Classroom Happenings: Celebrating Frida Kahlo Through Art and Language

The arts enrich every aspect of the Steward experience and are integrated throughout the entire curriculum. Students in all divisions delve into the arts in class, on our stages, and in our music rooms. Spartan artists are everywhere! 

Today, we highlight a team-taught project for seventh-grade visual arts students who studied Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, known for her self-portraits and nature-inspired works. Through a multi-disciplinary examination of the artist’s life and work, students explored Kahlo’s cultural significance and contributions to the art world. Their exploration, held during Hispanic Heritage Month, was guided by World Languages Teacher Claudia Ramirez and Lower/Middle School Visual Arts Teacher Abby Klein.

To extend students’ cultural inquiry into the visual arts, Mrs. Klein guided her young artists through a collaborative mural project. She began by creating a large-scale portrait of Kahlo — filled with imagery and symbolism inspired by the artist’s style — and divided it into a 99-square grid. Each of her seventh-grade visual arts students filled in at least two squares using paint pens, markers, and yarn, adding colors, patterns, and designs. Once reassembled like a puzzle, the mural became a stunning visual tribute.

For his artistic contribution, Tyler Lyszyk ’31 used purple, blue, orange, and red paint pens to fill in several of the squares, embellishing his art with polka dots and white yarn. 

Tyler said, “When I saw the finished product, I was surprised by all the different patterns and colors. Some really stood out brightly, and others were darker. I think it is very pretty … something I had never seen before.”

Arwen Wolmuth ’31 enjoyed learning about Kahlo’s life and “was surprised that the artist painted most of her works while she was bedridden.” When she saw the 99-grid portrait that she and her classmates worked together on, “it was definitely overwhelming, but in a good way,” said Arwen. “You could see everyone’s different styles in the collaborative project.” 

“Each time I walk by the mural, which is on display in the Middle School hallway, I am struck by our students’ creative expression and enthusiasm,” said Mrs. Klein. 

The Kahlo study culminated in a field trip led by Sra. Ramirez to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where students took a guided tour of the exhibition “Frida: Beyond the Myth.” The exhibition, which showcased many of the artist’s paintings and drawings from 1926-1954, offered a deep look into her life and work.

Thanks to the field trip, Tyler gained a new appreciation for the famous artist.

“When I looked at all her works, I saw different stories,” he said. “The trip to the VMFA displayed the different influences on Frida Kahlo’s life. Her art showed me that dark colors can still be beautiful. I’m so glad we went on the field trip, because it’s now a memory that my classmates and I share and can talk about.”

“When we connect classroom learning with real-world experience, incredible insights unfold,” said Sra. Ramirez. “I could see the ‘a-ha’ moments as students noticed the brushstrokes on a painting or read the story behind a particular work. Students practiced their Spanish-language skills as we walked through the exhibition, chatting about Frida Kahlo’s enduring influence. This art-and-language project highlighted not only her enduring influence but also the richness of Mexican culture and heritage.”