Two in one: Residence and Cultural Space, Casa Amarela promotes cultural actions and beneficent events

Casa Amarela is a sociocultural space in Marechal Hermes, a strictly residential neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The house is a very antique construction, with approximately 110 years of existence. There was born Julia Dutra, owner and resident of the property along with her husband. Yes, besides being a cultural space, Casa Amarela is also a residence.

The house was built by Julia’s grandparents, descendents of slaves, and there she grew, formed an identity, references, memories, played and made friendships. Julia is a teacher of Performing and Visual Arts of the Municipal and State Teaching Network, actress, cultural producer and graduated in Arts by UFRJ – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She has been making art since childhood and her dream has always been to have a space with a sociocultural bias.

With time, Julia moved houses and went to live in the surroundings – during the pandemic, she and her husband, Alex, started to look for a new place. The intention was to build an atelier, a cultural space that she’s always wanted to herself. Julia paints, builds sculptures and also gives theater classes, so she needed a shed; but the renting prices were too high.

That is when she remembered the old house she lived in, where her brother was living that moment. The house’s condition was precarious, it was raining inside and, at any given moment, could fall apart. Julia made a deal with her brother so she could move in and reformed it. That was how the Casa Amarela was created, where Julia lives with her husband, dividing the space between living and promoting the space for cultural events. 

About the transformation

“Casa Amarela has a very interesting frame and, for being a humble house, my childhood was a period of a lot of bullying and shame. I suffered oppression for being poor and living in an old house, where I didnt even have courage to bring my friends. With time, I ressignified it: what in the past for me was oppression, I turned into victory. In 2019, my husband and I will rebuild the house and turn it into an atelier, a cultural space and, at the same time, a living space. Living among the arts has always been my dream”.

Since 2019, the Casa Amarela has turned into this sociocultural place, of informal education and, also, a living place that has the objective to rescue ancestors’ memories, to promote an antiracist education throughout culture, music, culinary and other practices. “We built new thoughts throughout art and culture”, finishes Julia.

What happens in Casa Amarela?

• Conversations and debates focusing on racial, gender and diversity thematics, since the house understands that it is extremely necessary, nowadays, to talk about it once the society is, in general, oppressor, racist and exclusive. Julia thinks it is essential to raise awareness to society towards equality, opportunities and equity issues.
• Percussion workshop for women, taught by the group Baque Mulher on saturdays;
• Exhibition of educative movies;
• Theatre workshops;
• Oficinas de Teatro;
• Storytelling;
• Literary fairs;
• Book launches and others.

Some activities are free, others are not. Most of the maintenance is through periodic cultural events, produced by Julia Dutra, such as the Pagode Roda da Casa Amarela, that generally happens. On this occasion, other groups are invited. The house is looking for individuals or companies that would want to invest in the institution and thus be able to diversify and increase the activities and then offer it completely free to people in economic vulnerability, who can’t pay for a theater class, for example. The objective is to acquire a socio-educational character only.

Submitting the Casa Amarela in public or private Announcements is part of the plans. The institution also works in partnership with the community of Muquiço, in Guadalupe, with the NGO CEDECA and with nearby municipal schools, whose students participate in producing culture, art and developing the concept of territoriality. Another way to work is partnerships based on exchanges.

In a close future, the house intends to hold charity events, such as lunches, to support increasingly more nearby institutions like nursing homes and an orphanage.

Ways to help

There are four ways to support this project:

• Give prestige to the events at the house, at Street Coruripe, 135, Marechal Hermes, RJ;
• Donate perishable and non-perishable food for charity lunches;
• Donations through PIX for Julia Dutra Silva (CPF: 052.354.887-76);
• Following Casa Amarela on Instagram.