This week was the final week before the beginning of Colonial Vacacional (which is the equivalent of a summer activity scheme). It also coincided with the week on which Valentine’s Day falls, which in Ecuador is celebrated as ‘The Day of Love and Friendship’ so we decided to make it into a week of love and friendship for Art Club too. In keeping with our animal theme, the children choose templates of animals including elephants and turtles and decorated them. Then they made paper hearts on which to write something nice or positive about someone else on their table which were slotted in to the animals. We then taught the children how to make dream catchers out of wool and wooden lollipop sticks as a present for them to take home to their loved ones or hang up in their own homes as a nice decoration.
Monthly Archives for February 2011
Creative Mapping with Hannah Leigh Mackie
One of the first things people do when going somewhere new is to look at a map. As I’ve been getting to know Puebla my mental map of the area has developed, but still shows a very limtied and personal perspective. Personal maps are a great way to tell stories, and to demonstrate what we notice, and whats important. This week we’ve been exploring these ideas. Weve been thinking about our neighbourhoods; what we like, don’t like, what animals there are, what sounds, what colours. Everyone made an individual map, highlighting whats important to them, whether its the local shop, the house of a friend, or what fruits are in the trees. With the families we then amalgamated everyones ideas to make a collective map of how the family sees their colonia. Backgrounds were contributed by the younger members.
In the casa, we experimented with the idea of transformation, moved on from our individual maps using tracing paper to explore the colours and lines which appeared from them, and using copies of maps to create abstract collages and thinking about how the placees affected our emotions. We then moved on to thinking about what our ideal city would be like, and created lovely maps of those dream places.
Panto Puppetry
This week, continuing our Ecuadorian animal theme, the groups were given the opportunity to think up their own character for a puppet and then design it using simple materials including foam, paper, tape and wooden lollipop sticks. They really enjoyed this and many of them made 3 or 4, all with individual names. So whilst one half of the group was creating their puppets, the other half were painting a background to use for their puppets.
They all swapped over half way through the session that they all had a chance to do everything. The grand finale was when one of our Ecuadorian volunteer did a puppet show for them at the end of the session using the characters which they had created.
It was amazing to see how involved all of the children were, chanting at the right times. It was great to see the kids get such enjoyment out of these sessions and we hope that we can facilitate them to make their own shows in the future.
Recruiting future workshop leaders
We are currently recruiting for workshop leaders for our new programme in Brazil as well as our existing programmes in Ecuador and Mexico.
cmap Brazil with Acer
We are seeking arts practitioners for with at least 2 years experience working in the arts with vulnerable young people to spend 6 months on a placement commencing in November 2011.
cmap Ecuador and Mexico with Juconi
We are also interested in hearing from potential workshop leaders for our programmes in Ecuador and Mexico for placements from 6 weeks to 12 months. We welcome interest from UK based arts practitioners who have a keen interest or previous experience of working in arts and outreach education.
The placements are offered in partnership with Icye UK – Intercultural Youth Exchange UK
To apply please visit the get involved section of our website and download the application form.
Art Club is mobile in Mexico with Hannah Leigh Mackie
We’ve been doing something new with Juconi for this term of Art Club. Part of the work Juconi does is a program called ‘Traca’. Where the Juconi educadores visit the families they are supporting in their homes. Since january, for the first time, Art Club has been mobile, as I’ve been tagging along and doing arts sessions with the whole family. It’s been really lovely; the families have been so hospitable and welcoming and we’ve been having lots of fun making and drawing. We have been making our own sketchbooks to record feelings, drawings and scribbles.
We have also been working on masks-inspired by the richness of examples throughout mexican history, from Olmec Jade to modern Lucha Libre wrestling masks. We’ve been thinking about what emotions the masks inspire in us, and what we want to express with our own masks, designing them first and then making them with papier mache or cardboard, and decorating them vividly in bright colours and lots of glitter.
The other part of Art Club here in Puebla is the weekly sessions with the boys who live at Casa Juconi. So far we have worked on lifesize self portraits, where we trace the outline of ourselves on the floor, and add important things about ourselves. We’ve also done lots of experiments in mark making, crayon rubbing and printing using different found objects, as well as playing drawing games such as consequences and follow the scribble, and the boys are teaching me a little about beatboxing and mexican football teams. It’s been great!
Next week, maps and psychogeography!