INTERVIR, paper

Projecto Intervir
Heróis
&Vi ões
Um projecto de intervenção artística e social
INTERVIR HEROES AND VILLAINS | An artistic and social intervention project
Modern Art Centre Arts Education Department CESIS | Centre for Research in Social Intervention | Escolhas
Oct 2007 | Jun 2008
Brief context description
In the context of the Open Museum programme (programmes designed for groups with special educational needs) developed by
the Arts Education Department of the Modern Art Centre a partnership was established with the Attended Itineraries programme
(financed by the "Escolhas" National Programme) of the CESIS | Centre for Research in Social Intervention.
The partnership aimed to develop an artistic and social intervention project, with the duration of a school year, designed for young
students at risk of early school drop out.
The target population were twelve young boys and girls with learning difficulties and ages between 11 and 17 currently
participating in the Attended Itineraries programme, a community project created by CESIS, in Bairro do Zambujal, a social
quarter in the district of Amadora, to prevent school drop out and improve literacy skills.
The artistic project Intervir, was developed during 9 months (a school year) on a weekly basis, both in the youngsters residency
area and at the Modern Art Centre Arts and Education Department, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Starting points and aims:
•
To use arts education to raise social and personal awareness
•
To question social stereotypes in the surrounding visual culture
•
To debate and question identity construction patterns and improve self-confidence through creative thinking
•
To use contemporary art as a vital force for change and critical thinking
•
To develop creative and reflexive skills through the use of different artistic expressions
(Drama, photography and video)
•
To promote personal and community empowerment and develop transferable skills
The project visible outcomes:
•
10 final self-portrais under the theme: heroes and villains
•
A documentary
•
A blog
•
A community presentation (parents and school) December 2008
•
An exhibition at the Modern Art Centre March 2009
Projecto Intervir
Heróis
&Vi ões
Um projecto de intervenção artística e social
Functional working structure:
•
Initial period of pre-project for accessment and front evaluation
•
9 months (Oct 2007-jun 2008); total of 75 hours of workshops; 120 hours of planning
•
Weekly workshop sessions (45 min.) at bairro Zambujal and Modern Art Centre
•
Weekly project meetings to develop session plans and evaluation
•
Process evaluation with the youngsters every 3 or 4 workshop sessions (participated evaluation) and personal portfolios
as follow up material
•
Artistic residencies during school breaks (bank hollidays)
•
Gallery talks, museum visits and selected artistic work as inspiration and discussion starting points
•
Shared responsibilities and decision making (contract)
The theme Heroes and Villains:
The subject was proposed by the museum educators and negotiated with the young participants in a partnership process.
The choice of the subject intended to promote a critical reflection on the social stereotypes and prejudices, starting from a theme
that belongs to the symbolic universe of all the participating individuals and present in most visual culture manifestations they use
to represent themselves.
Based on their familiar universe of references the project aimed to promote active, critical and creative debate about identity
construction that would serve as the basis for the creation of a set of self-portraits as a personal transformation arts project.
The tension between the antinomy hero/villain allowed us to work the frontier zone and to debate the creation of categories of
labelling of social roles and the exclusion systems they create.
The Partnership team:
Modern Art Centre Arts Education Department
Education Officer and Project Director:
Susana Gomes da Silva
Artistic directors:
Drama - Margarida Vieira
Photography - Mário Rainha Campos
Video - Sílvia Moreira
Education Interns:
Cátia Bonito; Madalena Marques; Catarina Claro
CESIS | Attended Itineraries:
Social Worker and Project Coordinator:
Ana Paula Silva
Facilitator/Visual Arts Teacher (EVT):
Isa Monteiro
Facilitator/Psychologist:
João Esteves
Web facilitator (Digital Inclusion Centre):
Sofia Cavaco
Young participants:
Marlon Andrade; Débora Brás; Diogo Brás; Énio
Chantre; Ruben Cruz; Elaine Fagundes; Filipe
Fagundes; Sónia Kaur; Andreia Lopes; Paulo Pinto;
Gerson Ramos; Luís Santos; Eric Semedo