The September Artist of the month is filmmaker 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.

 Watch for Laura Varela's video profile coming soon!

Varela’s film, As Long As I Remember: American Veteranos, will broadcast on September 16 at 9pm on KLRN in San Antonio. The national broadcast of the film is presented by Latino Public Broadcasting and offered through American Public Television.
 
As Long As I Remember: American Veteranos, examines the personal toll and legacy of the Vietnam War on three South Texas artists: visual artist Juan Farias, author Michael Rodriguez and poet/performance artist Eduardo Garza. The stories of these veterans and their families take us through a journey of their lives: growing up in the Mexican American community; their military service in Vietnam and their lives after the war. Through their stories we examine the role art plays in the sorting of memories, post-traumatic stress syndrome, activism and the current conflict in Iraq. For more information on the broadcast, visit the Latino Public Broadcasting website, http://www.lpbp.org/AsLongAsIRemember.php.

WORK

My Source
KLRN/San Antonio, TX
Produced by Laura Varela

Raúl Salinas and the Poetry of Liberation
PBS feature documentary currently in production

Texas Majority Minority
Produced by Anne Lewis, Heather Courtney and Laura Varela

NEWS

Film Explores Legacy Of Vietnam War On Mexican-American Vets
KPBS (8/10/10)
Megan Burke, Maureen Cavanaugh

Downtown glows brightly
San Antonio Express-News (3/15/09)
Slideshow

Read more about San Antonio artists in the Artist of the Month archive here.