“For the artistic life is simple self development. Humility in the artist is his frank acceptance of all experiences.”
Oscar Wilde
These trips were borne out of my desire to not only teach the aesthetics of art to my young and talented students, but also to infuse into their artists’ spirits a ‘knowing’ that art is an expression of the world we live in.
Having been born in Washington D.C. and raised in Chile—I am keenly aware of the subtleties that lie hidden within different cultures. Thus, when I have traveled as a tourist to other countries, I have oft been saddened by the throngs of people that seem to overlook the simple beauty that surrounds them in the ¨everyday´´
I encourage random explorations in back alleys (looking for objects for the collage), in fancy boutiques, and to choose restaurants that offered local fare. I want my students to be constantly aware of their surroundings, and to open their minds to alternative ways of creating (other than sketching the sights).. To enable this process, I give specific assignments to focus on.
From an e-mail I sent my students:
In the political climate in which we are traveling (seems always as of late), there will be wonderful opportunities for us to be as ambassadors from a country which is perceived to be patronizing, colonizing—and simply moronic in its need to homogenize the world.
Lets do our part, small as it may be, to show that many of the USA citizenship have a clear understanding that we are beautifully comprised of many cultures, ethnicity’s, and religions. We will not travel just to ‘say we did’---we travel to fully take in and learn from the world around us. The art, the people, the food, music, and more.
We will be focusing on the beauty of the places we will visit. Appreciating the differences, Last time I was in Spain, I was in a beautiful hotel with no hot water. I saw the beauty of the old building all around me. I took fewer showers…yet was easily focused on the beauty of the pipes, the doorknobs etc… I want you to find the positive about the country, beneath what you may quickly assume to be negative (i.e.: dirty streets, people who shove into line…vs.: happy men playing chess at the plaza, girls in friendship walking hand in hand….) The beauty of the culture—as in human culture in addition to all the beautiful visual arts and architecture we will be exposed to.
I spent time meeting ´post-trip´ with students in my studio, guiding them in their projects, discussing their process. I helped them step by step—from their visual work, to their artist statements. It was quite time consuming…but the result was an exhibit at Children's Hospital, Washingtn D.C. (Rome trip), and at the Arti Institute of Washington (Madrid trip).
We look forward to our next adventure!
Claudia Olivos
