Julio Berroa – Artist of Many Genres

When 18-year-old freshman Julio Berroa is asked what he wants to do for a living, he boldly replies, “Creative direction.” And that means more than starting at the ground floor of a graphic design firm and leveling up to creative director. He wants to bring creative direction to many art fields.

“I’m building within my skill set illustration, photography, graphic design/advertising, hand drawing, music production and dance.”

Then he sits back and lets you take all that in. At RIC he is concentrating in graphic design, but he is also a dancer (hip hop), drummer (congas), music producer (DJ) and fine artist (drawings). Aside from taking RIC art courses, he intends to take RIC dance and music classes and to join one of the RIC music ensembles. Oh, and did I mention he is also freshman class president. Perhaps all of his versatility explains his adaptability.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Berroa moved to this country only five years ago, living first in the Bronx at age 13, then settling in South Providence at age 14. There, he attended Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex and began to carve out his own unique identity; albeit not without first conforming.

“At first, I tried to be like everyone else. I wore oversized clothes, my pants hanging down, but then I realized it just wasn’t my thing,” he said. Berroa decided to avoid completely the teenage social divide.

He enrolled in after-school programs offered by the Providence After School Alliance (PASA). From sophomore to senior year, he took after-school ESL courses; in his junior year, he signed up for an after-school hip hop dance program; and in his senior year, he enrolled in a DJ after-school program. These outlets were a haven for his creativity.

Today he describes himself as the poster teen for PASA. He was recently asked by PASA Cofounder Hillary Salmons to speak about his experiences at the home of RISD President Rosanne Somerson. Among the guests was Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza.

Unscripted, Berroa related how PASA helped make him the artist he is today and developed within him not only a love for the arts but critical thinking in interpreting the arts.

Berroa will always mix art genres in whatever creative project he’s working on. “In the design studio, you’ll often see me wearing headphones because music is a huge source of inspiration,” he said. “My professor told me, ‘I don’t know what you’re listening to, but keep listening because your project is coming out great.’”

With ambitions more appropriate for an action hero than a college freshman, greatness is not a problem.