High School World Language and Art Students Visit Carnegie International
03/29/2023
More than 40 Highlands High School World Language and Art students and chaperones visited the Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art on March 20. Established in 1896, the Carnegie International is organized every three to four years by the Carnegie Museum of Art and “presents an overview of how art and artists respond to the critical questions of our time.”
During the visit, students sketched and wrote about their personal revolutions as they learned about the 10 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the artwork of Turkish artist Banu Cennetoglu, the afro-Caribbean women who built the Panama Canal through the artwork of Giana De Dier, the 43 countries that contributed to a collage of mail-art poems compiled by Colectivo 3 of Mexico in the 1980s, and U.S. involvement in Latin American politics and history during the 20th century through artwork from the Museo de Solidaridad Salvador Allende in Chile. Prior to their visit, Highlands AFS exchange student Agustina Gutierrez Collado from Chile helped to frame the importance of Salvador Allende in Chilean and U.S. history.
Our students represented Highlands exceptionally well with thoughtful and curious observations, reflections, and questions about the artwork and its historical context. Their personal sketches and writings also spoke volumes about their empathy and global competence. After leaving the museum, students had the opportunity to practice their Spanish in an authentic situation by ordering lunch at the local Mexican restaurant Rey Azteca in New Kensington.
Special thanks to the Carnegie Museum of Art and Buncher Fund for the grant that funded this trip and the Highlands chaperones, including Spanish teachers Laura Fleischer Proano and Joe Novak, Art Teacher Renae Yoder, and AFS Volunteer Kathy Harenski.
Thank you to Laura Fleischer Proaño for the article and photos.