My Schedule

ARTS EDUCATORS RESEARCH DELEGATION

OCTOBER 2-7, 2011

Hotel:  Melia Cohiba, Havana

Delegation Leaders:   

Prof. R. Barry Shauck, NAEA President Prof. Robert F.  Sabol, NAEA Immediate Past President

Sunday, October 2

             10:00 am         Arrival, Jose Marti International Airport, Havana

                                       Transfer to hotel, Welcome and hotel check-in

                                                                                                                                                                           2:30 pm          Program Briefing / Information Meeting (at the hotel)

                         Cultural Options (on your own / facilitated by the guide)

7:30 pm          Welcome Dinner: “El Patio” Restaurant in Old Havana’s Cathedral Square 

Monday, October 3

Breakfast at the hotel

 9:00 am Leave from hotel lobby

 9:30 am Panel Presentation / Overview:  Arts Education in Cuba

with specialists and leaders in the field

12 -1:30 pm Lunch at Casa de la Amistad

2-3:00 pm Meeting with a representative of the North America Division of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) 

3.30 pm Old Havana walking tour with the Amistur guide

8:00 pm Dinner at El Aljibe Restaurant

Night: Cultural Options 

Tuesday, October 4

Breakfast at the hotel

 9:00 am Leave from hotel lobby

 9:30 am Visit to an elementary /junior high school to observe

how art instruction / arts education is integrated into the regular school  curriculum 

12:30 pm Lunch

2:30 pm Visit to the National School of the Arts 

5:00 pm Visit to the home/studios and community projects of Artist, Jose Fuster

PM: Dinner on your own

Night:Cultural Options. 

Wednesday, October 5

Breakfast at the hotel

8:30 am Leave from hotel lobby

 9:00 am Visit the Arts Education Department of the E.J. Varona Cohiba Pedagogical Institute

12:30 pm Lunch  

 2:00 pm Visit to the San Alejandro Academy (National School of Fine Arts)

 5:00 pm Visit to an after-school arts education program (“La Colmenita”)

Evening Dinner at the Sol Melia 

Night Club Show and/or Concert (Cultural Options)

Thursday, October 6 

Breakfast at the hotel

 9:00 am Leave from hotel lobby

 9:30 am Visit to a Special Education School to observe and exchange with

faculty, staff and the children on the incorporation of arts education in the study program / curriculum

12:30 pm Lunch

2:30 pm Visit to the Museum of Fine Arts for a discussion with the staff

for organizing the museum’s educational programs and classes offered

 8:00 pm Farewell Dinner:  “El Café del Oriente” Restaurant (with Cuban guests) 

Night: Cultural Options

Friday, October 7

Am Time for Individual Research pursuits

Pm Return to the U.S.

Why are you going to Cuba?

"Why are you going to Cuba?" I seem to be getting asked this a lot lately. Yes, Cuba is a beautiful country and a popular vacation destination for the non American. But that is not why I am going. As in previous post, I mentioned some of the questions that I would like to seek answers to. These questions are the driving force behind the information that I will be collecting. Most of my research in the past, has centered around readings written by scholars. I have spent endless hours reading academic journals and books. I ponder the author's ideas and analyze their outcomes. 
This time, my research will be different. Information will not be filtered through the words of another researcher. This time, I will have the opportunity to learn and ask my questions while looking into the eyes of the source. I will get to touch, smell and see, the historic city of Havana and surrounding areas. Research will be an experience encompassing my five senses. I will embed the images, sounds, tastes, textures and ambiance into what I refer to as my "mental file cabinet."  

So, why am I going to Cuba? I believe, by conducting my own research, I will gain a more personal and meaningful understanding of the culture and art education in Cuba. 

4 More Days -Until Take off

Photograph: The Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

And so it begins...

As I begin my preliminary research, I have come to the conclusion that "patience" is going to be my new best friend. Information that I am seeking, apparently can only be obtained through direct contact. Cuban artists create artwork which is rich in beauty and meaning. Where does the preliminary steps for meaningful art begin? Are Cuban art teachers laying the foundation? Education and inspiration is derived from multiple sources. Island views, influential people, festive events, even the marketplace can lend inspiration to a lackluster canvas. In my quest to understand the source of these diverse roots of beauty, I will ponder the following:

• Arts reflect the education, location, history and culture of people
• Art mirrors multiple viewpoints on a subject or event

10 days until take off!

Through the eyes of another...

Today, I attended a lecture and was able to view Cuba through the eyes of another. It was an amazingly insightful as well as an educational experience. I will be sharing with you a glimpse of the lecture, by posting questions and answers, after I return from Cuba.

I must say this, with every culture, there is a need to create and a need to express. How a person chooses to expresses themselves is uniquely determined by their culture and life experiences. Art is a universal language which sees no borders. Art can unite us or divide us based on interpretation. But where do we begin in our journey to a gain a deeper understanding of another culture? I believe we can begin by discovering the purpose for art education. What are Cuba's goals and objectives for art ed. How does culture affect purpose? What does a typical elementary art class in Cuba look like? Do they teach the same concepts, elements and principles as we do in the USA? How is creativity perceived? Which is more of a main focus in school, creativity or skill? Do they define self expression and creativity the same way we do? How do you say "creativity" in spanish?

Just as I saw Cuba today, through the eyes of another, in two weeks, I hope to gain valuable insight through the eyes of others as I investigate the art education program in Cuba.

17 days - Pondering Passports

Leaving in 17 days!I have my passport-not happy with picture but as long as it looks like me,and gets me where I need to go, I am good. The last time I used a passport was back in the 1980's traveling back and forth from Antigua, West Indies to the States. My father was a missionary there. I went to high school in WI. - Martin Luther Prep School. I would go home two times a year. A few other places stamped in my old passport are, St Lucia and St. Kitts, other Caribbean Islands. And now, 20 years later, I am finally using a passport again. While comparing pictures-the old with the new passport, I am reminded of who I was and who I have become. Who are we and where are we going? -In my life and in art education? I hope to find answers to some of my questions.