At Amistad, we want our students to be not only bilingual, but multicultural as well. We have many programs to take advantage of the different cultures we have in this area and integrate this culture and community into our education. Some of these programs are the Guest Reader Series and the Artist in Residence Program.
Seattle Amistad School works with local artists from a variety of cultural traditions as Artists in Residence. These Artists in Residence co‐teach with Amistad teachers to explore artistic and cultural traditions from throughout Latin America. Through this collaboration, students learn music, dances, how to play and make instruments, the geography and history of various cultural traditions, and the impact/influence of the traditions in our own and other communities. Children become full participants in these artistic and cultural traditions, both in the classroom and in the community.
We invite a new artist to come in every quarter:
Hijos de Agüeybaná (Fall 2023)
On spring 2014 we had Otoqui and Naomi from Puerto Rico. They are masters in the bomba tradition and their band is Hijos de Agüeybaná. Oti and Naomi are both master musicians and dancers, and Naomi also has over 10 years of experience doing art with young children.
Milvia Pacheco (Spring 2015, Winter 2016, and Winter 2020)
She is a dancer and choreographer born in Caracas-Venezuela, where she began her career as a dancer combining dance and theater training.
Marcela Rosero (Fall 2019)
Amaranta Ibarra-Sandys (Winter 2012, Spring 2016, and Mid-Winter 2019)
She is an Art Educator, an Artist, an Arts Facilitator, a Mother and an Arts Advocate for equal opportunity to be creative.
Vanessa Villalobos (Fall 2018)
Andrea LaVare Malagon (Fall 2016)
She has a daughter here at Amistad. She’s also an accomplished dancer and artist in the Puget Sound region.
Patricia y Abel (Fall 2015)
Blanca Santander (Fall 2013 and Winter 2015)
She is originally from Peru, and has been living in Seattle for many years now. She is a highly respected, much-awarded artist, is also a friend, a fan of Amistad, and a vocal advocate for local arts and Latino artists.
Hijos de Agüeybaná (Spring 2014)
On spring 2014 we had Otoqui and Naomi from Puerto Rico. They are masters in the bomba tradition and their band is Hijos de Agüeybaná. Oti and Naomi are both master musicians and dancers, and Naomi also has over 10 years of experience doing art with young children.
Arlene Martinez-Vazquez (Fall 2014)
James Kessler (Spring 2013)
He is a member of the Seattle Fandango project.
Ricardo Guity Blanco (Winter 2013)
He is a musician and artist from Honduras, who belongs to the Garifuna community. Garifuna is a community along the east coast of Central America, descendants of a ship transporting would-be slaves to Central American ports. The ship wrecked, the Africans were dispersed into the sea, then to land, and then began to build new lives in this new world. Never enslaved, the Garifuna mixed with the indigenous groups along the CA coast, and began to create their own unique traditions and culture, a fusion of the old and new worlds. Ricardo shared music, dance, history, and language (Garifuna!) with us.
Monica Rojas (Fall 2012)
She was our first Artist in Residence. Monica, originally from Peru, is Director of De Cajón project, an amazing project focused on the historical, artistic, and cultural contributions of Afro-Peruvians. Monica has a Ph.D in Anthropology and is a brilliant and dynamic musician, dancer, artist, and teacher. Monica was one of the founding voices of Seattle Amistad School, and we are so pleased to have her work with us. Finally, Monica is also founder and Director of MAS or Movimiento Afrolatino de Seattle. MAS vision is that “We are stronger united than we are divided”. MAS is an organization that apreciates and aims to promote and maintain the rich cultural heritage of the Afro-latin community