PARTNERS
Desearte Paz
? O WH
WHERE?
DESEARTE Paz is a programme operated from the Paul Bardwell Gallery of Contemporary Art, in the ‘Centro Colombo Americano’. Its programme aims to contribute to the cultural development of the community through artistic social laboratories. The programme involves the integration of educational, social and political institutions with members of the community towards one common aim: to build a culture of peace. DESARTE Paz is led by the Centro Colombo Americano with cooperation from Antioquia University and the Government of Catalonia’s Catalan Agency for Cooperation in Development. The programme is coordinated by artist Lina Betancur in collaboration with the gallery assistant. Art students from the local university work on placements in the programme in exchange for language classes oȔered by the Centro Colombo Americano. For more information see: www.deseartepaz.org/
WHAT?
Desearte Paz is based in the city of Medellin in Colombia. FACTS: ColombiaÕs population is 45,644,023. It is about 16 times larger than Ireland. Colombia is a former colony of Spain, gaining independence in 1810.
DESARTE Paz aims to build a sustainable platform for the production of contemporary art where artists can interact and create dialogue with social structures, academia and other institutions to create a culture of peace. They aim to build bridges between artists and communities through the ethical and responsible implementation of contemporary art as a tool for the encouragement of cultural development within the community. This is achieved through their program of Social Labs. Social Labs create spaces in which artists can reclaim their roles within the contemporary social realities evident in Colombia as true socio/educational agents.
WHERE DID THE PARTNERSHIP START? MayÞeld Community Arts Centre has had a connection with DESEARTE Paz since 2006. The Centre had already made contact with Centro Colombo Americano, who support DESEARTE Paz, through an international exchange project called ÒArt EncounterÓ which took place in Cork in June 2005. Lina Betancur was among the young artists who participated in Art Encounter. She subsequently went on to co-ordinate DESEARTE Paz. Lina worked as a volunteer in MCAC for 6 months in 2007. For more on Art Encounter click here. (www.mayÞeldarts.org/old_site/2005)
PARTNERS
Desearte Paz
? W HO
How do the Social labs work?
The Social Labs take the form of three distinct phases: Creative Workshops: Local or international artists work with community groups, vulnerable or marginalized groups or university projects. Possible themes for workshops could include: physical disabilities, forced displacement, social inclusion, sexual and reproductive rights, gender based violence/discrimination, Afro-Colombian cultural identity and human rights in prison. An Exhibition/Event/Public Art: Activities including the general public, school groups, or government representatives. A Seminar: With members of the public, students, academics, stakeholders involved in the relevant Þeld and population aȔected by the issues.
Photos: This page and previous: Participants of Social Labs Photo Credits: Desearte Paz
WHY?
In 1991 there were nearly 7000 violent deaths in the city of Medellin, Colombia, amounting to 19 murders every day of the year. The majority of those killed were under 26 years of age. The city was infamous for gangland activity, drug traȗcking and paramilitary activities. Young people were very often drawn into this culture of violence and had few alternatives open to them. Since 1991 Medellin has transformed itself as a city. The annual number of violent deaths in 2006 fell to 696. Culture was a key factor in this transformation. Working through community arts in the large urban neighborhoods has been part of the peaceful resistance to the extreme violence and has generated a process of reconciliation for the multiple hurts caused by the violence. During the 1990Õs organizations such as ÔOur PeopleÓ (Nuestra Gente) and Barrio Comprasa and other cultural associations with youth participation worked with young people in the neighborhoods. They created a refuge and an alternative to the armed violence and all other types of social exclusion. Desarte Paz emerged in this context and continues to be a key force for social inclusion in Medellin.
CASE STUDY Social Lab 2008: Art & School: Artistic Experiences In a society where there is much more emphasis on technology and science-based education we have forgotten a vital factor in the development of students: the contributions made by the “invisible curriculum” or aesthetic education. With this Social Lab La Galeria de Colombo and Desearte Paz have reaȗrmed their mission to strengthen the presence of aesthetic education in the schools of Medellin. They invited a Chilean artist, Pilar Ortiz, to direct this Lab. The Lab involved classroom workshops, tours of the urban areas, public performances, debates between students from the eight participating schools, and conferences during the academic timetable about methodologies that demonstrate the vital contributions that the aesthetic arts make in the development of young people. Together these demonstrated the need to maintain an equal balance in the curriculum between science and technology and creativity. Without the development of critical thinking there would be no “safety valves” for the survival of future generations. Studying does not just involve learning but should also encourage us to pay attention to what young people tell us about the symbolic and how to create a common horizon for all. www.deseartepaz.org