31st  December  2015       Dear  Friends  of  Vamos  al  Museo,       This  year  has  been  quite  extraordinary  in  the  impact  Vamos  al  Museo  and  the  Museo  MARTE  has  been  able  to  have  on  the  lives  of  children  across  El  Salvador.  Through  your  support,  we  have  been  able  to  bring  children  to  the  museum  that  may  have  never  visited  a  city  or  had  any  awareness  of  their  rich  culture. El   Salvador   is   a   country   with   some   of   the   most   expressive   people   I   know,   with   an   enduring  entrepreneurial  spirit  that  persists  through  mulLple  hardships.  Vamos  al  Museo  aims  to  conLnue  to  bring  that  ethos  alive  for  children  in  some  of  the  most  marginalized  areas  of  the  country. In  giving  a  child  exposure  to  art,  you  are  giving  them  a  route  to  be  creaLve,  to  escape  their  daily  lives  and  to  hopefully  inspire  them  towards  a  more  creaLve,  construcLve  path. Thank  you  for  your  support  this  year.  Although  there  is  a  tough  road  ahead  for  the  future  of  the  country,  Vamos  al  Museo  can  act   as   the  beacon   forwards   to  a  different  alternaLve.   In   showing  these  children  that  someone  from  their  country  or  even  London  or  New  York  cares  about  them,  you   are   providing   them   with   so   much   more   than   a   trip   to   the   museum.   Instead   you   are  demonstraLng   that   the   values   of   care   and   compassion   can   indeed   cross   many   borders   and  oceans. Sincerely, Nicholas  Opinsky  Founder  of  Vamos  al  Museo  

Highlights  of  2015      

Youth  Group  Quetzalcoatl          At   the  end  of  2014   in  London,   I  had  the  pleasure  of   meeAng   a   group   of   BriAsh   volunteers   who  spent   Ame   in   the   Nuevo   Gaucho   community   as  part  of  Progressio  UK.      I   wanted   to   help   in   conAnuing   their   work   in  making   a   difference   in   the   lives   of   this   youth  group.   I   therefore   got   in   touch  with   their   leader,  ‘Mapache’   to   arrange   a   visit   to   the   museum.   I  think   they   had   a   wonderful   Ame   visiAng   the  museum  and  we  hope  to  have  them  again  soon!    

Licry  Bicard,  9th  of  February  240  Students  from  San  Salvador  and  La  Libertad          For  Licry  Bicard's  wonderful  and  magical  solo  exhibiAon  at   the  museum,  she   kindly   agreed   to   lead   a   tailored   workshop   for   approximately   240  children  to  create  a  joint  art  piece.  You  can  just  see  from  the  photos  how  enthralled  the  children  were  by  Licry's  grand  instrucAon.  This  was  a  truly  wonderful  way  to  start  2015  for  Vamos  al  Museo.    

Gabriela  Larios,  13th  of  August  60  students  from  La  Paz        Gaby's   arAsAc   and   creaAve   abiliAes  transcend   across   any   medium.   In  addiAon  to  being  a  donor  to  the  fund,  I  managed   to   convince   her   to   hold   a  workshop   with   a   group   of   students  from   La   Paz.   I   think   they   had   a   great  Ame   making   these   very   fashionable  hats.  Most  importantly,  they  were  able  to  see  just  how  fun  it   is  to  be  creaAve  with  different  materials.    

TiA  Escalante,  13th  of  July,  120  students  from  Cuscatlan  and  Soyapango          My  inspiraAon  in  starAng  Vamos  Al  Museo  came   from   when   I   observed   a   group   of  children   from   El   Colegio   Highlands  enacAng   their   own   version   of   TiA   and  David’s   famous   frogs.   It   became   instantly  clear  how  special  this  exposure  to  art  was  for  these  children.  The  fund  came  out  of  a  desire  to  spread  that  impact  even  further.  It  was   a   great   pleasure   this   year   that   TiA  Escalante   was   able   to   make   art   further  come   alive   by   compleAng   a   joint   piece  with  these  children.    

Fundemac:  22nd  of  August  and  21st  of  September  240  students  from  Morazán          At  an  Embassy  event  in  London,  I  met  Susana  Cruz,  one  of  the  directors  of  Fundemac,  a  charity  focused  on  the  development  of  Morazán,  one  of  the  more  remote  departments  of  the  country.  We   decided   to   collaborate   together   and   we   were   able   to   bring   240   children   from   the  department.      Both   visits   received   great   press   from   El   Diario   Del   Hoy   and   El   Faro,   it  was   great   to   see   the  iniAaAve  recognized  for  its   impact.  Many  of  these  children  had  never  visited  San  Salvador  let  alone  the  art  museum,  so  it  was  clearly  beyond  exciAng.  It  was  great  to  even  welcome  a  few  children  from  across  the  border  in  Honduras!    

Embassy  of  El  Salvador,  London,  13th  of  May      On  the  13th  of  May    Vamos  al  Museo,  in  collaboraAon  with  the  Anglo  Central  American  Society  (ACAS),  hosted  its  first  ever  fundraiser  by  the  kind  invitaAon  of  the  Ambassador  of  El  Salvador  in  London.  The  event  was  extremely  well  agended  with  many  students   from  Imperial  College  Business  School,   friends  and  family.   We   were   fortunate   enough   to   have   homemade   delicious   pupusas,   served   courtesy   of  Adelina  de  Morales,  joint  owner  of  Cuzcatlan.  Myself,  the  Ambassador  of  El  Salvador  to  the  UK—Werner  Romero,  and  Georgina  Butler  President  of  ACAS,  gave  speeches.  In  total,  we  were  able  to  raise  over  £4,000,  which  has  been  central  to  the  impact  we  have  made  this  year   in  2015.  Thank  you  to  all  those  who  agended  and  donated!    

Finally  a  special  thanks  to  some  of  our  donors:    

   MarAn  Gordon  OBE      

 Jim  and  Amanda  Opinsky      

 Carol  Dauber  and  Patricia  Dauber-­‐OrAz      

 Fundacion  Regalado  O’Sullivan        

 Diana  Beagy  

   Michael  and  Camilla  Bowater  

     Henry  Gage    

   Marina  Papa-­‐Sokal      

 Suki  Yamamoto      

 Theresa-­‐Mary  Morton