By Roberta Clayton
Aurelis M. Lugo Barriera teaches visual arts here in Fuquay-Varina at Herbert Akins Road Middle School. I had the pleasure of visiting two of her classes one afternoon and easily recognized the respect she shows for the individual students, and the lofty messages that go with the experiences she gives them. It’s no wonder she was honored recently with a national award.
Class 1
First came a half-dozen students with severe physical and developmental limitations. Most of them had an instructional assistant for one-on-one attention. Ms. Lugo started them right out with “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, painted in 1889, as their focus. They were not to copy it, but to feel the power of their reactions to it. Using pencil and paper — some with helpers to steady their hands — they began with a humped horizontal line, “Up, down. Up, down.” She was showing them a skeleton of the work. Step two was the addition of two vertical “squiggles” in an inverted V, representing the trees in the left foreground. Next came light, from left to right, then two boxes for houses on the right — triangle roofs for them — and finally a letter C to partially close off and transform into a crescent moon. Colored crayons came last: blue for the sky, brown for the trees, and yellow for light.
Ripples of Success
The students have expressed themselves through her encouragement, which gives them confidence and the ability to communicate. She has displayed their creations, first at school, and then in an exhibit at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center. What a boost for them to see their work so honored.
Next, the program expanded to the Diamante Art Center in Raleigh, where Ms. Lugo knows the curator and has had her own works displayed. It is the oldest Latino cultural center in the state, having celebrated 25 years of service in 2022. This time, the gallery featured art from disabled students from schools all over Wake County.
Ms. Lugo’s message to all of us is that visual art is not just a school class, but a form of self-expression. She says, “When words fail, art can show up.” The name of the exhibit is We Can Too. No one needs to feel excluded. The children’s faces were intent as they showed thanks to her and smiled goodbye on their way to their next class.
National Recognition
Ms. Lugo’s work has drawn praise from the community and from Voya Financial, a national company which selected her for the 2025 Unsung Hero award. She is the only North Carolina teacher to receive this honor. It comes with a grant that will help fund the growing exhibit and enable her to continue her celebration of each child’s creative ability to communicate.
I arranged to interview Ms. Lugo at school. A county public relations official, C. Tornow, met me at the office, as did the principal. Several of the students had permission to be in photos. The administrators escorted me to the classroom and were proud to be able to do so. On our way, we passed a floral wall mural created by their own artist.
Principal Anne Marie Adkins shared how special the art program is. “Beyond her classroom walls, Ms. Lugo plays a vital role in shaping our school’s inclusive culture. She integrates social-emotional learning, cultural awareness, and leadership development into her projects, empowering students to connect art to personal growth and community impact. One of her most meaningful initiatives, the We Can Too project, brings together our Extended Content Standards and Intellectual Developmental Support students with their peers in collaborative artmaking. Through shared creativity, this project fosters empathy, teamwork, and belonging, reminding every participant that talent and imagination know no boundaries.”
Class 2
The last class of the day consisted of two dozen 6th graders using watercolors. They began by listening to classical music while studying “Composition Number 8,” created in 1923 by the Russian artist Kandinsky, known as the father of abstraction. Ms. Lugo specified, “It’s not a landscape, not a still life, not a puppy.” This was a great way to help them understand abstraction, by specifying what it is not. She reminded them, “Use the materials properly. Focus on one detail. How does it sound?” Each student received a half sheet of watercolor paper and wrote their name in pencil on the back. “Listen, listen,” she reminded them as she touched her ear. She had them stay quiet for one minute first, to get inspiration, and then start drawing. “If you need a ruler, let me know. Work with the entire space.” She reviewed five elements of art: lines, shapes, color, values, and texture.
Students came up in orderly fashion to get a box of paints and a water cup. “Eyes on me.” Again, the reminder, “Listen.” They came to get paper towels. “More water will give you lighter colors. Less water will make the colors darker. Change the water as often as you need to.” That’s when I noticed that all the water cups are finished clay art pieces, painted and fired. “Use your whisper voice.” All too soon the time grew short. “If you are done, get paper and do open studio drawing.” She is teaching them that their space is a studio, and treating them like professionals. “If you are done and your artwork is dry, see me for a black pen to go over your lines.” She took two students quietly aside to remind them not to distract others. Her voice was never raised. There was no public notice. The closest she came was to shoot both arms straight up at one point, which gained the full attention of the entire class. When it was time to clean up, five words sufficed: “Everything back where it belongs.”
Dismissal procedure reminds the pupils at Herbert Akins Road Middle School that they are Night Hawks, representing leadership and bravery. They listened to announcements, including praise for raising $500 for the Green Beret Foundation through a flag sale, and gathered their bookbags, leaving their artwork on the table to dry. That day they had been introduced to abstraction. It is something different: lines and shapes, and thoroughly subjective.
From Puerto Rico to Fuquay-Varina
Ms. Lugo was born in Puerto Rico, into a very creative family whose members could dance and play instruments and sing. She felt she had no talent for music, so she did art. Because there were not classes, she taught herself drawing. She was expected to study forensics and law at the University of Puerto Rico, but her heart wasn’t there. Her passion was always art. The family was not supportive when she changed her major to art education. She was hired by the Department of Education in Puerto Rico to teach at a private school, where she worked for a decade. Then, in 2020, she and her son moved to Cumberland County, NC, where she taught in a middle school for two years. But her goal was always to teach here in Wake County. She came to Herbert Akins Road Middle School in 2022, as the school was opening, and she plans to stay. Her son is enjoying the science courses at Athens Drive High School. Her parents, now in their 70s, are very proud of her. She visits them in Puerto Rico twice a year.
Of her welcome into the Fuquay-Varina community, Ms. Lugo says, “I am super grateful to the families for receiving me. This is a great community. The kids’ parents are amazing. They have organized the Fine Arts Boosters to raise funds.” Ms. Lugo holds Open Studio nights for them, and the money helps buy supplies — like the pallet of heavy bags I noticed that contain dry clay for tiles, cups, and mugs. “They love clay,” Ms. Lugo told me.
Principal Adkins praises Ms. Lugo, saying, “She brings creativity, culture, and connection to life in her classroom each day. With over 15 years of experience teaching art across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the U.S., she infuses her lessons with global perspective and passion. As principal, I am continually inspired by Ms. Lugo’s ability to blend artistry with purpose. She models excellence through her collaboration with colleagues, her innovative use of digital media, and her dedication to celebrating the cultural richness of our students. The joy and pride her students display in their artwork speak volumes about her impact. Ms. Lugo reminds us daily that when students are encouraged to create, they also learn to connect, lead, and imagine a better world.”
Teacher, Artist, and Ally
Ms. Lugo is modest about the awards and exhibitions that have come from her work. I asked for a list, not knowing it is two pages of fine print, listing more than 50 details. I must apologize for asking so much, but it is fun to see, from Teacher of the Year on through Diamante Resident Artist, to Wake Ed Partnership Among Us, and many more. Her exhibits have been local, but also include Tower Bridge, London; Japan; Boston; New York; and California. She is also a muralist, featured in over a dozen venues.
Besides her school duties, she added, “I’m pursuing my doctorate in Educational Leadership at UNC-Chapel Hill. It’s an online program.” There was no trouble being accepted. She is also partnering with nonprofits. “I’m very good at time management — very organized.”
Ms. Lugo has been called an ally and advocate for our kids. They represent voices that are going to be heard. “Respect is an art tool. I’m asking for us to have a respectful environment because I am going to be respectful of them, and I expect the same in return.
Art is there. It’s part of every human being. Every child needs to be heard. I just love what I do. I’m just an art teacher who wants to make a difference. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
