Every year, a cultural exchange between two classes in two primary schools, one in the Basque Country and the other in New York, is organized. It creates a virtual space in which schoolchildren exchange experiences that go beyond the artistic: they also share their interests, preferences, games, and any significant aspect of their respective realities. This exchange fulfills another of the program’s objectives: to spark curiosity for other towns and countries around the world, revealing the similarities and differences that exist in the lives of girls and boys in primary school who live on one side of the Atlantic, with those who live on the other side.

This year, students from Amaña school in Eibar (Gipuzkoa) and at Public School 86 in the Bronx (New York City) exchanged emails over six weeks. They shared information and photographs of their art projects, and they also talked about things that are unique or are common in their respective environments. Throughout the exchange, they shared advice on how to create works and compared the Guggenheim museums in both cities. Through this experience, the students practiced their English and strengthened their ability to describe and communicate, among other skills.

Here is an extract from a message from New York to Eibar: “Today, in our Learning Through Art class, we are building the metal structures for the sculptures in our final project. We are working together in groups and will end up creating sculptures that tell stories.”