Two Arts Umbrella artist-instructors are about to cross borders and language barriers for art. Contemporary artists Jessica Jang and Jason Wright will travel to Bogotá, Colombia in early March for CulturART Exchange – a new cultural, social, and educational initiative headed up by our friends at the Vancouver Biennale and fellow educators at Liceo Boston.

Twenty-six students aged 14 to 18 are taking part in the cultural exchange. They’ll experience a week of Arts Umbrella magic on Liceo Boston’s Bogotá campus, roughly 6,775 kilometers away from Granville Island.

A six-month program in full, CulturART Exchange is designed to help underprivileged youth explore their creative potential while empowering community leadership. The curriculum ties in with Vancouver Biennale’s 2014-2016 theme: “Open Borders/Crossroads”

“I am extremely excited and honored about Arts Umbrella’s involvement with the CulturArt Exchange program,” says Roxanne Gagnon, Artistic Director, Visual and Media Arts.

During the week of Arts Umbrella classes, which is sponsored by the Buschlen Mowatt Nichol Foundation, the Colombian students will sketch portraits, create still life collections, and gather observations scavenger-hunt style.

And come July 2015, a couple of the students will visit Vancouver to continue the exchange and share their experience.

“I would like to thank everyone involved, from the bottom of my heart, to make this happen,” says Gagnon. “And I look forward to the students sharing their voices.”