Classes for the Young at Art

Inspiring young minds to appreciate art is a challenge Mexican artist Raul Anguiano is willing to take.

Anguiano is spending part of his summer teaching third-graders in the Santa Ana Unified School District how to draw and paint.

His volunteer work in the classroom is part of the inaugural program supported by the Barrutia Family Fund, an endowment of nearly $100,000 established in July 1999 to integrate the cultural arts into inner-city school curricula.

A series of sessions with the artist began last week at Heninger Elementary in Santa Ana. Anguiano’s appearance has been coordinated with the unveiling of his Mayan-themed mural Friday at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana.

“We’ve never had an artist here of Raul’s famed background,” Principal Kathleen Sabine said. “The artists are the reality link between education and the art world. Art is an activity that’s not just fun but can be a career choice for some of the students to pursue.”

Anguiano wasted no time getting the students’ fingers sullied with black charcoal pencils and colorful oil pastels.

“Painting is a universal language. Everyone can draw,” Anguiano said, pointing to a still-life display of pineapple, bananas, an orange and apple.

“Now try to free draw what you see,” Anguiano said.

Away the students went with their imaginations, and what they saw didn’t always translate to paper.

“This looks like a chili pepper but it should be a banana,” said Alan Guiterrez, 7, of Santa Ana.

“The idea is to get the children involved at as early an age as possible in art, archeology, music and ethnic dances--activities that would enrich their education,” said Kathleen A. Barrutia, who founded the fund in the memory of her husband, Robert, who died last year. A founding professor at UC Irvine, Robert Barrutia was considered an expert in bilingual education.

Although Anguiano has taught art for 32 years, he’s still getting adjusted to students so young.

“I don’t often teach kids that young, like in the third grade, but they were happy and they make me happy,” he said.