Art and... a carnival?

This week we started the Art and Gender Empowerment classes. We were awarded over $2,300 to buy art supplies for a drawing and painting class. You might think that is a lot of money, but trust me, we can spend it. For the classes I had envisioned our core 20 students, participating in fun gender charlas and learning shading techniques from Leo. A very quiet and organized affair.

OH, HOW NOT SO.

About 50 children, jóvenes, and adults showed up to class with about 10 more "looker-ons" who stood in the door ways and watched. It was a bit of a carnival. Free art supplies! Everybody run to the casa comunal!

The first class was intended to be an introduction to a more formal experience. You can't miss more than 3 classes, you can't be late, and you can't use your cellphone. I mean, common. The materials are expensive and we have grant requirements to fulfill (i.e. GENDER CHARLAS). We need some order!

Leo, being the ever patient and inclusive being that he is, insisted on passing out full sized layer paper and shading pencils to everyone who showed up. They were supposed to replicate a drawing Leo had done so we can split them into levels. Although I was pleasantly surprised by some students, others were simply too young to participate. Things like sitting still, not tracing Leo's art, not braking the pencils... These are concepts that are far out of their reach. I also had about 50 people screaming my name because their brand new eraser was "too small", poking me to get another pencil because fíjese que they lost the first one, and pulling my shirt to ask me to draw for them. That makes 100 little hands grabbing me. Obviously, personal space means nothing here. I had to take a few minutes outside before I could continue with the grabby hands.

Rules! Order! Expectations! 

Getting started on the drawing. Some blank stares. 

Ana, one of my 9th graders, is actually really good! (She rolled her eyes when I told her that. So sassy.)

Erik, too. He's taking on the advanced drawing on the nice easels the grant money bought.

We had some adult men show up. I hope they stick with it because they'll make a great addition to the gender charlas we WILL eventually start. 

It was a pretty overwhelming experience. In the midst of it all, a representative from the ARENA political party showed up and donated refrigerio (mini orange sodas and crackers) to the class. He even ran out and bought enough for 50 people. He didn't give a stump speech, thankfully, but I still felt a little weird about accepting food from a political party. We have the mid-term elections coming up in March and the parties are already getting ruthless in my community.

Selfishly, I wish we had a smaller group. Preferably teenagers and young adults. Preferably those who respect my personal space bubble. I'm genuinely interested in gender empowerment and equality here. For example, as the class dragged on a large group of young men showed up in the cancha to play fúbol. I got the same panicky feeling I always get around groups of men that at any second they were going to say something inappropriate towards me. I never used to feel this way before El Salvador, but now it's a daily fear for me. I know that after a wildly under-planned class I could not handle a rude piropo from this crowd.  And that is why I want to work on gender here. Because women should not have to feel hunted like this. I know I can't change that part of the culture, but I can at least get a conversation going among young men and women.

(In case you were wondering, I didn't hear any piropos. But I'm not so optimistic to think that nothing was said amongst the group.)

Leo asked me how I was doing and I started freaking out about the charla schedule. We're all off now! How am I going to work with all these people!? We have responsibilities to uphold the stipulations of the grant!

He just smiled and said, "Yes Ale, but we have soda." He drained his mini soda and got back to helping the kids perfect their 2D apples on a branch.

I couldn't help but laugh at the simplicity of it all. Soda and some time to draw. Everyone was welcome. It was crowded and hectic, and yet all so simple in the end.

I know the group will eventually tapper off. This always happens when something is new and free in the community. I guess we'll just have to see how it all pans out. In the meantime, enjoy a soda.