“A group of urban artists and the inhabitants of a small beach town in Venezuela connect their lives in a Street Art Meetup to produce an open sky art gallery”

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Context:

Venezuela is a country rich in natural resources and emerging artistic talents. However, the social and economical conditions in the country have been historically very complex. Material productivity is often given more importance than creative potential, and enjoyment is more associated with vanity and consumption than contemplation, connection and love for nature.El Yaque is world famous for giving birth to some of the best windsurfers around and for its excellent wind conditions in the practice of windsurf and kitesurf, in sharp contrast with the humble life of people who live within walking distance.

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Experience:

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This is the story of a group of  artists traveling from Caracas to El Yaque, a beach town in Margarita Island, Venezuela, to meet with residents in the task of producing an urban art event and turn the walls of this small place into art pieces.

 A team of about thirty persons: creative writers, graphic designers, photographers, producers, publicists, journalists, filmmakers and artists living in  Venezuela, Spain, Canadá and Argentina. All Venezuelans expats. All working as one, generously and very hard.

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Is Also the story of this community that was opening integrated into the project, which was made possible with the collaboration of all sectors of society. Without whose support generosity and active participation would not have been possible.

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We have developed a work methodology .During the first week we focus on the perception, relationships and understanding of the community.
With that experience and an analysis of the place, we detect interesting spots to work on. This first experience allow us to develop a proposal, that is always created in the community, in response to what we have perceived there.
Duringn the next weeks we talk with the neighbors, usually receiving feedback, until we get to a solution in which everybody is happy.Then we get to work with anyone who is interested in helping, until the job is done.

Collaboration, networking, sense of community and empowerment are the key factors to develop. The collaborative dynamics lead to interaction, encourage the dialogue and strengthen the communication between neighbors. The result is a community more united and tougher.

The involvement of residents to change their own village awakes their pride for it. This is intended to encourage a sense of community and to rise the thought that if the appearance of the village can change, everything can change.

During the work time the neighbors happen to meet, getting to know each other, increasing the dialogue and interaction,When we leave the place, a lot of knots and relations remain active.

The result is a more united and resistant community.

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