Current teacher at Place des Arts (2025/2026 season)

Biography

Sofia is an Expressive Arts Therapist born in Caracas, Venezuela. She has a BA in Psychology from Simon Fraser University and an MA in Expressive Arts from the European Graduate School in Switzerland. Sofia has been teaching early learning dance and visual arts for over 10 years.

Sofia is passionate about celebrating diversity and empowering immigrant communities through the arts. She enjoys social dancing and sharing her story as an immigrant and mother through her paintings. When she is not teaching or performing Latin American dance, she spends her days running her arts-based daycare centre, Mariposa Arts.

Artist Statement

My work depicts the Agrias Narcissus, a species of butterfly native to Venezuela and broader South American region. This non-migratory butterfly is used to symbolize my longing for the motherland. The butterflies that take up the center of the painting, symbolize my children, in hopes that our reality as migrants does not jeopardize their identity as Venezuelans. The two butterflies off to the sides serve as a reminder of the experience of being half here and half there. Never quite fitting in.

Place des Arts has been a safe space for me to remain creative and share my culture through art. After having my first child and not being able to work full time, Place des Arts provided me with a dignified opportunity to pursue a creative life while bringing my children along for the ride. I will forever be grateful for the inclusivity and family-centred efforts that PdA has shown me.

mariposaarts.ca

Instagram: @sofiamakesart

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