Young Artists in the Spotlight: Luchadora!

You won’t be able to miss the impact of the visual arts projects that are bringing to life the themes and culture in Luchadora! at Orlando Family Stage. If the coming to the show was not enough of a draw, we encourage audiences to visit our lobby. Walking through the doors, patrons will immediately see the colorful cut paper flags created by ArtWorks-Orlando.

The colorful, cut paper flags on display were created by 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Arts Academy students at Maxey Elementary Arts Magnet School. The flags were inspired by the traditional Mexican folk art of Papel Picado (pierced paper). The children designed their flags to look like the masks worn in Lucha Libre, Mexican freestyle wrestling.

This project was directed and funded by ArtWorks-Orlando. ArtWorks thanks Orlando Family Stage for the opportunity to put young artists in the spotlight, and Mrs. Kerry Czarnowsky for allowing her talented art students to participate in this project.

Walking closer to the Universal Orlando Theatre where Luchadora! is housed, audiences will see the masks created by students at Hope Community Center in partnership with ArtReach Orlando. Artivist: Where Art Meets Activism is an afterschool program that engages middle school students through visual art and creative writing to explore the ways creativity relates to identity, community, and leadership.

Inspired by the themes of the play Luchadora!, students explored the history of lucha libre. They learned how it’s not only a form of entertainment and cultural pride, but how it’s also used as a tool for social justice. They then used creative writing prompts to identify their positive qualities and characteristics to create their own symbolic luchador mask sculptures. Students first drew and designed their masks. Using their 2D designs as a blueprint, they created their masks from plaster cloth, modeling clay, and acrylic paint.

This project was funded by ArtReach Orlando and Hope CommUnity Center through an Orlando Magic Youth Foundation grant. ArtReach is appreciative of the incredible partnership with Hope CommUnity Center and the opportunity to showcase this amazing work at Orlando REP.

Don’t miss Luchadora!, now playing through February 26th.