Join us this week, month... y el summer!

It is with great pleasure to invite all artists regardless of language, lifestyle or belief system to join us this summer for 5 amazing weeks in the heart of Central America, sharing your talents with other socially motivated thinkers only 1902 miles or 3060 kilometros to the south (pass Mexico, wave to the Caribbean, and make a left after the Honduran border).

First, I invite you to an amazing photography exhibition from all of the 2010 muralists and videographers at the Bohemian Coffee House this month until mid March. Our opening reception with local Nicaraguan poet, Lloyd Brooks, and 2010 video shorts will premiere! From 7-9:30pm. FREE! City Paper/Baltimore Weekly

Secondly, yours truly will be facilitating Informational Sessions at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Bunting Bldg #207, Tues Feb 22 at 7:30pm and March 1st at 6:30pm.

Finally, join this unique community-based effort. Scholarships available to all based on merit and financial need through this website: Art of Solidarity/MICA in Nica

Thank you to San Juan de Limay, Esteli and Baltimore friends for staying connected with us throughout the years!

Gracias
MG Aldana
Art of Solidarity Co-Founder & Program Coordinator

Digestion

It has been a while since my experience in Nicaragua. I feel that the experience has made a huge impact in so many ways that I could not even begin to name them all.

One of the most memorable times there was when I taught a portrait painting class to the youth of Limay. The program encouraged us to combine our personal interests as artists with what we felt would benefit the participating youth. It was exciting because I really wanted to share what my experiences as a student of the arts at MICA with these kids. Since I too am a student, I felt that we shared this strong desire to increase our knowledge about something we felt passionate about. I felt that through teaching them something that I greatly cared about would help create a stronger understanding between the group and the kids. Although my Spanish speaking skills were limited, I felt confident that I would have no problem expressing my enthusiasm. The visual arts, after all is a non verbal language that has the power to break down cultural boundaries. It is a very felt and intuitive language. Participants only need eyes and feeling to share the beautiful language of images.

The class that I taught was over portraiture. I chose this subject because I wanted them to improve their observational skills. When a student first begins his or her studies in art, I feel that their preconceived notion of an object inhibits them from seeing an object as it really is. When trying to paint a person for example, one first impulsively responds by drawing the eyes as two ovals- the nose as a sharp triangle. I wanted to show them that the beauty of the variety of differences found in human features. There are shapes and colors found in a face that the artist must closely observe to discover. And when this moment happens, it is a delight because these details are what makes a person unique.

I first began by loosening them up with having them draw only parts of pictures. This way they only pay attention to shapes of positive and negative space registering the image as an object. Afterwards, I taught them to mix skin tones with the primary colors. I spoke to them to pay attention to the sensation of warm and cool colors when light hits the surface of the models face. The students were extremely engaged and asked a lot of questions. When I walked around to show some demonstrations, they took my suggestions very seriously and implemented what I taught in their work. Many of them begin several paintings. At the end of the session, the kids discussed in a casual critique what pieces they felt were most successful.

The Portraiture class that I taught was very fun, and I hope it taught the youth of Limay the importance of paying attention to the unique details that are found in all of us.

Photographic Reflection

It's been just over a month since we returned from Nicaragua and I feel I am only just starting to digest things now. I feel incredibly lucky to have shared this experience with such a talented and diverse group of artists, both from the US and Nicaragua. I'm excited to see everyone's work in the final exhibition.

Here are a few of my favorite photographs from Nicaragua. 

 

I'd love to see everyone's favorite images.

Also, I have posted my lesson plan on the Educational Resources page and will be posting others as I receive them, so take a look.

xoxoko

Art of Solidarity + VIMAU Video Documentaries

While in Esteli, Art of Solidarity participants worked with VIMAU to create four video documentaries.

The Process
The Process from amartray on Vimeo.

The Process documents cross-cultural artistic collaborations between North American and Nicaraguan artists. This year's Art of Solidarity participants traveled to Nicaragua to work with a collective of muralists and a group of video documentarians. After three years of collaboration, AOS participants document their collaborations and how they are able to use art to bridge language and cultural differences.

Por que somos lo que somos
Por que Somos lo que Somos from amartray on Vimeo.

Estelí is Nicaragua’s third largest city, located in the north, right on the Pan-American Highway. Known for its tobacco production, murals, and pleasant climate, Estelí has a rich archeological, social, and political history. Most Estelians remember the role their city played in the revolution but few know the origins of the city itself. Villa Vieja tells the story of how Estelí was founded. Located about 3 kilometers east of the city center lies a place called Villa Vieja, the place where the founders of Estelí first inhabited.



Con las manos: la industria tabacalera de Esteli, Nicaragua 
Con las Manos de Esteli from amartray on Vimeo.

Con las manos: la industria tabacalera de Esteli, Nicaragua (With the Hands: The Tobacco Industry in Esteli, Nicaragua) illustrates the impact of the tobacco industry in the department of Esteli, Nicaragua. Con las manos features interviews with a variety of workers from several factories, many who began working in the industry at a young age. Their stories reveal the impact of the tobacco industry on their personal lives and that of the surrounding community. Though the factories provide jobs and stability, there are concerns regarding health conditions and wages. For many, it is a simply a means to expand educational and career opportunities.



Estelianas
Estelinas from amartray on Vimeo.

Estelianas is an exploration into what life is like for women living in Esteli, Nicaragua. Five different women share their experiences and perspectives on work, marriage, school, and family. Through their stories the realities of women’s roles in Esteli’s past and present are explored. Within these testimonies the extraordinary resilience and sincerity of Estelian women come to light. The culmination is an optimistic look towards the future and the ever-continuing progress of women’s equality in Esteli, Nicaragua, and around the world.


The preceding projects are collaborations between North American artists and VIMAU Productions of Esteli, Nicaragua through the Art of Solidarity- a cultural exchange study abroad program of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland.

In addition to creating four documentaries in Esteli, a small group of Art of Solidarity participants worked with youths in Limay to create a fictional film about drug use in their town.

El Mundo de las Drogas
El Mundo de las Drogas from amartray on Vimeo.

El Mundo de las Drogas is the story of two young brothers growing up in the town of Limay, Nicaragua. Struggling with the low wages and long hours of working in the fields, lack of support from their family, and lack of alternative opportunities to improve themselves, they turn to selling drugs as a means of making quick and easy money. They quickly fall into a cycle of addiction and crime that leads to a tragic ending.

This project was a collaboration between North American artists and high school students from the Instituto de Ruben Dario in Limay, Nicaragua, through the Art of Solidarity- a study abroad program of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland. Through a week of workshops students wrote, produced and edited the project with the guidance of teaching artists from MICA.

Murals in Limay

Here final pictures of our work on the murals. These pictures are the last pictures that I took of the mural before we left Limay. The murals were hard work but we pushed through and completed these beautiful works of art.

The Pacific Ocean

I have been to the Atlantic Ocean more than a dozen times in my life. So many times that I can not recall the exact number. I have never been to the Pacific Ocean or even come near to touching it. This journey has brought me so much joy! Being able to see another one of my God's creation is such a blessing. When I first arrived here to Leon, I looked at the water and sky and stood still for about five minutes, totally amazed by this experience. I stretched out my arms and smiled up to the Heavens. This is a sky that I will never forget, and an ocean that I can say that I touched or an ocean that has touched me for that matter.

the atmosphere in Esteli

We are back in Esteli and have some time to reflect and unwind. I've been thinking about what I will miss the most, a few weeks ago I would have said the food but now I think I've had my fill of gallopinto and delicious, yet salty, fried things.
Apart from the natural beauty, the visuals I will remember most are the bright colors, details, and patterns in everyday things such as doors, window bars and hand-painted signs. Each block has its own combination of pastels, bright primary colors, tiles and bars in various patterns along with the lush greenery of palms and plants with large, waxy leaves. These pictures are only small parts of what makes up the atmosphere in Esteli.