On Thursday, April 6th the 6th grade hosted a video conference with a school in Brazil. I interviewed Middle School Art Teacher and Dean, Mrs. Rand about the experience.
How did you connect with Brazil and why Brazil?
We connected with Colegio Carbonell in São Paulo, Brazil through Creative Connections' Art Link program. The Art Link program creates opportunities for students to connect to and learn about various cultures from all over the world through the arts. Our young artists worked throughout the fall season in Art class creating paintings, inspired by the theme "TEAM UP." Once completed, the work was shipped to our partner school in Brazil. Being that Brazil hosted the 2016 summer olympic games, we thought that it would be a nice connection and certainly build upon students' prior knowledge of what teamwork looks like in its many forms.
After receiving artwork from Colegio Carbonell in February, 6th grade students spent time viewing, analyzing, and discussing their beautiful artworks. Students worked in small groups to complete a series of questions, gathering information about the artist from the Artist Description Sheets and the subject matter in each work of art. Students engaged in conversations about the work, discussed similarities and differences between our cultures and communities, and prepared for our video conference!
Our live video conference took place on Thursday, April 6 as part of our Middle and Upper School Day of Reflection. We began the day meeting the young artists of Colegio Carbonell via a live video feed and had the opportunity to ask them specific questions about their work and what it's like to be a student in Brazil. We were extremely fortunate to have Renata Abiali join us to help communicate in Portuguese with our new friends, which created an even more meaningful connection between members of our community and theirs. Following the conference, students were provided with opportunities to not only reflect on the experience through small and large group discussions, but also through written work that was added to their student portfolios. The connections that were made, not only through the art but through student and faculty's conversations and written reflections, were so incredibly thoughtful and memorable.
This Spring, we continue to share this journey with the Wooster community. The original artworks from Brazil will on display as part of the Spring Art Exhibit as well a video documenting the story of this year's Art Link program.
How was their art different from ours?
The subject matter offered us the most insight into the Brazilian culture and traditions, while the media (oil pastels) and techniques were similar to what we use here in our studios. The vibrant color palette, celebration of dance and music, and the folklore tradition were a few of the many cultural details illustrated in their work.
Did the school in Brazil's work change your perspective on art?
I think that this experience reinforced and broadened our understanding of how art can evoke both curiosity and understanding regardless of where we live. It teaches us about and connects us to a culture far away from our own while also bringing us closer and showing us how similar we really all are. Art has always been and always will be a powerful vehicle for facilitating those connections.
What do you think the students gained from this experience?
I think that any opportunity to connect our students to those in another part of the world is an invaluable one! They learned so much about what makes the Brazilian culture unique, for example how music and dance is woven into so much of their daily lives, while also learning that we also have so much in common.
What did you or your students find most interesting about their art?
I think that there were many cultural details that were illustrated in their work that sparked our curiosity, such as the fact that they have hospital boats to help people who live in more remote areas of the country travel to get medical care, as well as the costumes worn when dancing and performing. The subject of racial equality was also an interesting subject that was featured in their work.
Which country do you think the 6th graders will connect with next year, and why?
A really cool part of this year's video conference was that we invited the 5th grade class to be a part of the experience! I am so excited to work with this class next year, especially since they have an idea of what is to come. While we do not know what our assigned country will be, I think that requesting a country that has a very different culture from our own would be ideal. Perhaps India or another country in Africa? Last year we connected with students in Kampala, Uganda and it was incredible for our students to learn (and see) how what we take for granted here (water, internet access) is not so accessible for them. Thinking ahead to next year's program and making more cross curricular connections, I would love to get the music department involved, especially since we are asked to sing and/or dance as part of our video conference.
