First Days in Exploring Madrid Through the Arts

Sunday was arrival day. Students came from all around the U.S. to embark on our exploration of Madrid through the arts.

The first day was about getting to know each other, going over some tips to stay safe and healthy while in another country and becoming familiar with the neighborhood where we will be staying.

Monday morning we continued orientation and had a walk through Parque del Oeste to the Templo de Debod with Jorge, our program coordinator.

In the afternoon the art instructor, Ani, came to talk about the course. We pondered the question "What is art?" and talked about how to analyze and form meaningful opinions about art given its historical context. This will be important as we visit different museums.

Later, we took a stroll around Lavapies, a central neighborhood of Madrid known for its steep and narrow streets, art scene and diversity. We visited "Esta es una Plaza", a beautiful urban garden, and then stopped at a cafe before heading back to the residency.

On Tuesday the students had their first functional language course. Over the next few weeks, their native instructor, Ana, will be giving them the tools they need to interact during their time here. For some this might mean learning how to ask what they would like in a restaurant while our more advanced speakers will learn things like vocabulary and phrases unique to Spain.

From there we went to the National Archaeological Museum where we saw an array of artifacts that belonged to the different cultures that have populated the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean Region.

In the evening we had our first ceramic workshop with Elena Rey in her gallery, Feel and Flow. Elena talked to us about several traditional styles of ceramics and then we used the techniques we had learned to make our own vases and bowls.