Through hand-carved clay figurines, children and adults strengthened ties with their Latino roots by exhibiting colorful Trees of Life in the CZI Community Space ?Chan Zuckerberg Initiative? in Redwood City.
Works of art made by students of the organization Casa Circulo Cultural are part of the exhibition "Traditions for Cross-Cultural art learning" ?Traditions for learning intercultural art?, which seeks to celebrate the diversity of cultures through art.
Under the tutelage of the renowned local artist, Fernando Escartiz, and the art teacher at Casa Círculo Cultural, Hanny Crespo, children, adolescents and adults gave free rein to their imagination to create pieces that tell stories about the topics they like and attract the most. .
Flowers, leaves, skeletons, historical figures, mythological creatures, cartoons and more, were part of these Trees of Life that embrace all creation in their branches.
"The process has been super interesting because we have seen how the children use their imagination to create figures," said Hanny Crespo to Peninsula 360 Press, who stressed the importance for the children who participated in the workshop of creating something about their culture.
“The tree of life is something that is helping you to learn about the crafts of your country, and I think it is also important to learn about your culture. Being able to do something with your hands also helps you appreciate what the people of our country do with their hands, because when you are in the process of doing something like that, you learn all the work involved in doing that," he said.
The Tree of Life, is a ceramic sculpture that is made predominantly in central Mexico, to be more precise, in the municipality of Metepec, State of Mexico. The elaborate pieces initially represented the "story of creation" according to the Bible, showing passages from it such as the story of Adam and Eve, however, they have evolved to show various traditions, mythology, or representations of daily life, among many other things.
Fernando Escartiz, who participated in and co-led the workshop, is the creator of the "Mexico: Root and Strength" tree, which represents the Mexican and Latin American communities in the Bay Area.
In his large piece, the Mission district is represented, a town populated by many migrant workers who brought muralism to the city, there is also a feathered serpent, a divinity present in the mythology of many pre-Hispanic peoples of Mesoamerica.
At the heart of the tree are the figurines that represent Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, who got married and lived for a while in San Francisco. Other characters include La Catrina by José Guadalupe Posada and Carlos Santana, as well as monarch butterflies, various flowers and leaves.
Among the children who participated in the workshop was Gonzalo, who is 8 years old, and who has been a student at CCC for about 5 years. "I've been making leaves, flowers, a butterfly," she recounted of her Tree of Life.
For 14-year-old Jade Crespo Ramírez, who has been at CCC since she was 7 years old, her tree is about myths and legends of the world, "I wanted to do that because I feel that it represents a lot the culture of different places."
Leah, 8 years old, made her Tree of Life together with her sister Mía, both decided that the Day of the Dead would be the ideal theme.
“My sister and I love to see Las Catrinas dance in downtown Redwood City,” Leah said.
Ruby Medrano, 8 years old and who wants to become a famous cook, called her piece "The restaurant and the dancer."
"My restaurant will be called La Pastelería de la Ciudad, food is very important, when I have my restaurant I will be dancing folkloric dances too," he said.
To these Trees of Life were added those of 9-year-old Jimena Ángel, whose title was “Animal Kingdom”; 8-year-old Briana Chimes with "Day of the Dead"; "Pokémon" by Alex Crespo, 10 years old; «Tribute to Selena» performed by María Ontiveros ?12 years old?, Alexander Mendoza ?13 years old?, Gyanna Blanco ?11 years old? and Gonzalo Blanco ?8 years?.
Among the pieces, one had the title "Stop Hate", which was created by 13-year-old Shelcy Grajeda, in collaboration with the teacher of Casa Círculo Cultural, Omar Quezada, and seeks to inspire and raise awareness about inclusivity and the rejection of hate. .
"We can make the world a better place by accepting and loving everyone, no matter where they come from or what they look like. No child should feel left out or unloved. Let's spread kindness, promote inclusivity and share the love wherever we go. Together, we can make a significant impact and create a beautiful world,” Shelcy said.
"Halloween" was another of the pieces, made by 8-year-old Makayla Cifuentes; to this was added that of "Dioses Mayas", made by Arlyn Pizarro and Valeria Arellano, aged 12 and 10, respectively; «Woman» was the creation of Gianna Kobach? 14 years old? and Angela García ?13 years old?; while 9-year-old Santiago Zapian created the tree entitled “Altar”.
Adults also participated with pieces full of creativity, such is the case of the tree made by the talented artist Jeannette ?Hanny? Ramírez, who titled his work "Under the Sea", a piece full of precision and finesse.
"Vincent Van Gogh's Dream" was the title of the Tree of Life by renowned local artist Roberto Cruz, who with his experience in color theory and technique created a beautiful piece full of sunflowers in the middle of a starry night.
Grettel Gagnon, an adult artist passionate about preserving the cultural heritage of her native country ?Costa Rica? He added his talent by presenting his work of art Tree of Life with traditional elements of the nation where he was born, for which he titled his piece "Costa Rica, pura vida."
With colorful animals, Lorena Segovia sought to capture the beauty of Yucatán, a state in the southeastern region of Mexico that is famous for its beautiful beaches and Mayan culture, and through her Tree of Life, she showed her love for the place where she lived. born.
Finally, Irma Yee presented "San Juan de los Lagos: Tierra de milagros", a piece that shows her love for her beloved Jalisco, a state in the Bajío of Mexico and that houses a city that is visited annually by more than five million visitors. pilgrims from all over the world who visit the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, a place that he embodied in his Tree of Life.
«I was born and raised in San Juan de Los Lagos, a town frequented by countless pilgrims who visit the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos daily. The altar is adorned with flowers that symbolize the faithful visitors who offer them as a sign of gratitude or to seek a miracle," he said.
As a catalyst for change and community engagement, art empowered people to embrace their cultural identities, strengthening connections between communities and fostering a more inclusive and compassionate society.
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