Made in Mirrors

Plans had to be made for an exchange in the field of museum/art education involving schools. Students of the schools should come in contact with one another, should learn something and also gain awareness into each others culture by using art and creativity.
During the relatively short preparation time a few things made hampered the communication process and the planning. Firstly, Tereza’s poor English made email contact difficult; emails had to be translated leading to delays and misunderstandings. It took some time and several emails before it became clear that building works at MaMaM meant that no exhibitions could take place there. That meant that an existing exhibition could not be used as starting point for the educational project in Recife. An alternative means of bringing schools in contact with art had to be found.
During the initial stage of correspondence, done exclusively via email, a huge misunderstanding arose, that highlighted the greatly differing ways in which each institute look at and approach museum education. The misunderstanding illustrates a couple of interesting and relevant aspects of the exchange: making proposals, making comparisons, and gaining knowledge and inspiration from each other. Cultural differences and similarities transpired in this primary phase of the project and consequently created confusion. The direct contact that came later when the two parties met in person proved a lot more effective, despite the language barrier.
Tereza and Jerika decided in the email correspondence that in Brazil the project would be done in a state run school where less privileged students would profit from the opportunities the exchange offered. In Sittard a school was sought to act as exchange partner. During the preparation many differences became apparent. Tereza was able to work intensively with a school over a very short two week period, while cooperation between Jerika and the school in Sittard was more difficult. The large amount of compulsory material that the teachers had to cover left little room for the exchange project. The working style in Brazil was more flexible which resulted in a more spontaneity. On the other hand the structures in place in the Netherlands offered many extra opportunities positively influencing the effectiveness and reach of the project.
The time frame in which the project was planned also led to some complications, because of school holidays or the exhibition plans and other planned events at Het Domein for example.
The proposals that Tereza sent were often embraced with enthusiasm by Jerika, in other cases the proposals had to be discarded for practical or other reasons. Jerika’s input in the project was stimulated by the Brazilian partners but it proved difficult in practise as Jerika was not fully informed about the Brazilian situation (this was a mutual problem). Finally, before Jerika left for Brazil, there was a plan of action to be carried out during her stay in Recife which would be adapted in part on location. Here the Brazilian flexibility came to the fore.

Project Recife 14-29 July 2008-12-17 children of Pillar Nossa Senhora
After Jerikas arrival in Recife, she and Tereza walked through the plans. Felipe, who acted as interpreter, played an important role in. The face-to-face talks provided an opportunity to clear up the misunderstandings and to share visions and discuss the possibilities and impossibilities that should be taken into account during the planning stage. Jerika and Tereza proved to have greatly differing definition of the terms ‘museum education’ and ‘art education’.
Activities planned and offered to the school by the local council, for example a poetry themed bus trip which took the students past statues of local writers, and a boat trip on the waters in and around the city which addressed pollution and environmental awareness. The medium of visual poetry was employed when the activities where done as part of the Dykes of Friendship project and the topic was adapted to ‘me and my community’. Visual poetry and the topic ‘me and my community’ would be used in other activities by the students at the school. The plan was to do a postal art exchange with the children in Sittard; children in Recife would make postcards and send them to children in Sittard. Another plan was to make badges and umbrellas that could be worn or used in the area in which the children lived. At this stage the plan was changed to mean that instead of badges stickers would be made that could later be hung up in the neighbourhood of the school children. At this point Jerika was still missing the input of a professional artist. It was decided that Jerika should go and visit an exhibition at MaMaM no patio of work by artist Marcelo Solá who had previously stayed at the MiM studio. His drawings which include text are inspired by the city of Recife. The activities that the children would do came together nicely with the aims of the project.

The fact that the exchange school Nossa Signora do Pilar was located in a slum surrounded by great poverty was a factor that played an important role in the project. Although the main aims of the project were to engage the children in visual art and to explore different cultures, the choice of the school in Recife gave the project a new twist. Apart from being in contact with a very different culture, for Jerika the confrontation with such poverty and lack of prospects proved to be a new and shocking experience. In the subsequent exchange with the school in Sittard the topic of slums, of the poverty and the hopelessness, was something that could not and must not have been ignored. Awareness about the living conditions of children at the partner school in Brazil became one of the educational aims of the project. The realisation that the children in Brazil were in many ways like them helped to counteract stigmatisation and lead to a sense of personal involvement. Another rather foreign concept for the Dutch students was that there were also adults in the class. Because of the high level of illiteracy in the slum or the ‘favela’ adults are given the chance to take lessons at the local school and thus improve their chances for the future. This was new to both Jerika and the exchange class in Sittard and was the starting point for discussion.

Two intensive weeks of working together with the school followed and the plans were put into action
The teaching staff were also actively involved. There was a great amount of flexibility in the curriculum which meant that a lot of time could be devote to the project, this came as a welcome surprise to Jerika but also as a stark contrast to the way of working in the Netherlands. The activities took place in a range of locations but always with the same group of students. The locations were: the school itself, the favela, MaMaM, MaMaM no patio, a boat and the city (by bus). The children enjoyed a very varied programme of events in which they both experienced new things and also learned to look at their surroundings in a whole new way.
Although a lot of time and energy was spent on preparation some, often practical, details had been overlooked, this sometimes lead to stagnations in the project. This was very different to the efficient Dutch way of working that Jerika was used to. She observed that people had less time because of waiting and that people did not arrive at meetings promptly. However, there was flexibility and spontaneity aplenty. Sometimes it took a great deal of effort to summon the goodwill and understanding for the other, new way of working. And the feeling was mutual.
There were several highlights of the project.
- The sticker event, namely sticking the stickers all around the area. The participants enjoyed the activity and the activity played a role in improving the bond between the school and the local people. The stickers will be visible for a long while yet and will remind the favela of the enjoyable experience.
- Customising the umbrellas with visual poetry and walking around with them on Marco Zero and on the boat inspired the students and brought about good results. A nice perk for the children was that the activity left them with not only memories but also an umbrella that they could use at a later date. The project will live on thanks to the fact that there will be people walking around in the favela with such a recognisable umbrella for some time to come.
- The mail art project had a lot of extra value, especially at the time of the exchange. Here there is talk of a material exchange which was a special and concrete experience for the students in Recife and Sittard.
- The visit to Mamam no patio was an important activity because, for many students, this was the first direct contact with contemporary visual art in a museum. Despite this experience being rather new and strange, it was nevertheless an important …

Jerika was able to contribute much less than she had hope in the execution of the activities because of the language barrier. Tereza gave the lessons and gave instructions and Jerika was always present, sometimes adding things which Felipe translated to the group. At other times Jerika interacted with the students individually whereby signing was used and Felipe translated. The students were very happy with the interest from The Netherlands, it also proved good for their self image and for their cultural awareness.

Sittard

Preparation children of Basisschool Aan de Meule
Straight after Jerika returned to Sittard from Recife the preparations started for Tereza’s arrival. Jerika had hoped that the return visit could be postponed in order to allow more preparation time after the summer holidays. However, the period of Terezas visit could not be altered due to various factors in Brazil. At the same time as Tereza’s planned visit to Sittard there was already an educational project in progress in Het Domein (around an historic exhibition about Morocco) that required a lot of preparation and meant that for three weeks the museum the museum was being visited by school groups. This reduced the available options for the Brazil project.

It was clear that there was no alternative and the planning continued. The project as it was in Brazil was used as the starting point for the plans. In the Netherlands it is not possible to work so intensively with a school as was done in Recife that meant that choices had to be made. Cooperation was sought with a school with which connections already existed, the communication went well and decisions could be made without delay. Schools in The Netherlands are used to having to plan far ahead and to making their own decisions, however, in this case agreements had to be made at short notice concerning a project that was initially someone else’s idea. Due to the nature of the project, the school was soon enthusiastic about it, meaning that they were prepared to spend lesson time on it and to make time for the project at short notice. A contributing factor to the school’s enthusiasm was that participation in the project was free; normally the schools had to pay for projects. The educational aims of the project corresponded nicely with the curriculum at the school. Two classes were chosen (year 7 and year 7/8 mixed), during the two project weeks each class would spend two half-days (4 meetings in total) working on the project. It was decided that, just as in Brazil, the project would take place at the school and in the area around the school because Museum Het Domein was fully booked with school groups visiting the Morocco exhibition and because there was no contemporary visual art on display there which could be related back to the aims of the project. This was an unusual decision; normally museum policy at Het Domein is to educate in the museum and have the students come into direct contact with art and the museum environment.

In Sittard as in Recife decisions had to be made concerning the individual project activities. The mail-art project was chosen for several reasons. This part of the project was the most obvious choice as postcards would be sent back and forth. Thus there would be very concrete contact. Moreover the topic ‘me and my community’ allowed the students the possibility to exchange and show things about their own life, their (cultural) identity and their surroundings.
In Recife the cards had been made and were waiting to be posted, to the project and the students no less important than making the cards was receiving a card in return.
Three activities were developed for the lessons in Sittard.
- The students would get to see a powerpoint of photos made during the project in Recife. Tereza and Jerika would give commentary on the photos and tell something about the project activities, about Brazil, about the students, about the favela and about mail-art and the topic ‘me and my community’.
- Thereafter, armed with pencil and paper, the students would take a walk around the area near the school making sketches and notes of what they would like to draw and write on their postcard to Recife.
- Then the students would work on their postcards: drawing, writing a text (in English, Dutch and/or Portuguese) and writing the name and address of the sender and the recipient so that each Dutch student and each Brazilian student would receive a personal card.

At the end of August when the preparations were more or less finished Museum Het Domein got a message explaining that Tereza would no longer be coming to Sittard as she was no longer working for MaMaM. Tereza would be replaced by Mozard Santos, who worked for MaMaM no Patio and whom Jerika had met during her visit to Recife, though he was not involved in the project at that time and was only present at a couple of activities.
It was decided that the plans would not be altered, this was neither desirable nor possible, and Mozart came to Sittard to carry out the project instead of Tereza.

In the following weeks there was email correspondence with Mozart in which he agreed to the proposed plans but also made a suggestion for another activity. Mozart wanted to make a short film with the Pilar school in which the students themselves would present their city. His idea was to show the film in Sittard and then have the Dutch school children make a similar film.
Mozart was informed that because of the earlier mentioned reasons it would be impossible to make the film he had hoped with the children in Sittard. He was able to make the film presenting Recife and he would show it at the schools in Sittard.

Project Sittard 21st Sept – 5th Oct 2008
When Mozart arrived in Sittard the plans and the programme were discussed. Luckily the language barrier proved to be less of a problem this time as Mozart spoke English. Some things that had been discussed with Tereza in Recife, had to be discussed again: in particular the differences between The Netherlands and Brazil regarding cultural education. Mozart also had to be filled in on why some things were practically impossible to carry out.
Jerika had some good news for Mozart too, in that there was a possible solution for the film project. Instead of the school group making the film, a group of children who attend a Saturday morning art class at Het Domein would make the Sittard version of the film. The art course they follow is called ‘kunst op zolder’ (art in the attic) because the lessons take place in the attic of the museum. The artist who teaches the children is Jo Wolffs. Mozart would sit in on one of the lessons and also show his own film from Recife. The film about Sittard would be completed after Mozart had already returned to Brazil, but it was agreed that a copy of the film would be sent to him before the end of the year. All parties were happy with this flexible solution.

Lesson that would be given at Aan de Meule public primary school had been prepared. It was agreed that, despite the language issues, Mozart would be involved in the lessons. Most of the children could speak a few words of English. Mozart would also translate some words into Portuguese for the children to write on their postcards. Then he would show his film give some commentary, which Jerika would translate. The rest of Mozart’s plans for the project were discussed, he also visited several different cultural institutes so that he was able to get a good picture of the way in which the Dutch tackle cultural education. A couple that was familiar with Brazil and that spoke good Portuguese would take Mozart sightseeing in a few towns in The Netherlands. Several other meetings were arranged including a T-time with and for an audience of art lovers in which the whole project would be presented and discussed.

The activity at the school class went according to plan. It was noticeable that the two classes that worked on the activity interacted in different ways, probably due to the different ways in which the two teachers approached the activity. There was a lot of interaction with Mozart, many children enjoyed trying out their English skills on him.
The children were very interested in the stories about Brazil and it was inspiring for them to think that they would send a postcard to one of the students they had seen on the photographs. The photographs taken in the favela and in the school shocked the children in Sittard; they could barely imagine such living conditions. But, from the photos, they could also tell how much the Brazilian children enjoyed taking part in the project.
The children discovered for themselves the the things they have in common with one another and their differences, this is a strength of this project.
Mozart had feared that stigmatisation of the Brazilian children would occur because of the heavy focus on the socioeconomic differences between the countries, however this did not happen. We look more closely at this question at the beginning of this report. The Dutch children were told and shown that the Brazilian children have a very strong attachment and pride in their culture. They can, for example, name the local and national poets and recite their poems from memory. At Aan de Meule primary school there is far greater emphasis on the children writing their own poems than on poets and poetry in its own right. Mozart’s film also emphasised that same cultural awareness. Doing the exchange with the favela school showed that socioeconomic differences are not something to be ignored, rather to provide the starting point for lessons and group discussions.
Throughout the walk around the area near the school there was a good deal of interaction with Mozart, one of the groups in particular often asked Mozart to draw something for them and write down Portuguese words. There was also a lot of communication concerning the question of what to draw on the postcard. The children considered drawing something that was different in the two countries (in Brazil the trees don’t lose their leaves in autumn) but they also considered a shared interest (football or games).
The postcards were made in the third activity of the project which took place in the week following the powerpoint presentation and the walk around the neighbourhood. Before the children got to work they recapped what they had done last week and then Mozart showed the children the postcards made by the Brazilian children. The children in Brazil had drawn things that the Dutch children recognised and could imagine having drawn themselves. Churches, trees, flowers and hearts all figured on the postcards.
With the help of their notes from the week before the children set to work. They worked hard on making beautiful postcards and they were clearly aware of the fact that these postcards they were making would travel a long way to reach someone far away and would bring them in touch with someone else.

Short conclusion
The two parts of the project (mail-art and film) are not yet entirely finished. The children have yet to receive their postcards and the Sittard film is currently in the making. Hopefully contact between the Dutch and Brazilian schools will continue in the future, to ensure this the education departments of MaMaM and Het Domein will have to take initiative and oversee the progress.

The people involved agree that the project was a success and a very special experience. The aims of the project have largely been met, thanks to a great deal of improvisation and compromise from both sides.

The school children involved found the project inspiring and enlightening. It has most certainly lead to the children looking at their own surroundings from a different angle and it has given them an insight into the life and culture of the exchange partner. A personal involvement has been brought about between students from to different continents and has brought awareness of both the differences and the similarities between them.
An awareness of universal values for example mutual understanding, curiosity and respect were created among the participants.

The inspiration, admiration and amazement as well as confrontation and ignorance that was encountered by both parties proved to be a highly enriching experience on both a professional and a personal level. No doubt the experience will influence the way that the education departments at Het Domein and MaMaM work.

Briefly, another professional experience that Jerika Vertegaal had when working in Brazil and with her Brazilian colleagues was that although structures give security a lack thereof can also have a positive effect on flexibility and inventiveness. Experiencing this ‘playful’ way of working with the emphasis on ‘fun’ has greatly inspired her.