Educators from La Ligua and Castro participated in a workshop to connect art and ecology in the classroom

How do we dream of an education for the care of natural and social ecosystems? was the central question that guided both days in order to explore new strategies and educational methodologies linked to the intersection of art, education and ecology. The workshop developed from the reflections that emerged from the digital publication Coexist: Art and ecology in education, published by Fundación Mar Adentro, had the participation of two of its collaborators: Maqui Cáceres, scientist, artist and founder of Casa Maquis and Javiera Espinoza, environmental educator and director of Aula de Mar .

Through dialogue and a collective exercise of artistic mediation, the workshops sought to facilitate an experience aimed at creating crosses between methodologies from art and environmental education, in addition to reflecting on the importance of transdiscipline to experience learning practices according to the times. climate and socio-environmental crisis.

In each activity, the main concepts arising from the publication Coexist: Art and ecology in education, carried out in 2021 within the framework of the Fundación Mar Adentro Active Teacher program, were presented in a version that invited different participants to participate virtually. actors from the fields of pedagogy, art and education, to reflect on ecology, education with a territorial focus and the construction of educational spaces in the context of the pandemic.

Activation of memory, imagination and self-perception

The attendees of the workshops participated in a mediation exercise guided by the Fundación Mar Adentro Learning team. The activity began with active listening to the soundscape The Water Journey in order to awaken self-perception, memory and imagination. Then, groups were formed to reflect and collectively materialize an answer to the initial question of the meeting.

Through a creative process motivated by curiosity, attendees were invited to randomly choose different everyday objects, including images, handcrafted materials, stones and natural elements, to build a story linked to the chosen objects and enable the integration of different subjectivities. Subsequently, each group shared the reflections and emotions that arose from this exercise, which led to a reflection on new possibilities for a transdisciplinary education, with a focus on integration and territory.

The first day was held at the Quilpué Artistic High School , an educational space that has differentiated mentions of visual, musical and performing arts. There, professionals belonging to the Cecrea de La Ligua , educators from the high school itself and other educators from the area met.

The workshop was directed by Amparo Irarrázaval, in charge of Learning at Fundación Mar Adentro, and Javiera Espinoza, who shared her experience related to the Aula de Mar project, an environmental education and mediation initiative for marine conservation. “It is important to recognize that there is collective learning and to honor its origin towards and for nature, in order to develop symbiosis that is very valuable,” said Espinoza.

The second day was held at Cecrea de Castro , located on the coastline. The activity was guided by María Jesús Olivos, Fundación Mar Adentro Learning Coordinator together with Maqui Cáceres, who delved into the challenges of school education and the importance of transdiscipline in teaching methodologies.

The reflections that emerged at the end of these meetings were linked to issues such as the interaction between humans and nature, as well as the importance of generating connections and interrelationships between different ecosystems to promote good living. “There is a need to go deeper, get closer and dialogue from multiple cultures and universes, in order to find common goals that allow us to grow together,” said Iván Sepulveda, from Cecrea de La Ligua.

*On Coexist: Art and ecology in education: Reflections, experiences and integral methodologies that link art, education, mediation and ecology are connected in this collaborative book edited by Fundación Mar Adentro, which highlights corporeal knowledge and located in territory and time. An invitation to coexist, dialogue and promote teaching-learning spaces in order to account for the indissoluble connection with the ecosystems of which we are a part and the complementarity between nature, culture and territory.

*These workshops were carried out in collaboration with the Creation Centers Program (CECREA), designed and implemented by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, with the purpose of promoting, facilitating and developing children’s right to imagine and create, girls and adolescents (NNA) through creative learning processes where the arts, sciences, technologies and sustainability converge.