Symbols inspired by Porfirio Gutierrez

Students studied the symbols of Porfirio’s Zapotec heritage and how they are designed to be used in weavings.  They started with sketches of their own ideas and adapted them into symbols that followed a grid of squares and triangles.  The words in red were written by the students to describe the meaning of their symbol.

The artwork below was produced in middle school classrooms at Anacapa Middle in Ventura, Isbell Middle in Santa Paula and Rio del Valle Middle School in Oxnard.

Thank you to the Ruth & Joseph C. Reed Foundation for the Arts for generously funding these residencies.

Click on each image to see the full size.

Funding

Our standard 8-week in-the-classroom residency is $500 (including instructor and supplies). You can “Adopt A Classroom” for $500.00. Click HERE to Donate Four week and single lessons are also available. Our lessons are cross-curricular and support the California content standards. Many of them can be tailored and grouped to work with a particular unit of study, i.e. zoology, social studies, history, language arts, sciences, etc. They are adaptable to a wide range of grade levels from elementary through secondary grades and beyond, including community groups and programs. Programs are supported in a variety of ways, including school and PTA funds, grants, or personal donations from an individual or group of parents/grandparents. Our program is taught by professional artists who have extensive educational experience. We feel that this criterion helps to guide the student with a deeper understanding of the art making process. For more information, or to arrange a residency in your neighborhood, call 805.653.2501 or email [email protected].