Starting very soon, and continuing through the end of the semester, we're going to try something new for "Fine Art Fridays." Rather than trying to coordinate art/music/poetry/etc. with our history studies, we're going to focus on modern Latin American art/music/poetry (thus, my daughter has re-named the day "Fiesta Fridays"). We will continue to study the Medieval arts during history.

Since we're all usually dragging by the end of the week, we needed something lively and fun to look forward to, a break from our usual routine - hence this rather unconventional idea. The idea is that we'll study and discuss a piece of art, read a little about the artist, have some dessert (inspired by Latin American flavors), read some poetry, and then do an art or craft project (while listening to music, of course!). Once in awhile there will be a video segment to watch as well.

I haven't worked out all of the details just yet, but my plan is that we'll have two primary artists to study: Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (not going into their lives too deeply since certain aspects wouldn't be suitable for children); we'll also touch on Pre-Columbian art, Jose Guadalupe Posada and study Mexican folk art (a source of inspiration for both artists), especially that pertaining to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Dia de los Muertos.

Below are some of the initial ideas I've compiled; I'll also be borrowing from the resources listed in my posts Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe and El Dia de los Muertos. My hope is that we'll be able to further enhance this unit by a road trip to New Mexico to view some folk art first-hand!


Books

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera:

• Getting to Know the World's Great Artists: Frida Kahlo by Mike Venezia
• Frida Kahlo: The Artist in the Blue House by Magdalena Holzhey
• Me, Frida by Amy Novesky
• Frida Kahlo (Artists in Their Time) by Jill A. Laidlaw
• Frida by Jonah Winter
• Frida: Viva la vida! Long Live Life! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
• Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Their Lives and Ideas, 24 Activities by Carol Sabbeth
• Getting to Know the World's Great Artists: Diego Rivera by Mike Venezia
• Diego by Jonah Winter
• Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
• My Papa Diego and Me by Guadalupe Rivera
• The Journey of Diego Rivera (Art Beyond Borders) by Ernest Goldstein

Folk Art:

• Folk Treasures of Mexico: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection by Marion Oettinger
• Posada's Popular Prints by Jose Posada
• Mexican Folk Art Coloring Book by Marty Noble
• ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish by Cynthia Weill
• The Crafty Chica Collection by Kathy Cano Murillo
• Guadalupe: Body and Soul by Marie-Pierre Colle

Art Projects

• Retablo-Style Self-Portrait
• Self Portraiture with Pets
• Parrot Paradise: Drawing Project
• Mexican Folk Art Projects: Lots of great project ideas
• Art of Mexico: Projects from Incredible @rt Department

Lesson Plans and Miscellany

• Studying the Biographies of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
• The Legacies of Mexican Artists, Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo A really excellent set of lesson plans
• The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo: Teacher's Guide from PBS
• Frida Kahlo Artist Study: How one homeschooling mom handled teaching Frida Kahlo
• Feeling Like Frida: A story about how one elementary school art teacher taught about Frida Kahlo
• Frida Kahlo WebQuest from NYLearns (worksheet here)
• Frida Kahlo Study (.PDF) based on the book Frida by Jonah Winter
• "Self Portrait on the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States" Lesson Plan from PBS
• "The Two Fridas" (.PDF) Lesson Plan
• Frida Kahlo Notebooking Pages: (.PDF) A gorgeous free set from Jimmie's Collage 
• Frida Kahlo Cursive Copywork Pages: (.PDF) Also from Jimmie's Collage
• Fruits of the Earth by Frida Kahlo: Coloring Page
• Roots by Frida Kahlo: Coloring Page
• Diego Rivera: A Three-Week Unit for 3rd-5th Grade Students
• Diego Rivera's Murals (.PDF)
• "The Flower Carrier" Diego Rivera Lesson Plan from Garden of Praise
• "Agrarian Leader Zapata" Diego Rivera Lesson Plan from MOMA
• "Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita" Diego Rivera Lesson Plan Diego Rivera Lesson Plan from MOMA
• Latin American and Caribbean Modern and Contemporary Art: Handbook for Teachers from MOMA

Websites

• The Virtual Diego Rivera Museum
• Frida Kahlo Fans: Complete Gallery of Artwork

Desserts

• Alfajores Artesanales (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies)
• Besos (Kisses)
• Banana Macarons with Coconut Cream
• Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate and Cinnamon
• Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)
• Chocolate Flan
• Churros with Spiced Chocolate (Adapted here)
• Flan with Caramel Cream Cheese
• Guava Apple Crisp
• Mexican Ice Cream Sundaes with Cinnamon-Chocolate Sauce
• Oaxacan Chocolate Cake
• Oaxacan Hot Chocolate (Can also be ordered here)
• Pastelitos de Boda (Mexican Wedding Cookies)
• Pineapple Muffins
• Rose Petal Flan
• Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie
• Stuffed Pineapple
• Sugared Fritters
• Tres Leches Cake
• Virgin Banana Margaritas

Pablo Neruda:

• The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan, Peter Sis
• To Go Singing Through the World: The Childhood of Pablo Neruda by Deborah Kogan Ray
• When I Was a Boy Neruda Called Me Policarpo: A Memoir by Poli Delano
• Lesson Plans: Tribute to Pablo Nerudo, Part I (.PDF; 57 pgs), Part II (38 pgs), Part III (25 pgs)