Ocuparte, heritage art school in the neighbourhood of Peñalolén
1. Context
Peñalolén is located in the eastern part of the Santiago Province, within the Metropolitan Region. It is 54.9 km2 and contains a large amount of socioeconomic and cultural diversity. The OcupArte program was specifically developed in lower class socioeconomic areas. These areas were originally populated by settlers, and other inhabitants who are chiefly the result of the eradication of lower sociocultural and economic communities during the period of military dictatorship. The areas were taken mainly from the affluent communes of the capital or populated following seizure of land. The OcupArte project was started by the Peñalolén Cultural Corporation in 2012 as a part of the current municipal policy on decentralising the available cultural activities, answering to the need to provide access to cultural, artistic, and heritage development in neighbourhoods (communities) outside of the Chimkowe Cultural Centre.
2. Peñalolén and culture
The cultural policies of Peñalolén currently in effect (2015-2018) have 4 lines of strategic planning:
- Strengthening and Developing Artistic Cultural Creation. Support cultural industries and creative, training and cultural and artistic consideration processes.
- Promoting, Safeguarding, and Supervising Tangible and Intangible Heritage. Foster the preservation and enhancement of historical and social memory, cultural heritage and local tourism development.
- Fortifying Citizen Participation. Promote participation and community networking around artistic and cultural initiatives.
- Strengthening the management of the Cultural Corporation. Constantly strengthen the Cultural Corporation as an organization itself.
The aim is to democratise access to cultural expressions, by developing free and inclusive workshops in vulnerable neighbourhoods, geared toward children, youth and adults.
These orientations are built upon, and shares, an important basis that governs Agenda 21 for culture, and this has been evident since the very beginning of the project. It seeks to create opportunities for artistic cultural development throughout the entire community. The principle is to provide this as a right not only for large centres, but also as a consistent resource in territories or localities detached from existing institutions thus providing the commune with cultural development. All forms of artistic expression that preserve history and ancestral heritage of indigenous Chilean cultures are important for making, not only tangible culture, but also world views accessible to newer generations. It lends importance and relevance to such cultural origins. OcupArte is program that is 100% inclusive. As such, it has a considerable number of people with disabilities who make the effort to involve themselves and participate in the workshops.
3. Objectives and implementation of the project
3.1. Main aim and specific goals
The aim is to democratise access to cultural expressions by developing free and inclusive Artistic Heritage Training Workshops across different disciplines in vulnerable neighbourhoods of Peñalolén, geared toward children, youth, and adults.
Specific
- To support neighbourhood councils as mini-centres for cultural development in their areas, and occupy communal spaces for cultural practices.
- To foment the active participation of community leaders, and the empowering of communities through cultural development.
- To bring about a knowledge of art history and heritage through these workshops, in order to create sustainability and, in some cases, micro businesses.
All forms of artistic expressions that preserve history and ancestral heritage of indigenous chilean cultures are important for making, no only tangible culture, but also world views accessible to newer generations.
3.2. Programme Development
During its 4 years of operation, the OcupArte program worked alongside the Community Organisation Leaders Partnership (neighbourhood councils), who are interested in its cultural contribution, it relied on the financial collaboration of the Regional Government of Santiago and managed to reach out to around 1000 people of all ages and sectors of Peñalolén.
4. Impacts
4.1. Direct impacts
Impact on the local governement
Peñalolén increased the allocation of economic, material, and human resources to those territories and communities. Peñalolén has also considerably increased its investment of economic resources into improving some of these community spaces, thereby involving spaces worthy of neigbourhood artisitic cultural development.
Impact on culture and local cultural agents
With regard to cultural actors, they have made a difference by evaluating the efforts and investments used in order to carry out this program. They have also maintained a channel of constant communication, demanding these and other cultural programs and activities for their own communities. This has made it possible to consider open spaces that are dependent on these communities for the development of free, public activities.
The social transformation has fostered the building of trust and dialogues that seek a common goal of creating an integrated, cultural commune of Peñalolén.
Impact on territory and population
The commune has improved in specific ways. The OcupArte program has established a means of intervention in territories that were not previously open to municipal institutions. This has also built trust and a way to develop other activities in new spaces (plazas) on a regular basis. However, maybe the most important change is the social transformation that has taken place in the participants of these communities. It has fostered the building of trust and dialogues that seek a common goal of creating an integrated, cultural, and trusted commune of Peñalolén.
4.2. Transversal impacts
One of the more outstanding transversal effects of this project is undoubtedly the work of the burlap weavers of Lo Hermida. It is an emblematic part of the commune where, during the period of Chile's dictatorship, it was a place of profound pain and persecution, with a great many victims. This painful time in Chile's history is part of the work of the Lo Hermida burlap weavers. During each project they recount local stories, and the experiences from this dark period of history. They also do this by creating images with colours and textures in the fabric, each telling their own story.
5. Additional information
The city of Peñalolén was a nominated candidate for the second International Award ‘UCLG - Mexico City - Culture 21' (January-May 2016). The awards jury produced a final report in June 2016 and asked the UCLG Committee on Culture to promote this project as a good practice for the implementation of Agenda 21 for Culture.
Text approved in December 2016.
Good practice published in January 2016.
This factsheet was put together by Gladys Sandoval Campos, Executive Director of Peñalolén Cultural Corporation, Santiago, Chile.
Contacts: gsandoval@penalolen.cl; fcabedo@penalolen.cl
Website: www.chimkowe.cl
