Exploring the Works of Pacita Abad

The students’ collaborative painting

Ecstasy (1990) by Pacita Abad

In the spring, we examined the works of Pacita Abad— an iconic Filipino painter— and practice our collaboration skills in a painted “recreation” of her piece, Ecstasy (1990). Students (from Kindergarten through 8th grade) were given a section of the piece. In pairs, they were tasked with replicating their assigned portion of the painting. At the end, all of the pieces would be assembled to reveal a “recreation” of Abad’s original piece.

This project encouraged them to practice their technical skills— such as proportion and color matching— as well as their interpersonal skills—such as communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. More abstractly, this activity exposed the students who the works of Pacita Abad, an artist with a Philippine-born and American immigrant background; an identity that resonated with many of the students.