February is International Friendship Month It is a time to reflect upon, appreciate, and give our love, friendship and kindness to others. The arts show us the power of love and the destructiveness of hate; The arts view our differences as opportunities to explore and to learn and not as something to be feared or eliminated.
“Art has a distinctive power to bridge societal differences, developing empathetic men and women who value other people and perspectives.” People capable of love, friendship, and kindness.
-Leo Tolstoy
This month, at Amity Middle School Orange, 85 of teacher Elaine Hashemian 7th grade Spanish students worked with mural artist Miguel Estrada to create a mural to celebrate the theme of “Love Unites.” Working in small collaborative groups, students began by creating a painting to illustrate how different cultures represent the qualities of love, friendship, kindness, respect, empathy, and peace.
These 23 small group paintings (example below right) were then integrated into one, large 9’x7’ hallway mural. And all throughout, students honed their Spanish skills by talking and writing about the creative process they engaged in starting with brainstorming ideas and ending with piecing together the final mural.