¡Adelante! El Mundo Mágico Creado, The Magical World Created

Abstract

This chapter illustrates the unique cross-sector visual arts exchange program between Cuba and the U.S. This collaborative project is situated in the Cuban educational perspective of Pedagogía de la Ternura (Pedagogy of Tenderness) and La Cláse Magica (Magical Class), contextually driven bilingual model for diverse student population in the U.S. The role of art in Cuban context of national and cultural identity is also discussed. The CreArte in Cuba, a voluntary cultural community inspired organization, aims to improve the cultural life and the realities of all the local participants. In the U.S., CreArte project was implemented at a local high school to create a positive learning space for the most disenfranchised local high school students enrolled in a remedial reading program. The juxtaposition of two apparently disparate and contrasting realities formed an amazing collage of hope and trust beyond the visible cognitive, behavioral, and affective literacy outcomes for the students and adults in both countries traveling across 90 miles of troubled water between Cuba and USA.