Cultura em Comunidade (Social Project Presentation)
Introduction
The city of Sao Paulo is Brazil’s cultural centre, even so in production as diffusion. Besides that, it is the scenery of debate, studies and courses about a wide number of sources of culture.
Within the same city that generates this whirlwind of activities and information, however, there is a socio-regional discrepancy in its dissemination and accessibility.
This observation, and the concern stemming from it, has led to the project Cultura em Comunidade (Culture in the Community), a community-based arts and education project. This is a real opportunity for the democratization of access to and production of culture in the city of Sao Paulo.
The project
Supported by Instituto Extra, the project Cultura em Comunidade has the purpose to serve young people of low-income (teenagers) and teachers from the public network through courses and by offering them, as well as the rest of the public in Sao Paulo, free expositions and a library with art books, CDs and movies. This way, possibilities for training cultural agents and entrepreneurs in Sao Paulo districts are broadened and access to cultural information is democratized.
The purpose of Cultura em Comunidade is:
Training of Cultural Agents
The objective is the qualification of people that can multiply cultural experiences and acquired skills, so that they will boost their communities of origin, in the Greater Sao Paulo.
Each student takes part in courses, participates in assembling and monitoring exhibitions, helps with customer service and the organization of the library with art books, CDs and DVDs.
The whole process is accompanied by a tutor, a psychologist and educators, concluding with a Social Entrepreneurship course. At the end of this process, the young person is able to put in practice what he has learnt in his community or in his school, using his neighbourhoods resources to realize relevant projects.
Methodology
To become a Cultural Agent, each interested person will have to complete a minimum program, which consists of:
• Taking at least 3 courses organized by Escola Sao Paulo;
• In one of these courses, the student participates as a monitor;
• Taking part in 1 Social Entrepreneurship course, exclusively designed for the participants of this program;
• Participating in assembling and monitoring 1 exhibition;
• 4 weeks of attending public in the library of Escola Sao Paulo, organizing and cataloguing
The tutor and psychologist will accompany and assist the interested persons during the formation, and the coordinator will take care of the project administration.
Selection of students
Instituto Extra makes a select profile of young people and professors who may attend the Cultural Agent program and contacts its partners. The criteria to select the 40 students (30 young persons and 10 teachers) are:
• Financial Situation;
• Interest and commitment to learning;
• Availability of time to take the course and to apply it in his/her neighbourhood, multiplying his/her knowledge;
• Geographical distribution, seeking to attend all regions.
The selection of students is done by partner institutions of Escola Sao Paulo:
Ashoka - Aprendiz - Instituto Criar - Projeto Ascenção - Janelas para o Futuro - Secretaria de Coordenação da Subprefeitura da Sé - Secretaria Estadual da Educação - SEPED (Secretaria Especial da Pessoa com Deficiência e Mobilidade reduzida da Prefeitura de São Paulo, the Special Secretary of the State of Sao Paulo for Disabled Persons and Persons with Limited Mobility) - Fundação Abrinq - Instituto Sou da Paz and others yet to find.
The courses connect the student’s experience with the structure of Escola Sao Paulo (library, film collection, exhibitions, artists and teachers). The practical experience will provide the cultural agents not only with tools for the reapplication of activities in their communities and a new professional perspective, but also with tools to become an information reference about contemporary cultural production in their communities.
Student also receive financial support for transport and food.
Technical record
General Coordination
Isabella Prata
She has been working as a contemporary arts consultant for over 15 years and is specialized in project development for enterprises and museums. She was responsible for projects with artists like Matthew Barney, Felix Gonzales Torres, Cindy Sherman, Mapplethorpe, Basquiat, Gabriel Orozco, Mario Testino, among others, and is founder of Instituto Extra. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the MAM – Museum of Modern Art- of Sao Paulo, where she implemented and presided the Contemporary Department. She is vice-president of the Member Department of the MAM in Rio de Janeiro and a member of the International Acquisitions Committee of the Tate Modern in London.
Goals to be reached
• Expanding the scope of training possibilities for cultural agents and entrepreneurs in Sao Paulo districts
• Democratizing access to cultural information
• Encourage the student to develop activities in his/her community, applying what he has learned to teach others and thus multiplying knowledge.
Public
Teachers and students from the public educational system. Low-income students through appropriate institutions (mentioned above).
Results between January and May 2008
24 observed persons with a scholarship
Activities in which scholars participated:
- Courses
• Drawing from Observation
• Visions on Architecture and on the City
• Reflection and Practice of Contemporary Art
• Panorama of Virtual Arts
• Workshop Movie Directing
• Workshop Character and Scene Creation
• Cartoon Creation
• Creation and Production of Sound Tracks
• Wall Graffiti
• Pin Hole
• Basic Illustration
• Inside Cinema
• Drawing Basics for fashion and costumes
- Student Exhibition
- Library
