Oaxaca, Mexico

In early September, my oldest child came home from school and told me he wanted to quit school and go hiking forever. When I inquired further he said, “I’m tired of feeling like a robot. I want to express my ideas and be captivated by the things I’m learning.” An artist and musician, he also told me he wants to have substantial time each day to create—it’s through making art that he feels strong and connected to himself, others, and the world.

A week later, as I was waiting for the bus, I noticed, in the nearby schoolyard, a plaque with a quote from Nelson Mandela: La educación es el arma más poderosa que puedes usar para cambiar el mundo. (Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.) I began to wonder why I enrolled my child in a school where he has little access to the arts when we are living in a world-renowned cultural capital. And, it occurred to me that with a group of curious students, committed parents, and inspiring teachers, it’s possible to create a school where students have an experience of education in which they feel fully alive.

My vision is this: Students at Escuela de Artes Prisma will explore a holistic curriculum that honors the visual, literary, musical, spiritual, and culinary traditions of Oaxaca. They will also study core academic subjects including Spanish and English Literature and Mexican History. During Jan-Term, between the fall and spring, they will have the opportunity to participate in an internship or to take an intensive class inspired by student interest.

For our inaugural semester, Escuela de Artes Prisma is welcoming a close-knit cohort of up to 10 secundaria-level students. Courses are taught in both English and Spanish and fluency in both languages is encouraged.

Sample Schedule:*

Monday / [HISTORY] The Graphic Uprising: How Cartoons, Printmaking, and Murals Fueled a Revolution. // [MUSIC] Música de Barro: Crafting Modern Landscapes from Traditional Sounds with Eric Barrita

Tuesday / [MEXICAN LIT.] El plano de la ficción: Creación de mundos míticos en la literatura mexicana // [MATHEMATICS] Symmetry on the Loom: Linear Math and Ancient Zapotec Design

Wednesday / [PRINTMAKING] Gráfica de resistencia: Grabado en madera // [PHYSICAL EDUCATION] The Forager’s Trail: Hiking Dynamics and Ethnobotanical Trekking

Thursday / [SPIRITUALITY] Cosmovision and Continuity: Indigenous Beliefs and Sacred Traditions in Oaxaca // [WRITING] Words in Motion: Multi-Genre Writing Workshop

Friday / [CULINARY ARTS ] La cocina viva: Ecología, sistemas biodiversos y artes culinarias oaxaqueñas // [BOTANY] El laboratorio vivo: Botánica de campo y diversidad de ecosistemas en la Sierra Norte

*We shape our course content around student interest, teacher expertise, and real-world immersion, using standard benchmarks as a flexible compass rather than a rigid map. The valley is our classroom.

Sample Jan-Term ideas:

Shifting Pigments: Pre-Hispanic Color to Modern Muralism

Graphic Rebellion: Oaxaca’s Street Art as Contemporary History

The History of Taste: Mapping Oaxacan Identity Through Culinary Arts

The Toledo Effect: Exploring Modern Art, Eco-Activism, and Cultural Preservation

Weaving the Cosmos: Learning from Zapotec Artisans

Wild Oaxaca: Foraging the Ancient Trails of the Sierra Norte

Echoes of the Wood: Crafting and Playing the Mexican Guitar

The Zapotec Matrix: Ethnomathematics and Geometric Logic in Weaving

Want to learn more or join us? Email artinthegardenpgh@gmail.com