After the farewell assembly in the KIVA, our Brazilian exchange students distributed their special edition of 'The Bear Facts' to Ursuline Academy students on their way home just before Halloween.
The bare fact is, the international exchange was a joy for us at UA and now we now have a special new Brazilian receptionist in the Global Village...
Any suggestions for a name?
Our receptionist will be a daily reminder of all of the fun we had with our friends from Brazil!
During their final hours at UA, the Brazilian delegation presented their lesson on Brazil to UA students in the KIVA. The delegation presented two special gifts to UA - A decorative Brazilian flag (held up here by Ms. Bourgeois) and a special Brazilian bear wearing a UA / Piedade Global Education commemorative t-shirt!
We at UA are sending a print designed by our own Mr. Thompson to Piedade school. The print includes images of UA Dallas as well as an image of our beloved Sacred Heart Statue. You can read more about this gift on Mr. Thompson's special blog post from earlier this week.
This last photo is our official farewell photograph taken at DFW airport on Sunday. We had a wonderful exchage and we are grateful for the renewed and new friendships. It was very sad to say goodbye to our friends but we look forward to meeting again one day - perhaps in Brazil!
I regret not saying goodbye in person. I mistakenly thought I would see ya’ll one more time at school on Saturday. I wanted to express my gratitude for your hard work, sore hands and cut fingers. I also wanted to give you one last lesson: the tradition of which you are now part; and information about the content of the prints.
Sinto não poder ter me despedido pessoalmente. Erroneamente , pensei que nos encontraríamos mais uma vez na escola no sábado. Eu quero expressar minha gratidão pelo seu trabalho firme, mãos doloridas e cortes nos dedos. Gostaria também de dar uma última aula: sobre a tradição da qual agora vocês fazem parte e informação sobre o conteúdo das gravuras.
You are now part of a tradition that dates back to the origins of art. For it is my contention that a print may well have been mankind’s first act of art-making. An accidental muddy hand PRINT 30,000 years ago very likely held a caveman’s attention and inspired further image making. A hand print symbolizes existence and has eye-catching compositional elements (repeating and radiating fingers, and stark contrast).
Você agora faz parte de uma tradição milenar que data na orígem das artes. Acredito que uma gravura deve ter sido o primeiro ato de confecção artística da humanidade. Uma gravura acidental de uma mão enlameada datada de 30.000 anos muito provavelmente chamou atenção do homem prehistórico e o inspirou a fazer outras imagens. Uma gravura manual simboliza a existência e tem elementos de composição que nos chamam a atenção (repetições, dedos que irradiam e alto contraste).
Millennia later came the tradition of the collaborative print. To publish a print takes a facility (a press, rollers, materials, working space…), technicians, money and an artist. Often, one person can do it all, but the tradition of the collaborative print utilizes different people to do the various jobs. A publisher would fund the project and often owns the facility (in our case it is Ursuline Academy of Dallas); a person (or persons) with technical skill (cutters and printers) would prepare the blocks and print the image (in our case you served this purpose); and an artist to create the image (in this case, me).
Milênios mais tarde veio a tradição da gravura colaborativa. De modo a imprimir uma gravura é necessário um atelier (com prensa, ferramentas, materiais, espaço de trabalho, técnicos, dinheiro e um artista. Frequentemente, um artista pode fazer tudo só, mas a tradição da imagem colaborativa utiliza pessoas diferentes executando diversas tarefas. Um editor financiaria o projeto e frequentemente é o dono das instalações (em nosso caso, é a Ursuline Academy of Dallas); uma pessoa, (ou pessoas) com saber técnico (cortadores e impressores) preparariam os blocos e imprimiriam a imagem (em nosso caso, vocês executaram estas funções); e um artista para criar a imagem (neste caso, eu).
One time in history where this tradition reached great heights was in Japan with Ukiyo-e prints http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e. You may have heard of Japanese woodblock prints. The beauty of the images was matched by the technical skill used to produce them. It was a huge industry creating many jobs: printers, woodblock cutters, papermakers…. Even today there are collaborative print studios found all over the world publishing prints by artists. It allows an artist to create original art in multiple, that is more affordable than their one-of-a-kind art. When enough prints are sold, everyone who worked on the project is compensated.
Uma época da História onde esta tradição atingiu grande expressão, foi no Japão com as gravuras Ukiyo-ehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e. Talvez você tenha ouvido falar da xilogravura japonesa. A beleza destas imagens dependeu da técnica artística necessária para sua produção. Foi o auge de uma indústria que criou muitos trabalhos: impressores, cortadores de blocos de madeira, fabricantes de papel... Até hoje, espalhados pelo mundo, existem estúdios gráficos colaborativos publicando gravuras de artistas. Este esforço permite um artista a criar um original de forma múltipla, o que é mais econômico do que outras formas de arte, que produzem apenas um único resultado final. Quando um número suficiente de impressões são vendidas, todos que trabalharam no projeto são compensados.
The only person who signs the print is the artist, sometimes the shop and or publisher will place a chop mark (an embossment or logo) on the print. The printer works hard to satisfy the vision of the artist. Once the printer achieves a print that satisfies the artist, the printer can start printing the edition (the volume of prints). It was not a foregone conclusion that I would sign the prints we made. The craftsmanship each of you brought pleased me greatly, otherwise I would not have signed the prints. Traditionally, the printers get one of the prints as partial compensation. From me you get a print, a new friend, and his sincere gratitude. By the way, my plan is to sell the prints I have left for $200 each to benefit the Employee endowment for student scholarships –thank you for helping make that possible.
A única pessoa que assina a gravura é o artista, e as vezes a loja ou o editor poderá colocar uma marca própria na gravura impressa. O impressor trabalha duro para satisfazer a visão do artista. Uma vez que o impressor consegue produzir uma gravura que satifaz o artista, o impressor poderá iniciar a impressão da edição (volume de impressões).Não era 100% certo que eu assinaria as gravuras. No entanto, o capricho que cada um de vocês trouxe ao trabalho me agradou muito, pois de outra forma eu não teria assinado as gravuras. Tradicionalmente, os impressores ganham uma das impressões como compensação parcial. De mim, você ganham uma gravura, um novo amigo e sua sincera gratidão. Por sinal, meu plano é de vender as gravuras impressas que tenho por US$ 200 cada. O resultado será doado para o fundo de benefício dos funcionários da escola para bolsas de estudo – Agradeço a vocês por terem tornado isso possível.
As a student in graduate school, I served as printer for many very talented artists. Now, as an Artist, making these prints with you is my fourth time to collaborate with printers/ cutters. The reason I make prints instead of painting or sculpting is because printmaking, for me, is the most exciting way to make art.
Como aluno de pós-graduação, serví como impressor para muitos artistas de grande talento. Agora, como artista,esta é a quarta vez em que colaboro com cortadores e impressores. A razão pela qual faço gravuras ao invés de pinturas ou esculturas, é porque, para mim este é o processo mais excitante de realizar uma obra artística.
As for the content, or meaning of the print, I have attached some information about this particular devotion. Although religious imagery is not a big part of my portfolio, in recent years I have become fascinated with the idea of art used to enhance spirituality. When Sister Mary Troy expressed a desire for a picture of the statue of the Sacred Heart a couple of years ago, I jumped at the idea. I have photographed it several times since then. When I heard you all were coming I thought it would be fun to make a print (the best way to learn is by doing). The image of the Sacred Heart is a good choice because it is some of our shared culture. We will now have to do some Art with an image from your school.
Quanto ao conteúdo, o significado da gravura, eu anexei alguma informação sobre essa devoção em particular. Embora imagens religiosas não fazem grande parte de meu portfólio, nos últimos anos eu tenho ficaado fascinado com a idéia da arte usada para realçar a espiritualidade. Quando há alguns anos atrás, a Irmã Maria Troy expressou seu desejo por uma imagem da estátua do Sagrado Coração, eu logo abracei a idéia. Desde então eu já fotografei a estátua várias vezes. Sabendo que vocês viriam, pensei que seria divertidorealizar uma gravura (fazer é a melhor forma de se aprender). A imagem do Sagrado Coração é uma boa escolha pois faz parte de nossa cultura em comum. Agora, teremos que fazer alguma arte com uma imagem de sua escola.
Please believe me when I say, I have come to know the importance of putting God first. “Seek first the Kingdom of God.” Only then will things really begin to make sense. His first commandment to love God is echoed in the message of the Sacred Heart. Please read the attached story of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Acreditem quando eu disser quepassei a conhecer a importância de colocar Deus primeiro.“Busque primeiramente o Reino de Deus.” Apenas então as coisas passarão a fazer sentido. Seu primeiro mandamento de amar Deus ecoa na mensagem do Sagrado Coração. Por favor leiam a estória anexada do Sagrado Coração de Jesus.
It is said that sometimes a collaboration is like a dance, and that other times like a boxing match. I say the proof is in the prints and they are beautiful. So, with this print I have a little piece of you and you have a little piece of me, and we each have some good memories.
Diz-se que as vezes uma colaboração é como uma dança, e outras vezes é como uma luta de boxe. Eu digo que a prova está nas gravuras realizadas - elas estão lindas. Portanto, com esta gravura eu guardo um pequeno pedaço de vocês e vocês um pequeno pedaço de mim, e nós teremos algumas boas lembranças
Obrigado,
Bill Thompson
The Sacred Heart is depicted in Christian Art as a flaming heart or shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, surrounded by a crown of thorns, topped by a cross and bleeding. The wounds and crown of thorns refer to the manner of Jesus’ death, while the light represents the transformative power of love.
The first indication of a devotion to the Sacred Heart is found in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian Monasteries of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of an established Christian devotion.
The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690). She was a French Roman Catholic nun, who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ.In 1673, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, to rest her head upon His Heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of His love.Jesus said, “Look at this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth.”
Excerpt:
Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the fervent devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
in satisfaction for the lukewarmness and cowardice of Thy
chosen people,…
that it may please Thee to rekindle their hearts,…
and to set them on fire with Thy love,
that they may love Thee for ever.
This wednesday we went to the Women's Museum with some other junior students. The Women’s Museum it’s about the american woman. Using the technology and interactive media, the museum expanded our understanding of women’s participation in shaping of the nation history. This is also the only comprehensive national American women’s history museum. It was very informative.
Nessa quarta-feira nos fomos para o Women's Museum com outras estudantes junior. O Women's Museum e sobre a mulher americana. Usando tecnologia e media interativa, o museu expandiu nosso entendimento sobre a participacao das mulheres na formacao da historia da nacao. Esse e tambem o unico compreensivo museu nacional americano da historia das mulheres. Isso foi muito informativo.
The Women's Museum™ began as the dream of one woman, Cathy Bonner. Her dream became reality with the help of corporations, foundations, governments and individuals across the nation. The Women's Museum's 70,000 square foot building provides a home for programs and exhibits where people can honor the past and explore the contributions of women throughout history. VISION The vision that guided the creation of The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future is based on the belief that a fully democratic civil society must represent and involve both men and women, and that the voices, vision and contributions of women must be part of the fabric of history and shape of the future. MISSION The Museum and Institute bring to life the voices, talents, achievements, aspirations and stories of the past, present and future. They are complementary initiatives housed in the unique historical structure in Dallas at Fair Park.
This morning we went to Elementary School and did our presentation about Brazil for more two classes. The first presentation was more dynamic but the second we had more participation. Manu danced capoeira again and in the second part most children woke up and started to try how to do that. During the break we went to tour the school.The Spanish Teacher called us to talk a little bit in Portuguese to her class. After the walk we did the second presentation for kids and teenagers. It was interesting make contact with different people, like some oldest and youngest. It was a good experience that I loved .
Essa amanha fomos ao colegio de ensino fundamental e fizemos a apresentacao do Brasil para mais duas turmas, de sexta e sete serie. A primeira apresentacao foi mais dinamica, mas na segunda tivemos mais a participacao de todos. Manu dancou novamente capoeira, e na segunda apresentacao mais de dez criancas levataram e tentaram dancar. Durante o intervalo de uma apresentacao para a outra fomos conhecer a escola. A professora de espanhol nos chamou para falar um pouco em portugues para sua turma. Depois de andar, fizemos nossa segunda apresentacao para criancas e adolescentes. Foi muito interesante poder ter o contado com pessoas de diferentes, umas mais velhas e outras mais novas. Uma experiencia muito boa. Adorei!
Today Mr. Scott, Mrs. Alex and Mr. Smith took us to the Trinity Audubon Center (http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org). We had to wear boots because it had rained a lot and it was a little muddy.
Hoje, Philip, Sra. Alex e Sr. Smith nos levaram ao Trinity Audubon Center (http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org/) . Tivemos que usar botas porque havia chovido e havia um pouco de lama.
We learned that in the past, that area was a deposit of waste and they have been planting trees and other species. now everything was recycled. Before go there, Mr. Scott taught us some things about the Trinity River. First, we saw some trees with green bags surrounded them for study after (we didn’t do this). Because of the rain, there was flooded and we can see the phases of the river.
Mr. Scott nos falou que antes era um deposito de lixo e tudo agora e recilcado. Antes de ir, Mr. Scott nos ensinou algumas coisas sobre o rio Trinity. Primeiro, vimos algumas arvores envolvidas com bolsas verdes para estudar depois (nao fizemos isso). Por causa da chuva, tava alagado e podemos ver as fases do rio.
We went to see the Trinity River and there came a doubt: what is floating, a snake or a piece of wood? We discovered when that thing dove twice. And on the waterfront, we saw a little snake. I didn’t stay there to see with it was a venomous snake or not.
Quando fomos ver o rio Trinity surgiu uma duvida: aquiko que esta boiando e uma cobra ou um toco de Madeira? Descobrimos quando ele mergulhou duas vezes. E na margem, vimos uma pequina cobra. Eu nao fiquei para ver se era venenosa ou nao.
Then, we went to see more things in the other side. There we saw many types of plants, with red berries, some flowers and with red leaves. And we saw a plant like a bamboo with a green and small lizard climbing them. When we look at the sky, we saw some birds flying. We can’t see with was an eagle or a hawk because the sun was shining brightly.
Entao, nos fomos ver outras coisas no outro lado. Vimos muitos tipos de planta, com frutas vermelhas, algumas flores e folhas vermelhas. E vimos plantas parecidas com bamboo com um pequeno e verde lagarto escalando elas. Quando olhamos para o ceu, vimos alguns passaros voando. Nao podemos ver se era uma aguia ou um falcao porque o sol estava brilhando intensamente.
We saw only one bird and it flew away. When we finished the little tour inside of the mangrove, we went to a little museum. We saw many pictures of birds and their songs, we did a little river in the sand box, and we saw some fishes. We saw bones, horns and the pelage of the animals that live there like bobcat and coyote.
Vimos apenas um unico passaro e ele voou. Quando nos terminamos de fazer o tour no mangue, fomos para um pequeno museu. Ouvimos muitas fotos de passaros e seus cantos, fizemos um pequeno rio na caixa de areia e vimos alguns peixes. Vimos ossos, chifres e a pelagem dos animais que vivem la como o bobcat e o coyote.
We listened the calls of the frogs and some spiders there. After all, we came back to the UA to come back home with the host sisters. Thank you so much to go with us Mr. Scott Mrs. Alex and Mr. Smith!
Ouvimos o chamado dos sapos e algumas aranhas la. Depois de tudo, voltamos para a UA para voltar com nossas irmas hospedeiras. Muito obrigado por virem conosco Mr. Scott Mrs. Alex and Mr. Smith!
So, today we went to the North Texas Food Bank (www.northtexasfoodbank.org). It was very great and rewarding because we know that what we did will help many poor and needy families. Do you know what the North Texas Food Bank is? And what they do? The Food Bank is a non-profit hunger relief organization founded in 1982 that distributes donated, purchased, and prepared foods through a network of feeding programs of North Texas.
Então, hoje nós fomos ao North Texas Food Bank(www.northtexasfoodbank.org). Foi ótimo e muitogratificante porque nós sabemos, que o que fizemos hoje vai ajudar muitas familias pobres e nessecitadas. Você sabe o que é oNorth Texas Food Bank? E o que eles fazem? O Food Bank é uma organização sem fins lucrativos fundada em 1982, que luta contra a fome, distribuindo alimentos doados, comprados e preparados por uma rede de programas de alimentação do norte do Texas.
When we arrived there, we saw the Food Bank video about the new campaign “Close the Gap” before starting the work with the donated food in the gigantic warehouse. We sorted the potato chips and the taco bell beans in the boxes, and we worked as a group and we were preparing the boxes very fast.
Quando nós chegamos no local, assistimos o video do Food Bank sobre sua nova campanha “Close the Gap”, antes de começar o trabalho com os alimentos doados no gigante galpão. O nosso trabalho foi colocar as batatas chips e os feijões da Taco Bell nas suas devidas caixas. Nós trabalhamos em grupo e preparamos as caixas o mais rápido possivel.
We had a break to eat something, but we came back to work quickly, and a few minutes later we finished all the boxes, after we cleaned the place that we used. Our captain said that we did a wonderful work, and after he said the big result, WE DID 8,300 MEALS! I really liked the Food Bank and I want to thank Mrs. Alex, Mr. Phillip and the great Mr. Smith.
Nós tivemos um intervalo para comer alguma coisa, e voltamos logo para trabalhar, e poucos minutos depois, acabamos todas as caixas e depois limpamos o espaço que usamos para trabalhar. Nossocapitão nos disse que fizemos um trabalho maravilhoso, e depois, ele nos falou o grande resultado, NÓS FIZEMOS 8.300 REFEIÇÕES! Eu realmente gostei muito desta experiencia no Food Bank e quero agradecer a Sra. Alex, Sr. Phillip e o grande Sr. Smith.
The other day the UA Bear Facts staff was lucky to welcome the Piedade students. The staff was happy to help the Brazilians on a four page paper to take back with them. After assigning the students their articles, we showed them how publishing the Bear Facts works. While the Brazilians got to learn something about life working on a newspaper, the UA students got to learn a little about their life in Brazil. Thankfully Ms. Nipp supplied us all with some lunch, and we got the opportunity to spend even more time with them! I know I certainly enjoyed our time working on the project together, and I hope our guests did as well!
Ontem o pessoal do jornal teve a chance de passar um tempo bom com os estudantes brasileiros. A equipe está ajudando os estudantes brasileiros com o jornal para enviar para o Brazil. O jornal vai ser concetrado, principalmente, em torno das atividade que eles participaram durante a visita aqui. Com almoço fornecido pela Sra. Nipp, a equipe e os estudantes puderam conversar e ajudar os brasileiros.
Today we visited the Dallas Aquarium. Most of the animals came from the Amazon.We saw not just fish, but many kinds of animals like a sloth sleeping in a tree. The three-toed sloth in the U.S. is a rainforest favorite. They have a lot of birds, and the most attractive was the Scarlet Macaws. It is a bird that came from the Amazon like the Double-yellow Headed Amazon Parrot. When we saw the birds, one of them accidentally "did its business" on Leo's arm. He was not too happy, but we all laughed. My favorite animal that we saw today was the Sea Otter. We could see them through the glass and they did the same things I was doing. As we continued, we saw the flamingos. There were two flamingos fighting, but I do not know why. My other favorite animal was the Jaguar. Jaguars are not normally animals of captivity so it was interesting to see them in the Aquarium. When we were coming back to the school, we passed the street where President John F. Kennedy was shot in 1963. We parked by the red building and Mr. Smith told us everything about the murder. He showed us the second window of the red building facing the street which was where Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot Kennedy. On the road, there is an "X" to mark where Kennedy died. It was very interesting.
When you have 4 daughters and only one son, you have few opportunities to do "boy stuff." Hosting the boys from Bahia gave us an excuse. When Julien and Leonardo went to the State Fair last week, they told us they liked the car show the best ("We looove cars!") so we decided to surprise them by taking them on a tour of the Texas Motor Speedway!!
Quando você tem quatro filhas e apenas um filho, tem poucas oportunidades de fazer ‘coisas para meninos’. Recebendo os meninos da Bahia nos deu esta desculpa. Quando Julien e Leonardo foram à Feira do Texas semana passada nos disseram que adoraram ver as exposiçõesde automóveis (adoooramos carros!). Assim resolvemos fazê-los uma surpresa, levando-os para um tour do Texas Motor Speedway!
We took another boy with us whose family is from Brazil, so he helped "interpret" whenever our English/Portuguese barrier became a problem. I told them it brought me back to my childhood, growing up with 4 brothers and lots of guy friends in high school. :)
Levamos ainda um outro menino cuja família é Brasileira e que nos ajudaria como intérprete caso a barreira do Inglês/Português se tornasse um problema. Eu disse a eles que isso trouxe lembranças de minha infância, pois fui criada com quatro irmãos e muitos amigos meninos no ensino médio.
We got to see the race cars practicing around the track, up close and personal, and we went way up to the $100,000-per-year luxury box suites where we could see the whole track and the finish line. Here is a photo of all of us at Victory Lane:
Conseguimos ver bem de perto e de maneira pessoal o treino dos carros de corrida na pista. Fomos ainda até aos boxes de luxo (US$100.000 por ano ) de onde pode-se ver toda a pista e a linha de chegada. Aqui está uma foto nossa no Victory Lane.
Later that evening, we were invited by a Naval Academy parent to go to the SMU/Navy Game! This was Leo and Julien's first football game, since we didn't go to the Jesuit game the night before. We were very, very cold but we had a great time! The Naval Academy had parachuters come in and the Blue Angels flew over before the game. Then George W. Bush came out to do the coin toss. It was a close game, very exciting, and the Navy finally won in overtime with a field goal. Here are all the boys at the tailgate party, where we met some of the midshipmen and their parents:
Mais à noite, fomos convidados pai de uma aluna que trabalha na Marinha para ver o jogo da SMU x Marinha Americana! Para Leonardo e Julien este foi o primeiro jogo de futebol Americano já que não tinham ido ao jogo na escola Jesuít da noite anterior.Estava muito, muito frio mas nos divertimos muito! A Academia Naval enviou paraquedistas e os Blue Angels sobrevoaram a área um pouco antes do jogo. Depois, George W. Bush apareceu para tirar a sorte com uma moeda. A disputa foi acirrada, o jogo empolgante e finalmente a Marinha ganhou na prorogação. Aqui estão os meninos na comemoração onde ainda encontramos alguns oficiais e seus pais.
What a great "Boys Day" we had!
Que grande "Boys Day" tivemos!
-Mrs. Kathy Valenzuela, UA staff, UA/Jesuit mom, and host mom
Mrs. Kathy Valenzuela, funcionária da UA Dallas, mãe de duas meninas na UA Dallas, um menino no Jesuit e anfitriã de Leonardo e Julien.
This October, 7 students and one teacher from Nossa Senhora da Piedade Ursuline school in Brazil will visit us at UA. Follow along and learn about their adventures, their lives with UA host students and their impressions of life in the USA.