Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - A fourth group of primary school students visited the Peter Gray Art Museum on January 19 to get an exposure to the visual arts not otherwise available in their normal school curriculum. Each of the tour groups so far has been composed of 50 students from the "Heroes de la Patria" public school in Colonia Valentin Gomez Farias. The visits have been led by Dra. Gabriela Scartascini, head of the Department of Arts, Education and Humanities at the Centro Universitario de la Costa (CUC), assisted by teachers and mothers from the school.

The students first receive a tour of the museum under the direction of Dra. Scartascini, where painting and sculpting styles and techniques are explained. This is followed by each student getting a hands-on experience of creating their own work of art with the assistance of local artists Ada Colorina and Meg Munro.

As you can imagine, the excitement of the kids in getting their "hands dirty" was infectious, drawing university students and staff to gather around to see what was going on at the museum. The creativity of the kids was amazing. Ada and Meg plan to exhibit some of the more interesting works at the end of the season. They also plan to expand the students' experience in future visits by having local sculptors demonstrate sculpting techniques in stone and clay.

Following the art session, the children were provided a delicious mid-morning snack on the Museum's lawn, and were then led by University biology students on a tour of the adjacent Reptile Conservancy. The inquisitive students were mesmerized by an up-close exposure to crocodiles, iguanas, turtles and other wildlife. The biology students emphasized the importance of preserving our natural environment, and the kids expressed an amazing understanding of the connection between their everyday lives and the world around them.

The next school visit is planned for mid-February. If you'd like to participate, you are more than welcome to attend and get hooked on how each and every one of us can contribute to a child's education. You can also help by contributing to the expense of hosting the visits, which average about $5,000 pesos per visit. For more information, you can contact Buri Gray at (322) 221-5285.

The Museum is open during the week from 10 am to 6 pm, and on Saturday from 10 am to noon. Entrance is free. The beautiful CUC campus is located on the highway to Ixtapa, which intersects with Highway 200 directly north of Home Depot. Signs point the way. Parking is available on campus, and the walk to the museum is short.