VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages
Abstract
I have often contemplated if contemporary art is truly contemporaneous? Is it important and meaningful to people’s lives? Doubts led me to the local maritime museum to find a way to make art in a deeper meaningful way. It led to diversification of contemporary creativity, capable of nurturing social innovation. Creating a wide network for affective communication. Through a protocol between the University of Aveiro and the Maritime Museum of Ílhavo the methodology of community art making was employed in a project to address the lack of visibility of women’s contributions to local maritime heritage; in the museum, community, and within the women themselves. Over six months art making creates new kinds of interactions between art forms, people, and objects. They come together in the building of an art installation for the maritime museum´s atrium. It has a collective signature, DOC, the codfish spelled backwards. Each act becomes part of a larger dialogue. Self-other overlapping gives perspective. Women cross over into physical and mental spaces normally reserved for men. Community knowledge is gathered through intangible cultural heritage and promoted for its cultural value. Contemporary art shows it in a new light. History is reflected upon for its reevaluation. Institutional recognition is given to women. Creativity finds creativity, especially in seniors looking for a new kind of satisfaction in later life. Local dialogues have potential for becoming intercultural ones. Heritage and contemporary art come together as we work towards understanding ourselves and others for the benefit for all.
I am Deborah Gillies da Mota, researcher/artist with the University of Aveiro. Born 1963, original from Newfoundland, Canada I have a background in nursing. Moving to Aveiro Portugal after the North Atlantic codfish moratorium, I completed there a B.A. in visual arts (EUAC), and a M.A. in contemporary art creation, 2022, (UA). Diversifying contemporary creativity for social innovation is my interest. It is the basis for my last project, a one-year research art- practice project using the methodology of community art in Ílhavo, Portugal, completed in 2022.
I am Graça Magalhães, born 1960, Portugal. My current position is auxiliary professor and vice director of the master program in Contemporary Art Creation, University of Aveiro. I am an integral member of it´s Research Institute for Design Media, serving on varies commissions and boards Culture. Academics include B.A.fine arts FBAUP, graduate degree in Conservation and Restoration of Art, Florence, Italy, master´s in drawing, done in Tokyo and Phd in Design done at the University of Aveiro. My research focuses on the dynamics of art, culture, and creative processes.