Paola González & Javier Santander (Chile)
Local Practice. The Adoption of Mokuhanga in Schools and Communities: A research in progress about the teaching process of non-toxic techniques of xylography in Chile Saturday, September 30 from 11:00am – 11:30am Conference Center | Pacific Room
Teacher of Visual Arts and Master’s in Education, studied in Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación in Santiago de Chile. Woodcut printmaker. Her studio is located in San José de Maipo, Santiago de Chile. She was awarded a scholarship in Japan by JICA, and developed her master’s thesis about Cultural Learning, based on “Gunma ‘50”. Abstract The most important thing for society is to transmit information and generate learning. Artists should give part of their time for society to get closer to art. Artists should be primarily supporting schools. At the learning space for mokuhanga in Santiago de Chile, Mtr. Paola Beatriz González Farías is involved in research about the teaching process of non-toxic techniques of xylography in Chile. Research has been developed through interviews with school and studio teachers. Most of the xylography classes conducted at universities in Chile are made based on printing methods where toxic solvents are used. In the case of schools in Chile, water-based techniques are not used because they are not known and few woodcut ateliers use non-toxic techniques. This study considers five schools represented by its teacher, three of the most important xylography studios of the capital zone (Región Metropolitana de Santiago) and three university xylography courses, concentrating on how non-toxic techniques are taught. In one case, we show an educational experience around primary children learning the mokuhanga technique at school and use print results for a game that reinforces cultural understanding, based on a Japanese educational policy and a master’s thesis in Chile.
In addition to creating the website www.xilografia.cl, we are also organizing The First Scholar woodcut competition in Santiago’s Metropolitan Region for this year with the plan to offer classes in non-toxic woodcut in schools in the region before the deadline. The purpose of the site is to promote woodcut knowledge, specially focused on school teachers. We are preparing class modules to support regular visual arts classes at schools according to the ministerial plans.