How CAMINA invented a novel approach for cultural participation in Almería

Generally, it is expected that cultural programmes are conceived by professional experts for culture and cultural organisations. CAMINA promoted a change by creating the “civic curators - social laboratories for culture, that involved cultural users, local associations, individual artists and citizens to co-design and co-realised the novel Cultural Programme of Almeria through participatory planning workshops and collaborative culture initiatives. 

The civic curators were in charge of co-creating cultural activities to be realised in three “cultural nodes” (the Katiuska cinema, the Museum Doña Pakyta and the Mesón Gitano) and in urban spaces located into the three different neighbourhoods (La Chanca-Pescaderia, Almedina, the Centre). The Novel Collective Narrative of Almería’s Cultural Landscape, created as a first milestone through a sound participatory involvement of the local community, guided the work of the civic curators, as a visioning scenario of Almería citizens.

To select the members for the civic curators, the Municipality of Almeria launched a call for participants on the 15th November 2022. Twenty-two Local Associations applied to take part at the social laboratories to co-design and implement the novel cultural programme in Almeria.

Before launching the call for grants, the Main Urban Authority and the delivery partners of CAMINA worked together to shape an adequate and innovative public procurement, allowing to engage cultural and civic associations for being enrolled for working in a cultural collaborative dimension to perform cultural activities. This process took a time because it was needed to review the public procurement. Indeed, generally the public procurement is launched to call cultural proposals, where budget includes the project and the realisation of a well described artistic or cultural interventions. In the case of the call for civic curators, participants are engaging and granted for working together, through the methodology of civic curators to co-design the cultural programme and co-realise artistic initiatives.

The budget for this activity is about: 234.000 Euro. Participants had been able to apply as individuals with a budget of 13.000 Euro or as a working group with a budget of 39.000 Euro.

Three selections criteria were used:

• Representing the community: it was recognised the value of local organisations that have an impact on local communities – with a particular attention at the impact on the three targeted neighbourhoods - such as local organisations with several members, acting with and for citizens and promoting equality and diversity.
• Experience: it was awarded previous experiences of managing and realising cultural projects.
• Innovation: the call foresaw that participants share a draft idea of cultural activity, to be realised in the target areas. The innovation matching well the value of CAMINA was awarded.

Twelve participants were selected among twenty-two applicants, including local organisations and individuals, that participated as a single association or in consortium. The selected members were grouped in six Civic curators, each of them guided by a CAMINA delivery partner, that had the responsibility to lead the work of civic curators with a role of mentor and cultural co-productor. They are:

• Fundación de Arte Ibañez Cosentino, that promotes fine arts exhibition, has been the responsible of civic curator 1;
• Junta de Andalucia - department of Alcazaba Cultural Heritage has been the responsible of civic curator 2;
• EMMA, Municipal music school, has been the responsible of civic curator 3;
• KUVER, audio-video producer, has been the responsible of civic curator 4;
• Diputación de Almería has been the responsible of civic curator 5;
• Junta de Andalucia - photographic art centre has been the responsible of civic curator 6.

Three art forms have been delivered by the civic curators representing the three Narrative concepts matched with the cultural nodes mission:

• Performative art – Cultural node 1 – Mesón Gitano – walking into the past;
• Fine art – Cultural node 2 – Museum Doña Pakyta – walking into the present,
• Audio-visual art – Cultural node 3 – Katiuska cinema – walking into the future.

The partnership developed this activity as follows:

• Eptisa, delivery partner, has been in charge of coordinating and facilitating the civic curator’s activity, guiding the achievement of the project milestone, supporting the timing respect, the logistics and civic curators needs to realise their project. Eptisa has been responsible of reporting the work in progress to the Municipality of Almeria as activity coordinator;
• the University of Almeria (UAL) has had the responsibility of monitoring the innovative process setted up for the civic curators as well as supervising the project’s objectives and the social impact of CAMINA

Thousands of people participated in dance, music and theatre performances, urban walks, talks, exhibitions, artistic and photography workshops. School students were involved in video-making activities and laboratory experiences.

Many people had the opportunity to visit the neighbourhoods of La Chanca-Pescaderia,  Almedina  and the centre of Almeria, learning about the potential of these places and the importance of their heritage. Through the cultural activities spread around the three neighbourhoods and the cultural nodes, CAMINA achieved to attract people in places considered marginalised and deprived, places where people do not use to go due to fear or simple misinformation. CAMINA has triggered a process of de-stigmatisation of the targeted neighbourhoods, fostering the social inclusion of the people living there.

The huge participation in the CAMINA cultural events demonstrated the power of cultural participation and the important role of culture as a sound tool for inclusion and social cohesion.