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Who we are
The first-of-its-kind organization, Casa Cultural de las Americas (CCA), a 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks to preserve and foster the diverse culture and arts of the Americas within the United States, as founded in 2012 by Elizabeth Quila.
Our dream
CCA's main purpose is to preserve and promote the cultural diversity and arts of the Americas in the United States and Europe. It emerged in 2012 as an initiative to promote the culture and arts of Hispanic heritage. This initiative found a niche that presented the cultural plurality of Latin America in the context of an English-speaking country.
Our vision
One of the organization’s main objectives is to become a platform that would showcase the cultural richness of the Americas, with a primary focus on presenting contemporary literature written in Spanish to audiences in the Houston, Texas, other U.S. cities, and later Europe.

To achieve these objectives, a diverse group of volunteers was formed including people from both Latin American and the U.S. Through lectures, workshops, awarding scholarships, and writing contests, in addition to the institutionalized International Literature Festival, the selected group continues to fulfill its mission

As a non-profit 501 (c) (3) File Number C.C.A. 46-2586071, the activities of the organization are financed through sponsorships and donations, which are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Our experience

  • Exhibition of Ibero-American art by painters Seram Sousa and Rafael Urdaneta.

  • How to be Successful in the Americas (cross-cultural awareness) Workshop.

  • Letters and Images of the Americas 1st.

  • Letters and Images of the Americas 2nd.

  • Cross-Cultural Dining Etiquette Seminar.

  • Theater as a Life Journey Workshop.

  • International Film Showcase.

  • Career Boost Workshop for Students.

  • Female Emotional Intelligence Workshop.

  • International Literature Festival, Houston 2013 featuring: Armando Romero. Mario Bojorquez, Miguel Angel Zapata, Eduardo Espina, Omar Lara, Mercedes Roffe, Lucila Nogueira, Luis Carlos Musso and Arturo Gutierrez.

  • International Film Festival.
    International Literature Festival, Houston 2014: Hugo Mujica, Federico Díaz Granados, Raúl Pérez Torres, Iván Oñate, Gisela Heffes, Eduardo Langagne, Javier Guerrero, EddaArmas, Rose Mary Salum, among others.

  • International Film Festival, Houston 2015 featuring: Mario Vargas Llosa, Carlos Aldabazal, Ali Calderon, Gabriel Cisneros, Madeline Millan, Andrea Cote Botero, Efraín Kristal, among others.

  • International Literature Festival, Houston 2016 featuring: Jorge Galán, JotamarioAberlaez, Luis Garcia Montero, Ron Leshem, Leopoldo Castilla, Robin Davidson, Fernando Valverde, Xavier Oquendo, Javier Bozalongo and Margarita Laso.

  • International Literature Festival, Houston 2017 featuring: Matilde Casazola,Diana Bellessi, Ida Vitale, Soledad Bravo, Siomara Spain, Ana Cecilia Blum, Andrea Cote, Jeannette Clariond, Veronica Aranda, Maria Cardenas and Debora Mouton.

  • International Literature Festival, Madrid 2017, Fifth Anniversary, in partnership with Casa de America featuring: Antonio Gamoneda, Hugo Mujica, Matilde Casazola, Juan Carlos Marset, Juan Carlos Mestre, Jorge Galan, Raquel Lanseros, Marco Antonio Campos, Antonio Cilloniz and Ivan Onate.

  • Letters and Images of the Americas: Readings of Classic and Contemporary Women's Literature.

  • International Literature Festival, Houston - San Antonio 2018 featuring:Tamara Kamenszain, Juan Manuel Roca, Mabel Cuesta, Legna Rodriguez Iglesias, Abdon Ubidia, Coral Bracho, Rocio Ceron, Jordi Virallonga Eguren, Carmen Gimenez Smith, Martha Canfield and Adalber Salas.

  • -ILF-M., 2019: Mexico: Coral Bracho, Andrea Cote Botero, Leopoldo Castilla, Ave Barrera, Karla Zarate and Rocío Cerón.

  • -ILF-I., 2019: Italy, Sapienza Università di Roma: Alessio Brandolini, Martha Canfield, Elena Bartone, Raul Vallejo, Valerio Magrelli, Gloria Gervitz, Margara Russoto, Jeannete Clariond, Jordi Virallonga and Marco Giovenale.

  • -ILF-H-S. A., 2019: Antonio Preciado, Jose Angel Leyva, Luis Armenta Malpica, Tino Villanueva, Marilene Felinto, Clemente Mamani, Yolanda Castaño, Ignacio Carvajal, Maya Islas and Tania Libertad.

  • ILF-H, 2020: Book presentation Anthology "Poetas en Casa", Award for the Best Poetry Book, Premio Caniem al arte editorial 2020: 21 Poets.

  • ILF-H 2021: Bilingual Book Presentation "Por un mundo sin fin": 12 Poets.

  • ILF-H 2022: Raul Zurita, Gabriel Chavez Casazola, Andrea Cote, Nelson Cardenas, Siomara España, Jordi Virallonga, Fernando Valerde, Samantha Schnee, Rolando Kattan, Carmen Matute, Alessio Brandolini, Elisa Diaz Castelo, Jose Angel Leyva and Adalber Salas Hernandez.

The staff
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Andres Bardon
President
Andres Bardon is now the new President of CCA. Andres has more than 25 years of experience in the Latin American and international art world. He was the Founder and Director of Arteclasica Contemporanea, one of the major art fairs in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For more than 15 years, he also promoted and represented emerging and recognized Argentine artists worldwide both in art galleries and art fairs. He was the Founder and Director of the Museum magazine in Argentina and has published several art books in that country. Since 2012, Andres lives in the Houston area and has been the Director of Special Projects and Latin American representative for the Houston Fine Art Fair (HFAF). Now, he is the Owner and Creative Director of Art About. Andres also gives classes and seminars about Aesthetics and Art History at different academic and cultural institutions in Texas.
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Jenny Fula
Treasurer - Chief Development Officer
Jenny was born in Colombia and is an industrial engineer with more than 20 years of experience in international and domestic commercial trade, project management, procurement, business, networking, marketing, communications, recruiting, research, medical data analysis, journalism, web design, and web management. Furthermore, she has been working with organizations and individuals to successfully enter U.S. markets. Jenny deals with upper-level leaders of several corporations as well as governmental representatives from Texas and abroad. Jenny has been involved with the Houston Gateway of The Americas since 2015, working on various projects that generate business opportunities in varying fields. These programs embody a new model for Texas that often promotes investment, seminars, and trade missions among local and international communities. She also works with the Consular Corps of Houston as Director of Communications. Jenny was involved with The Colombia Texas Chamber of Commerce from its beginning in 2012 as Communications and Marketing Director and Membership Manager. From 2016- 2018 she worked on different projects in EPC (Engineering Procurement and Construction) and Logistics, parallel to Gateway of the Americas. 
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Maria B. McGreger
Secretary
Her professional journey, spanning over 25 years, intertwines her expertise as a Clinical Mental Health professional and Art Historian, enriching her roles in mental health consultation, cultural event planning, art advising, and marketing across Latin and North America. Her foray into the art world began in the United States as an educator at the San Antonio Museum of Arts, where she first recognized the therapeutic impact of the arts. Maria's extensive experience includes positions at the Museo de la Universidad de Antioquia, Galeria Colombo Americano in Medellin, Colombia, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and Art of the World Gallery. Her collaborations extend to numerous global cultural institutions.

In her multifaceted career, Maria has held a range of mid to senior management roles within the nonprofit sector, demonstrating her strategic thinking and passion for the fine arts. As a clinical mental health counselor, she is dedicated to effecting positive change in the lives of her clients and within her community in Houston. She focuses on bringing high-quality mental health programs to underserved areas and creating inclusive, culturally relevant mental health resources to address the diverse needs of Houston's population.

Maria B. McGreger earned her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Antioquia in her native city of Medellin, Colombia, and later obtained a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. She is fluent in both Spanish and English.
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