Great Oak Middle School

www.artepostale.wordpress.com

username "ArtepostaleStudent"

password "artpostale"

Arte Postale is an international artwork exchange program designed for students with and without disabilities in any classroom. Students ages 7–14 years participate in visual and language arts activities based on a theme, that encourage thoughtful reflection on their lives and cultures. Students take part in multiple exchanges over the course of the program which culminates in the creation of a final piece of artwork. The completed pieces, each with an accompanying description sheet, are exchanged with a partner classroom in another country. VSA arts then selects one piece of art from each classroom to be showcased in its annual children’s exhibition in Washington, D.C.

 The Arte Postale program creates valuable cross-cultural educational experiences by forming relationships among classrooms as they study and communicate about their lives. Students of all abilities learn to express themselves in artistic ways and are enriched by an inclusive approach to art in the classroom. Their creativity and views of the world develop as their imaginations travel to remote lands and they discover the richness of their partner classroom’s culture.

Students develop skills in visual and language arts as they move through Arte Postale’s activities and participate in multiple points of exchange. Students will increase their understanding of culture and how it relates to their family, community, country, and world. In the final activity, each student plans and creates a piece of artwork to be exchanged with a partner classroom in another country.

All completed artwork is sent to VSA arts who then sends it to the international partner classroom.

December: VSA arts selects one piece of artwork from each classroom for its culminating art exhibition in June.

February: Classrooms receive their partner classroom’s artwork.

June: An art exhibition in Washington, D.C. takes place.