This past spring break, 14 upperclassmen, alongside Ms. Jessica Cuni, a visual arts teacher, and Dr. Yaser S. Robles, a humanities teacher, traveled to Cuba for Choate’s first cultural immersion program there. The week long program was held in partnership with Academics Program International (API) and “sought to immerse students in the day-to-day life of Cubans beneath the tourist veneer.”
This trip was art-focused, meaning that students had to constantly produce art during their time there. An exhibit of their work, which opened on Thursday of last week, is currently on display in the corridor connecting the Dining Hall to St. John Hall. Titled “Esta Volào!”, a Cuban saying that translates to “That’s amazing!”, the show is a colorful combination of sketches, photographs, and paintings.
Some of the photos and paintings are what you would expect of Cuba — vibrant and beautiful yellows, greens, and reds. Other works show the authentic portraits of the Cuban people. A few photos are of Choate students in Cuba. Seeing familiar faces in the midst of all of these new surroundings allowed the audience to better connect to the exhibit.
Creating the art proved to aid the students in understanding the country better. Each day, students were given at least half an hour to sketch their surroundings. The art making happened everywhere, whether in museums, parks, or by famous monuments. Wherever they were, the students let their minds wander and their pencils draw freely. Ethan Wedge ’19 recounted the time given as very peaceful. He even noted that despite having little focus or success in his sketching, the work that he produced “elevated [his] sense of Cuba.” Many others on the trip echoed this sentiment and were very grateful that the trip was indeed very art focused.
The students were glad to be able to share slivers of their experiences through their work. Erica Chang ’19 said, “I’m really excited for people to see all sides of Cuban culture. Cuba has a lot of historical and artistic significance that many people don’t know about. The whole point of sketching, taking photographs, and journaling in Cuba was so that we could remember our experience and then share it with the rest of the community.”
Not only are students pleased to show and share their work, but they are also proud. Austen Rogers ’19 said, “The exhibit is important. As a group, we got to represent Choate for the first time in Cuba, and I hope Choate continues the tradition. I hope students see that there is more to Cuba than old cars and colorful buildings, although we did put up a fair number of images of these.” This trip is unlike others that Choate has conducted in the past. Students traveled to a country which most Choate students have yet to see. The pieces of artwork that they brought back provide us with a glance into another world.
