Erika Valenciana, a filmmaker, printmaker, and teaching artist, received a Film and Video degree from Columbia College Chicago. She has worked as a teaching artist for various organizations in Chicago, including Urban Gateways, The Center for Community Arts Partnerships, Street Level, Changing Worlds, and Marwen.
Erika’s films have been screened at various film festivals nationally and internationally. She is currently in post-production on a live action and animated documentary about the stories of three young survivors of human trafficking in Ecuador.
Erika’s main goal in her teaching artistry is to empower underrepresented youth to be active, educated consumers of media and eventually gain the practical skills to represent themselves.