Enhancing Spanish Fluency through Activism-Inspired Art

Students in a new class in the HS World Language Department made their way through the neighborhoods in Washington, DC, viewing old and new storefronts, construction projects in progress—all signs of both rapid growth and decay. As they went, they noted hints of various and combined cultural influences in the landscape. 

On a hunt for murals to research and present as part of a new course focused on art and activism, they connected the subjects, artists, and their works they had studied in class to those they were viewing here in their home city, even their own neighborhoods. 

Along the way, the students’ conversations expanded beyond the artwork and surroundings to larger themes such as community identity, gentrification, displacement, activism, and the role of art in social change. Though conversations focused on such subject matter might not seem unfamiliar for the high school students at GDS, these differed in that they were all in Spanish.

Modern linguists and anthropologists share that language is intrinsically tied to the culture and history of the people who speak it; that in order to fully comprehend a language, social and historical context are essential. In line with this philosophy, GDS’s World Language department is offering a new advanced Spanish course that reflects a broader mission, using art alongside language as a pathway into deeper cultural and linguistic understanding. 

We wanted to offer more choice in the Spanish program once students were equipped with enough grammar and vocabulary skills to have more in-depth conversations about big ideas and interesting topics,” said HS World Languages Teacher Emma Kemler.  So far, the class is exceeding expectations.

Although Emma is currently teaching the pilot class, she is quick to note that it is the product of a collaboration between her and her fellow high school Spanish-teaching colleagues Trish Heatherman and Parker Benedict. They all hope that it will become a course offered regularly by the department. 

A Broader Perspective

“Oftentimes, when we learn about different activist movements in school or in life, we tend to think about them through an American lens,” offered student Maia Shakow ’29. “Coming to a class where you’re able to learn about activism through a Latin American lens has given me a broader perspective on the world.”

“We started the year off with an overview,” explained Emma, “‘What is activist art, what does that term even mean?’ And then we looked at a few different examples including Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, who was involved in ‘Operation Peter Pan’ after the Cuban Revolution, where children were sent to live with different families or orphanages in the U.S. to avoid the repercussions of the revolution. Then in that same unit, we looked at a Peruvian painter who was part of this movement in the early 20th century called Indigenismo, which focuses on indigenous peoples and cultures.” 

The class also explored more contemporary works including murals in Medellin, Colombia, and the use of street art to revitalize community, as well as at the subsequent tensions created by gentrification. Students then chose a mural in DC to research and present on in class. 

“The entire time I’ve been in this class I haven’t viewed it as a Spanish class, rather a class that teaches me about art and activism that also happens to be in Spanish,” said Maia. “It’s taught me about the history of Latin America through the lens of people who are not often talked about: the artists.”

Becoming Artists

After learning about activist artists and cultural movements, students go a step further: making their own art. This not only gives them a deeper window into the artists’ thought processes, but also serves to ground the course of study in the students' own communities and personal experiences. 

For a class engraving project, the students were offered a choice to make something that reflected a cause, issue, or idea that was personally relevant. “All year, we have been watching experts and activists make symbolic and moving artwork that changes laws, communities, and the world itself,” said student Isabella Tamayo ’29. “In this project, we became those artists.”

Emma thinks the visual nature of art creates a nice on-ramp for students to enter into discussions on activism and culture. But she has found music can provide a good place to start as well. 

“We did a unit where we compared and contrasted Flamenco in Spain with influence from the Roma community. And Bomba, which is a traditional dance from Puerto Rico with influence from the African community. We always start with objective observations, and then we learn a little bit more about the artist and the social-political context, and then make the jump between observation and background to meaning,” she said. 

In order to integrate language learning with discussions about art, culture, and social change, Emma tries to pick at least one grammar topic that the students need more practice with, or something new that they hadn’t learned yet. “We also focus on more sophisticated or academic vocabulary that they will need to best express their ideas. Sometimes it's small phrases that can have a big impact in the flow of their speech or writing,” she said. 

Though the subject matter is often deep and complex, there appears to be an enthusiasm that keeps the students engaged and focused, so they are able to keep discussions entirely in Spanish. “The group really encourages each other to stay in that space,” said Emma. In addition to the language study itself, she hopes that the class will help her students think about the world in a more analytical and critical way, to really think about the purpose and larger message behind the art they see and what they experience, and to feel empowered to use language in a lot of different ways. 

“It is teaching me that I have the power to do things in this world,” said Isabella. “It is a class that has prepared me for the future in more ways than I could've imagined…It’s more than a language class.”