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Workshop on Cultural Management Research for Artists II |
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Martín Molinaro GURE AMETS |
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begin with it seems necessary to set forth a statement which seems
reiterative in this kind of discourses, though, in our project it
has very peculiar dimensions. The work in the cities of the provinces is far different from the work done in the capital of the country. This is not news. But if we take into account an artistic and cultural project developed in a city with roughly 80.000 inhabitants, the traits and the particularities will be even more highlighted. To work in a city where there is no academy, no schools of art and where cultural expressions seem to be prisoners of the past (whether it be as regards as technique or themes that deal with immigrants, country landscapes and taverns) is definitely a challenge. There are neither trained viewers nor art spectators, there is only one commercial art gallery that holds shows every five months and a Fine Art Museum that imports artists and paintings only ( not done in a systematized way nor with a defined art policy). This is not put forward as a complaint, on the contrary, as a challenge. Thus, in this articulation GURE AMETS works on two axis: one is the physical space in the city (a house where humorous drawing workshops take place, there is a library, a theme bar with a “literature bar”, unplugged music concerts are held as well as, cycles of movie debates, performing arts workshops, theatre bar, besides having a satellite showroom that is called MegaArt Space) On this first axis we work independently financing every activity with the funds raised by our Graphic Design studio, as well as with money earned by the working of the bar. That is to say, all this effort is self-financed by ourselves, through our private working activity and to a certain degree with joint projects with the local companies. Postcards, magazine issues, (H)elarte (event done through the donation of kilos of ice-cream, the artists intervened the lids of the ice-cream buckets and then they were sold in the same ice-cream shop). Then, the other working axis is centered on two matters. On the one hand, it is to project my performing work from Rafaela and the performance itself. In pursuit of this objective, I teach in workshops at universities and independent cultural centers of the country ( Paraná, Santa Fe, Mendoza, Córdoba, Reconquista, Sunchales, etc.) as well as I hold exhibitions of the performance records in museums and galleries outside Rafaela. On the other hand, conceiving projects to call for artists gave rise to the project “Valijas”/suitcases/ (presented at the Caribbean Biennial where seven young local artists, invited by us, participate along with Clorindo Testa and Juan Doffo) and the intervened project “Paraguas” /umbrellas/(with the presence of 180 artists from 15 countries). This axis is independent too and it becomes a reality thanks to our independent management. Events such as Sunchales Nuevo Arte 2001 and 2000, with 16 rock n’ roll bands and visual artists from the area, La Recova with local artists and artists from Buenos Aires, “Casa Uno” and “Casa Dos” and other Performing events like “Alas” fostering the work of young art makers on video and performance were held. As far as human resources are concerned, in GURE AMETS, we are only Melisa Eijo and me, Martin Molinaro. Melisa is responsible for management and communication and I am in charge of production and the teaching of workshops though, the roles necessarily tend to be empowered and we end up working together since we are only two people. We both coordinate the project supporting it with our own funds. The event that characterizes the work undertaken in cities like Rafael is the fact that we are so far away from production centers ( Rosario is the nearest city, 400km away). At the same time, the viewers and the local productions seem to come to an end if they do not project themselves in other spaces. So here arises the need to put forward proposals that would allow us to work from here and at the same time, disseminate the local art to grow up from the productive confrontation and exchange with other discourses. |
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