profile of deseartez paz programme, medellin, colombia
DESCRIPTION
Partner of Mayfield Arts Newbury House Cork, IrelandTRANSCRIPT
Desearte Paz
WHO? WHERE?
WHAT?
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
Americano.
For more information see:
www.deseartepaz.org/
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?
Betancur was among the young artists who participated in Art Encounter. She subsequently went on to co-ordinate DESEARTE Paz. Lina worked as a
here.
Desearte Paz is based in the city of Medellin in
Colombia.
FACTS:
Colombia is a former colony of Spain, gaining
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HOW?
WHY?
Desearte Paz
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,
amounting to 19 murders
open to them.
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.
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.
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.
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
CASE STUDY
Photos: This page and previous: Participants of Social Labs
Photo Credits: Desearte Paz
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