Summer Art Experience In The Dominican Republic
Traveling with a Cultural Consciousness

Aims and Objectives | Who we are

Visual culture - The Many Faces of the Dominican

Carpe Diem is excited to expand our offerings to include a summer program in the Dominican Republic. While all of our programs focus on experiential education, Global Arts Education is a new short-course offering that focuses exclusively on university and graduate students interested in arts and culture.  This program is for students that are looking for a rich opportunity to apply and build upon their artistic talents.

Global Arts Education challenges every student as they travel to gain global awareness with a focus on art. Students will create positive change in the world by putting their artistic skills and creativity to work confronting issues of health, sustainability of indigenous cultures, peace studies and activism, and environmental conservation. Global Arts Education empowers students to contribute to indigenous communities through art-related service using visual culture as an agent for change. Students gain unique insight into themselves and the people of the Dominican Republic as they live in homestays and interact with locals off the beaten path. While the program focuses on art, we also engage in team leadership, outdoor adventure, and language studies.

Orientation:

You will begin your Dominican experience in the tropical mountains of Jarabacoa in the heart of the Dominican Republic — a great place to ease into the slow pace of island life. The first few days will be spent admiring jaw dropping tropical views, exploring waterfalls and indulging in fresh fruits straight from the tree. Team-building games will help us get acquainted with one another, as we absorb the visual culture and prepare ourselves for an unforgettable experience.

Week 1


Moca Village Homestays and Art-Related Service Work:

In a small village just east of Santiago you will experience Mocan lifestyle with a host family — one to two students per family. In this village you will learn different ceramic and painting techniques as you work with local artisans who run a variety of ceramic and painting workshops.  Recently, these artists have been instrumental in reviving the ceramic faceless doll – an art-form near extinction that represents the mixed cultures of the Dominican people. In conjunction with the Peace Corps, you will work alongside these local artisans creating the dolls, which will be sold to help support families. Additionally, you will learn different firing processes and other ceramic techniques with Radhames Carela, the director or Agua Pure, a ceramic water filtration organization.  Our volunteer work will provide the Dominican people with healthy and affordable potable water while blending an art aesthetic with functional purpose. You will help plan and organize an art fair in Moca, which will showcase other local styles, including the ceramic art of the indigenous Taino people. Throughout our explorations we will discuss art criticism, aesthetics, history, and lifestyle while reflecting upon our American culture.

Between days elbow deep in clay, we will return to Jarabacoa to explore the region on foot, raft, horseback and mountain bike. We will brush up on our Spanish with the same instructors Peace Corps Volunteers study with. As a group, we will push our comfort zones through team building initiatives, and develop leadership and communication skills that are applied in everyday life.

Weeks 2.5

Free Travel:

After a rewarding volunteer experience, immersion in local art, and team-building adventures, the group decides where to go next!  You can choose to travel overland to coastal beaches or National Parks, or drop into the cultural commotion of Santo Domingo, the country's vibrant capital, and even visit a jeweler to learn how to set the country's stone, larimar, into your own creations. You’ll decide if you find yourself basking in the sun on white sand beaches, snorkeling the underwater world, crawling through caves with hidden springs, or exploring museums and architecture along bustling city streets.  It’s in this week that our students learn how to travel independently and safely in the developing world; one of Carpe Diem’s goals for all of its students.

Program Information

Program Dates:

Summer 2010: August 2 - 18, 2010

Group Size:

A maximum of 14 Students & 2 Adult Leaders

Eligibility:

Minimum 18 years - Up

Language Requirement:

None, but Spanish will be helpful.

Admissions:

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until start date

Starting & Ending:

Miami, Florida. Our travel agent will price the most economical options and notify participants

Program Fee:

$3,760 Program fee includes all food, accommodations, and scheduled program activities for the duration of the program. International and domestic airfare, and spending money are not included. International airfare estimated at $700. For information on Financial Aid click here.

College Credit

Three credit hours are available through Portland State University. These may be transferred to other colleges and universities. Please refer to the Carpe Diem home page for more information.

Related Sites

  1. http://www.insituform.com/content/416/insituform-donates-to-dominican-republic-water-filtration-project.aspx
  2. http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/poverty/2007/2/14/22437/Agua-Pure-Project-brings-clean-water-to-Dominican-Republic

Global Art Education: Aims and objectives

While being immersed within foreign cultures, students actively participate in analytical discussions about the culture and fine arts, and how they compare to American culture. Students visit museums, galleries and villages to explore an all around representation of visual culture. While students are sheltered in homestay village settings, they receive a unique and authentic experience as they contribute to the community through volunteer service.

Global Arts Education Aims to promote:

  • Responsibility for social change
  • Critical consumption of forms of expression and visual culture
  • Imagination and responsiveness to creativity

As we travel with a cultural consciousness, the student will:

  • Compare local modern art movements to those in America and discuss the differences in a group setting.
  • Actively participate in group discussions that analyze and reflect upon artistic outlets found within each community.
  • Create their own 2D and 3D art pieces influenced by native art styles including (but not limited to) jewelry-making, weaving, ceramics, painting and drawing.
  • Study and utilize the language of the country in which they are immersed.
  • Upon returning to the United States, students are encouraged to create a body of artwork that reflects a concept learned that is personally meaningful and influences positive change upon American society.

Global Art Education Field Staff: Who we are

Our program leaders are trained to facilitate personal growth and understanding of the visual world. The combination of hands-on learning as part of a structured academic art program has proven the best way to open the eyes of Global Arts students to different cultures of the developing world. Global Arts instructors are deeply dedicated educators, who empower students to engage in cross-cultural experiences, and meaningful personal reflection and growth. Our instructors are graduate students, former Peace Corps Volunteers, veteran guides and teachers by trade. Program leaders guide students in their reading and understanding of visual culture, and challenge them to be more self-accountable and better team leaders. In addition to exploring the arts, students build the skills to safely travel independently around the world. Instructors work in pairs to accommodate all group dynamic needs.

Karen Rosenbloom

Karen grew up in a northwest suburb of Chicago Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Art Education with a concentration in Ceramics from Northern Illinois University. During the last years of her study, Karen created an art curriculum designed to open minds to other cultures and influence positive change. For this she was awarded a National Education Award from Golden Key National Honors Society. While pursuing her degree, Karen was a Trip Leader of The Outing Center of NIU, a High and Low Rope Facilitator, and a manager of a climbing gym in Warrenville, IL. She is passionate about sharing the wonders of other cultures and adventurous experiences in the great outdoors. While in college, Karen earned a grant to perform a cultural art study in Thailand. The tsunami relief of 2004 gave her the unexpected opportunity to stay in Koh Phi Phi to help the Reservoir Dog remove the stagnant water from the reservoir and create a new pool. Traveling throughout that country was one of her most influential experiences. It opened her mind to other ideas, ways of living, and taught her great meaning and the reward of service work.

Soon after university, Karen explored her heritage in Israel and went to the Dominican Republic. While in the Dominican Republic, Karen helped instruct and construct a ceramic water filtration production now recognized as Agua Pure. Agua Pure is currently run by a local ceramicist in Moca, DR. This project helped Karen recognize the importance of empowering others to make positive change, and taught her how crucial teamwork is to efficiency.

Before Karen joined the Carpe Diem team, she taught art at the elementary level and instructed yoga at Northern Illinois University. Karen has been a Program Leader with Carpe Diem Education in three regions. Her previous programs were in the Central America, India and the South Pacific. All of her programs were met with rave reviews and heaps of student growth! Between Carpe Diem Programs, Karen is an avid rock climber, backpacker, and skier. She enjoys just about any outdoor activity and expressing herself through the arts.

Karen is thrilled about sharing worldly experiences with others while making a positive difference in other's lives.