MONTE VISTA - CSU Extension Office 4-H Youth Development Specialist Mollie Wells and 4-H Juntos Youth Development Specialist Carol Gurule hosted a 4-H Juntos Heritage Arts Class on July 23 at the Calvary Baptist Church in Monte Vista.

Approximately 22 people attended the class. The class's purpose was to teach students and people about their cultures and the different art their cultures paint and have in their lives.

Juntos 4-H is specific to the Latino Culture, and the group focuses on helping Latino youth and their family's bond and understand each other in their everyday lives.

Part of the class was watching a special video called, “Perfectly, Imperfect.”

In the video artist Angel Ramos speaks about his art. He speaks about growing up, going through challenging times, and losing people in his life. Ramos is from Mexico, and he stated that he immigrated to the U.S., and he grew up in Rocky Ford. He stated that he grew up in the traditional Mexican lifestyle. He said his childhood was hard, but he remembers his mom sending him to work early in life and grew up always helping his family.

Some of his art includes pictures of the Virgin Mary, a sacred figure in many Latino families. He also drew pictures of his dad, his cousins, Jesus, sugar skulls, and many other family members. He is an art teacher and stated that his focus is on helping students develop their art from real-life experiences. He feels it is important for students to let out their emotions through their art, culture, and heritage and realize their value, by things they have been through.

After everyone in the class watched the video, Wells and Gurule created an art project for everyone to do. Everyone was given a blank mask, and asked to decorate it, using their imagination. Many of the younger students used feathers, paint, and gems to decorate their masks, while the older students used one or two shades, and decorative items to tone and stroke their masks together.

After the masks were painted, everyone was asked what inspired them to make their masks the way they did, and many students stated their parents inspired them, and older class members stated their favorite colors, and the way they blended on the masks inspired the way they decorated and painted them.

Wells and Gurule continued the project with a trip to Taos, N.M., to visit the Millicent Rogers Museum on July 25. The museum contains southwest art and jewelry, and has a lot of Hispanic Folk Art. According to the website, the museum was named after Millicent Rogers who came to Taos after a breakup with movie star Clark Gable. When Rogers died, her youngest son organized the museum to honor his mother’s interests and memory.

According to Gurule, students and their parents and family members who attended enjoyed the museum.

The Juntos 4-H Heritage Arts Program was funded through Farm Fresh Direct by Mayra McKibbon’s donation made last year to the Juntos Program. The remainder of the $5,000 donation was used for this trip and the program.

For more information on the program, contact Wells or Gurule at 719-852-7381.