The headquarters of the Sociedade Recreativa Artística Farense (SRAF), better known as “The Artists”, will be closed from the 27th of October due to renovation works in the building. The SRAF directors say that the works will last around two years but, until the return of this emblematic space, the cultural activity of society will not stop.
Tiago Gomes, president of the SRAF board, explained to Sul Informação that “we are officially closing next Saturday. We're going to have the last party that day, starting at 17 pm, with entertainment for kids, DJs, jam sessions… and then, the party will continue into the night».
At this event, there will also be snacks “so that nothing is missing from an evening well spent among friends”. Entrance is free and will be through door nº 10 of Rua do Montepio.
After negotiations with the landlords of the building, which belongs to the Mutual Aid Association “Protetora dos Artistas” of Faro, the SRAF guaranteed that it will return to its headquarters, when the works are finished. «We have a signed contract. The space on the first floor will decrease, but we will keep the lounge, the terrace» and also the identity.
“The idea is to keep everything as it is. The spider webs, which many people consider to be part of the space's identity, grow again", jokes Tiago Gomes, who adds that "the mouth of the stage and the hall will remain unchanged and the roof and floor, in wood, too».
During the period in which the works will take place, the SRAF should not have a permanent space but, according to the director, “the idea is that we hold events once a month in various spaces in the city. They may be activities developed in conjunction with other associations, with theatres, for example. In addition, we have already had contacts with the Chamber of Faro so that we can use the Fábrica da Cerveja space in the same way: once a month, to maintain the cultural activity».
The building that will go to work has been the headquarters of the SRAF for over a century and an integral part of its history, so there is an important estate that will have to leave the site during the works. According to the chairman of the board, the library assets that include "books by Jules Verne from the 80s and books that are first editions by Algarve writers and poets" will be kept by the Library of the University of Algarve, in Gambelas.
An exhibition about Jules Verne is right on the table, in the first half of February, in which the books of this author belonging to the society will be exhibited.
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