Rebecca Birtel Madura is a contemporary painter who lives and works in New Orleans. A native New Orleanian, many of her colorful paintings represent our sometimes detached relationship with nature in an urban environment. Working in oils and mixed media, the emotional impact of color and color relationships is as important as the subject matter itself in her paintings. Rebecca is especially concerned with the balance between saturated and muted hues in her recent work.

Rebecca studied studio art at Newcomb College and the University of Texas at Austin where she earned a B.A. in Fine Art (Studio), a B.A. in Liberal Arts (French) and recently a Certificate in Non-Profit Management. After retiring from nearly 30 years of full-time teaching, she is currently pursuing a Master’s in Liberal Arts at Tulane University.

At the present, she is the Art Teacher at the New Orleans Museum of Art where she develops and teaches in studio programs for adults and children. She also serves on the Educational Advisory Board at NOMA. She serves on the Executive Board of the Board of Directors for YAYA, Inc. and is also a guest artist and instructor at YAYA. Most recently, she joined the Board of Directors of New Orleans Green Light, where she also creates original artwork on rain barrels for their home rainwater impact program.

In addition to pursuing her own art and exhibiting locally, and her many years as a visual arts educator, Rebecca had been involved with many community arts projects. She continues to volunteer time and talents to promoting the vibrant spirit and atmosphere of the arts especially with the youth of New Orleans.