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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