We are going out again on the fifth day! The first place to go will be the University of Pennsylvania East Asian Civilization Dept. We listened to three speakers talk about Chinese poems, Study of Japan, and Asian Buddhism. After that, we went to a Japanese Tea House, which has authentic Japanese style architecture,...
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Exploring Art: Final Day — Bringing It All Together
After lunch, we finally got to set up our ceramic totem poles on the MFS grounds. The poles consist of cylinders, pinch pots and other shapes stacked on top of one another. Each person made at least 3 pieces for the totem poles. Each piece was decorated individually to represent the individual and the...
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Exploring Art: Putting the final touches on our projects
Today we stayed on campus to complete all of our projects both individual and group — photography, sculpture, mandalas and totems abound! It was a great way to end our week of exploration and creation. The photos say it all …...
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Quilting: The Final Day
Today was the final day for the quilters. Over the course of this week, we have learned many valuable skills. Students have learned how to use a sewing machine, hand-stitch, and even use a professional long-arm machine. It has been a wonderful and laughter-filled week for our little group of 6!...
Continue readingExploring Art: More Reflections from the Pond
We all had a great time at Pakim Pond on Wednesday and wanted to share a few more pics....
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Sevilla, Seen From on High
Today we started later than usual, which is unusual for this trip. Usually we woke up around 6/7 to get ready for breakfast at 8, but today we had the luxury of sleeping in until about 8:30/9. From the hostel we embarked on a walking tour of Sevilla, led by a local named José...
Continue readingQuilting: A Visit to Olde City Quilts
Wednesday was the third day of Quilting for Intensive Learning, and we went to Olde City Quilts in Burlington to quilt our projects. We used long-arm machines to sew the three layers (the top, the batting, and the backing) of our quilts together and make it more like a complete product. The task looked daunting at first,...
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Asian Culture: Akshardam Arts & Culture Center
Today we learned about Hinduism and Indian Culture. We ventured out to Robbinsville, New Jersey for a divine experience at the Akshardam Arts & Culture Center. On arrival our vision was blessed with the beautifully crafted marble sculptures and designs. Everything was made of marble that was carved by hand in India, and every inch...
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Exploring Art: Art on the Pond
A beautiful day for an adventure outside of the classroom! Getting an early start to our day, we traveled to Pakim Pond, in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest) for a day of hiking, exploring and as usual — creating. It was refreshing to travel less than 30 miles from...
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La Mezquita de Córdoba
Today we said goodbye to the community of FES. It was very sad and sweet at the same time, and all of us feel that we would not want to trade the experience for the world. Then we headed on the bus towards Córdoba, which took two hours. Once we arrived, we went to...
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Exploring Asian Art
Yesterday, we visited the Philadelphia Art Museum. We looked at the Asian Art, such as old Alchemist bottles. We experienced what it was like to live in Japan about 100 years ago in the Tea House. Afterwards, we went to a Korean BBQ. We ate delicious food that was very cultural to the region of Korea....
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Exploring Art: Human Mandala
This morning, despite the chill in the air, we worked together as a group to design mandalas using our figures as inspiration. We created two designs on the oval blacktop by tracing the outlines of ourselves in various positions. It was a great opportunity to work together, communicate, and in the end create!...
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Exploring Art: The Totem Grows
Understanding the elements of a totem is an important step in creating a community totem pole installation. Each element needs to represent both the individual and the communal group. To get in touch with our inner spirit, we researched the emotional and personality meanings behind animals typically used as totems. We then drew ourselves...
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Exploring Art: Art in the Cove
The second half of our day was getting out of the classroom and taking an adventure in Palmyra Cove Nature Park. It was a bit chilly, but the sun and water made it a great departure from the classroom. We found all sorts of beauty in the nature from the rocks, roots, branches and...
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Quilting: One Down, Two More to Go
Today Shelby and Jessica completed the first quilt. All of the groups are working incredibly hard to finish their projects. So far the day has been filled with laughter and smiles. I can’t wait to see what’s yet to come for the new quilters....
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