Nelson Manuel Mulet Huerta is one of our great team members at Revel Nevada. In addition to working on our housekeeping and maintenance teams , Mr. Huerta has been hosting art classes for our lucky residents. After joining the Revel family in August of 2019, Nelson has done so much to share his love of painting with our community.
Originally from Cuba, Nelson knew he wanted to be an artist from a very young age. “It’s very rigorous in Cuba. You have to be pretty good to be able to study and get a good education in art,” he said.
In Cuba, art classes begin when children are very young, with each level of study being tougher than the last. Training begins in grade school and into middle-level art school, which is most similar to high school in the United States. “For college, there were only 10 places available for over 300 students. Only those who passed an aptitude test with the highest marks got in,” Nelson said.
Nelson was one of those top students in Cuba to get accepted into college for arts. There he studied graphic design, sculpting, cartooning, engraving, and painting, which became his specialty.
After graduation, Nelson devoted himself to creating work as an independent artist as well as teaching classes to teenagers at one of the professional art schools where he studied. He won numerous awards as both teacher and student, but after winning a visa lottery, Nelson decided to come to the United States.
“Even though I wasn’t struggling financially in Cuba, it’s unfortunately a country that is governed by a dictator. We don’t have freedom, and that makes everything very unstable. There are times when it becomes dangerous to express yourself as an artist, and that’s one of the reasons I decided to emigrate, ” said Nelson.
Nelson found a home in the Revel Nevada community where, in addition to his work, he has been given the opportunity to teach art classes to residents in the community. Not only is Nelson sharing his immense skill with residents, he’s sharing his deep love of art. “To me, to love is to give. Teaching is a wonderful opportunity to give; I can give knowledge and help people learn things they need. I truly enjoy it.”
Our residents enjoy learning from him as well and proudly support Nelson’s personal art projects. He is currently working on a series of paintings entitled Lágrimas Negras, named after a well-known Cuban bolero. These paintings will offer a personal and inspiring look at the story of emigrants from Cuba. Nelson is hopeful that these paintings will end up in an exhibition. When that time comes, the entire Revel family will no doubt be there to support him.
