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Painting & Drawing Classes
ARTRUJILLO STUDIO HOSTS STUDENTS FROM THE BLAKE SCHOOL On Thursday January 25, ArTrujillo Studio Gallery opened its doors to students from the Blake School for a workshop on the culture of the Mayans. Eighty fourth-grade Spanish class students from Blake's Hopkins and Wayzata campuses arrived with their teachers and parents at the International Bazaar at 301 East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Starting at 9:30 A.M. Alejandro Trujillo led them downstairs into the studio and gallery, which he founded, where the students met some of the artists whose beautiful paintings fill the walls. After welcoming the students, Trujillo fascinated them with historical facts surrounding the great Mayan civilization. They lived by an astronomical calendar of great accuracy, incorporated into huge pyramids at the center of vast cities, which were aligned according to the seasonal movements of the sun and stars. The organization, efficiency, and size of Mayan cities far exceeded European cities of the time.
The Blake students were given copies of human and animal faces the Mayans used to symbolize their complex mathematics. As the young people traced these images onto boards and began painting them in, a video describing details of the Mayan culture ran on a bank of televisions above their heads. Students who finished their individual artworks then began painting on a portable mural depicting a Mayan priest teaching math to a youngster. Artists from the gallery circulated around the room offering encouragement and help. After several hours, the lesson concluded with refreshments of authentic Mexican chocolate and pan (Mexican sweet bread). Students, parents, and teachers were enthusiastic about working with professional artists in a real art studio. According to Trujillo, "This type of teaching is one of the missions of ArTrujillo. We create cultural experiences, which blend history and art. Our gallery is multi-cultural, with artists from all over the world, from many backgrounds. Many of us have been classroom teachers in Mexico, Guam and here in Minnesota. We love to share our unique blend of world cultures with others, and encourage them to participate. This way, everyone contributes to a better understanding of each other." For information on art workshops and other services available from ArTrujillo Studio Gallery, contact Alejandro Trujillo or project manager |
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