Instructor Spotlight

JUNE 2025

Catalina Gongora is an artist and educator from Colombia, South America. She holds a BFA in painting from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia and received her Master’s in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her principal medium is painting but she also likes to explore the use of textiles and fabrics. Catalina expresses herself through the painting of sensations that are generated by being in contact with people, nature, and sounds. Especially in her landscapes and still-life pieces, she creates a narrative in which nature and objects can be recomposed through imagination. This is towards transmitting energy to other people—so that each person can generate a mental and emotional construction of their own reality by way of her paintings. The use of color is essential to Catalina. Through color, she expresses feelings and moods to create new perspectives.
In the past, Catalina has worked as an educator at the National Museum of Colombia and as a teaching assistant in the Multi-arts Camp at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She currently works at By Discovery, an art enrichment program for children in Oak Park.

Her course at OPAL explores the fundamentals of painting, specifically acrylic painting. Through varying approaches, Catalina’s course aims to express a variety of sensations developed through the contact of people, nature, and sound. Catalina loves teaching and interacting with the community, she is passionate about helping others express their feelings through art. Take a class with Catalina!