Over 90 percent of the population is metizo. The Spanish and the native Araucanian blended early in Chile’s history. Several settlements were established in 1540 and a stormy relationship was established with Spain until they won their independence in 1818. In 1970 Salvador Allende was elected President. He began moving the country towards socialism. Severe economic problems, polarized citizens and lack of foreign support contributed to a military takeover in 1973. Allende committed suicide. The Pinochet regime imposed strict censorship, banned political parties and ruled with force. 1989 saw the first free presidential election since 1970. Since then Chile’s rapid growth and restoration of democratic institutions has attracted foreign investment.
Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was born Neftali Ricardo Reyes y Basoalto in Parral, Chile. He began writing poetry in his teens. He became known for speaking to the people with his earthy expressionist style. In 1971 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for literature and the Lenen Peace Prize. The imagery in
Ode to My Socks
is strong. The sequence of events following “Socks” is a dreamer’s paradise, just what every child could understand. We will attempt to recreate that ride through illustrating the text and performing the piece with percussion instruments. “Spring” will serve as an introduction to the science and art of our seasons. Our challenge will be to create verse for each season. Can we think of the seasons from animal perspectives?
Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957) was born Lucila Godoy de Alcayaga in Vicuna, Chile. She was the first Latin American Woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Mistral was a teacher and worked to reform the Mexican public educational system.
Eight Puppies (Ocho Perritos)
will be presented with stick puppets to help the children visualize the azaleas, banana plants and coyote. Students will be invited to share their descriptions of favorite animals and act out the movements they attribute to them.
Roberto Sebastian Antonio Matta Echaurren (1911) was a painter born in Santiago, Chile. He was influenced by Marcel Duchamp’s exploration of movement and process. In the late 1940’s Matta broke with the surrealists and moved towards situationalists, settling in Paris. Matta became much more political in his painting during the 1960s and 70s. His tempura on canvas,“ The Spherical Roof Around Our Tribe”, reflects great movement. We will discuss his use of the word “tribe” and how we could communicate “our tribe” on canvas. An over sized canvas will be stretched by the students and paint applied. Once our painting is completed we will describe ourselves for a guide to the viewers.