Stories Worth Painting: Augusto Bordelois

Augusto C. Bordelois (Havana, Cuba, 1969) graduated from the University of Havana with a major in Translation and Interpretation of English Language and Literature. He has also studied sculpture, ceramics, costume design for theatre and cinema, classical drawing and painting.

His visual artwork has been awarded much recognition in Cuba as well as competitions in the United States. He has participated in more than 130 national and international group shows and 34 solo exhibitions. Some of his works are in private collections in Cuba, the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Ecuador, Japan, Greece, Germany, Chile, Switzerland, England and Norway. His work is also part of the permanent collection of Cleveland Marshall College of Law / Cleveland State University and The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR).

Augusto’s literary works have been published in magazines such as Kastello, and Hojas Literarias (Spain). He has also written and illustrated short stories for children and teacher activities’ guides. He was the founder and main teacher of “Taller de Niños” (Children’s Studio) at 23 & 12 Art Center in Havana, and also the co-founder of the multimedia marketing company “2 Pasos.” He co-founded and co-directed “Proyecto Horizontal”, a partnership of 65 Cuban artists, in which capacity he was invited to curate and present a group show at Cleveland State University 1999. Between 2002 and 2005, he was the founder and editor of The Art Fix – an electronic weekly newsletter that showcased and promoted local, national and international artists.Augusto has participated as a costume and float designer at different carnivals in Cuba and also at Parade the Circle in Cleveland, Ohio. He has assisted in landscape designs of public spaces, coordinated community art programs and created many public art pieces across Ohio.

Augusto is a teaching artist at the Center for Arts-inspired Learning (previously known as Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio), The Art House and the Ohio Arts Council. He has served as a board member at Near West Theater, and the Center for Arts-inspired Learning. He is a member of CSU’s Cleveland Arts Education Consortium Diversity Committee. He has been featured as a guest lecturer at Cleveland State University and Baldwin Wallace University.