STUDENT EXPERIENCES

There is nothing more fulfilling then traveling. When I travel it is as if my senses are awakened for the first time. Colors seem more intense, aromas more enticing. There is something magical about experiencing a new place. It was my hope that traveling to Mexico would stimulate my senses in a new way. San Miguel de Allende did not disappoint.
There is something special about San Miguel. Physically the town is beautiful. Brightly painted buildings splashed across steep cobblestone streets. The Spanish influence in architecture brings an old world charm. The people are beautiful and kind, it seems they enjoy life in way we don’t in the states. For an artist there is no better place to be. Not only for the endless inspiration but because the town embraces art and respects the value it brings.
It was San Miguel’s love of art that made the program, and the process of making the journal, so great. I was able to lose myself in the world of local art. Everyday I would find a new gallery, a new artist or even an undiscovered part of town to draw from for inspiration. Creatively the trip was an unparalleled experience, for an entire month I was able to leave behind the troubles of daily life and focus only on art.
Our trip to San Miguel was food for the artistic soul and memories of the trip continue to inspire. As an artist I gained a new palette of colors, a new respect for the folk arts and a new set of symbols to draw from. As a student I learned the history of a deeply rooted culture and picked up a few words of Spanish. As a man I grew because of the precious cultural experiences and insight into how life should be.

-Brody Alpert
Art /Design class/Summer 2005

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when everything just felt right? San Miguel de Allende was that perfect moment for me. I was a stranger visiting a foreign land. I went to rediscover a part of me that had lain dormant for many years. My identity crisis started in San Diego. The question of my identity was as confusing on paper as it was in my head. Who am I? I’ve been labeled Latina, Mexicana, Chicana, Americana. I was born in the United States, as were my parents. So who am I? I discovered who I was in Mexico. It was a personal adventure -one with many discoveries. San Miguel de Allende has changed my life forever.

I always thought of myself as a black and gray sort of girl. In Mexico I discovered that I was more of a magenta and red. The colors infused their way into my art. Slowly at first and as the days went by with a more intense fervor. Journaling was my only outlet. How could I capture all that I was feeling? Through art I could relay every ripple of my experience in the beautiful country that had embraced me with open arms. The passion of the people made me feel alive. I can still see it when I open my journal. I remember everything. From the man on the corner to the woman carrying her baby. The smells and flavor of Mexico surrounds my book. It is my physical reminder of all that I saw and felt. The book came together on it’s own. Mexico inspired me. Made me want to create. There was no formula- no method to the madness. I created what I felt.

-Arlene Arreola
Art/Design Class Summer 2005