Bringing Hispanic voices into the art room is a beautiful and important thing to do at all times of the year.
However, from September 15 to October 15, it’s Hispanic Heritage Month, which a time to elevate the history, art, and contributions of those Hispanic-Americans who came from Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Spain, or their ancestors did.
Mid-September is the Independence Day of many Spanish-speaking countries, and it’s why this particular time of the year was chosen. First, Hispanic Heritage Month was only a week long, and now it’s a full month.
This doesn’t mean stereotypes such as creating paper plate sombreros. This means intentionally seeking out working Hispanic-American artists and introducing them to your students so that they know more voices out there than just Frida.
As someone who has the opportunity, honor, and privilege of serving thousands of art teachers and homeschoolers around the world, it is one of my favorite things to bring artists who are not the “masters” to the forefront. It’s one of the keystones of everything that I do, and I often go on long quests to find artists that will resonate with kids – and with you.
Thank you for sharing this lesson. I’ve never heard of the artist. I love that it introduces Hispanic-American heritage.
It is one of my favorite things in the world to find artists that should be in the limelight more and introduce them to others! So glad you love it!