley a Day of the Dead installation along with the Artistic Director of the Arts Council of Princeton.

In the Spring of 2022, I was invited to be the Artist in Residence for the third-grade classes at the Community Park Elementary School in Princeton where my residence was focused on Papier Mãché and Mexican Tin Art Milagros.

I am very passionate about helping in my community and over the years I have served on several Boards and Commissions. I served as the Vice-Chair of Latino America Legal Defend Fund (LALDEF), Princeton Recreation Department Board, Housing Initiative of Princeton, Code for Princeton, Princeton Red Umbrella, Code Equal, the Arts Council of Princeton, and I am on my third year serving as the Chair of the Princeton Human Services Commission. In 2009, I was recognized by the Arts Council of Princeton for my volunteering efforts with the Volunteer Award of the Year.

Additionally, in an effort to share my culture and heritage in our community, I created and founded the Festival Cultural Latino. Every year our local Latinx artists, business owners, artisans, and performers participate to celebrate Latino Heritage Month.