Recent Alumna Earns Scholarship from Indonesian Government

Mayte Martinez ’10 has been awarded the Darmasiswa Scholarship, which will allow her to spend the next year in Bali studying traditional arts. The Darmasiswa Scholarship is awarded by the Indonesian government with the purpose of fostering interest in the Indonesian language and culture among students of other countries.

Martinez plans to study at ISI Denpasar (Institute of Denpasar) located in Denpasar, Bali’s largest city. There she will take classes in Balinese dance and Wayang style drawing, a traditional art form that primarily uses black ink and fine lines to explore cultural and religious motifs. She will also continue to pursue her interest in photography, focusing on themes that are central to Balinese culture, such as family and community.

A Los Angeles native, Martinez leaves for Indonesia in early August. She’ll spend two weeks at an orientation program on the island of Java learning about Indonesian culture and language before heading to ISI Denpasar. She is looking forward to pursuing her artistic passions full time and is excited to see how much she can improve in art and especially in dance. Martinez immersed herself in the Balinese dance class offerings at Holy Cross, and is now eager to work with other trained dancers in the genre.

Before coming to Holy Cross, Martinez had an interest in the arts, but had very little experience or formal training. On the recommendation of a friend, she began taking studio art classes and quickly discovered a passion for drawing and photography. She found her love for the Balinese arts by chance. While working in the theater department’s costume shop, Martinez helped to prepare the colorful and elaborate costumes used in the Balinese dance performances. She felt drawn to the wardrobe and decided to attend the performance, which in turn inspired her to take her first Balinese dance class.

Two years and several classes later, Martinez has developed into a skilled dancer and an enthusiast of Balinese culture. She spent much of her free time in her fourth year tutoring new dancers or rehearsing with members of the Gamelan orchestra so that they could practice playing along with the routines.

“I love how challenging Balinese dance is,” she says. “I also really appreciate the significance of art and dance in the Balinese lifestyle. The Balinese don’t have a separate word for ‘art’ because in their culture, art is something you do every day. Art and life are intertwined.”

Martinez’s skill and passion for her craft were evident to her professors. Last summer, she traveled to Bali with a small group of students and young alumni to perform at the internationally renowned Bali Arts Festival. The group spent a month in Bali rehearsing and performing Mimpi, an original play by Professor Lynn Kremer, to rave reviews. Martinez had a chance to travel around Bali and experience the culture firsthand. She was drawn to what she describes as a peaceful and community-oriented lifestyle. The trip also had a great impact on her artwork. She began incorporating Balinese images into her photography and drawings, which already drew on elements of her Salvadorean heritage. The result is art that expresses a unique blend of cultural influences.

Martinez graduated with a major in history, a minor in studio art, and a concentration in Asian studies. She participated in several student organizations and had her artwork featured on the cover of Fósforo, Holy Cross’ Spanish language literary magazine.

“I was able to study and try so many different things while I was at Holy Cross,” she says. “And that opened me up to a lot of new experiences. Holy Cross helped to shape who and where I am now.” Although Martinez is not sure which path she will choose after her year in Bali ends, she hopes to have a career that is inclusive of art and reflects the influence Balinese culture has had on her life.

By Lindsay Armstrong ’04