Guided tours, exhibitions, workshops, performances and an activity where you paint and drink at the same time are part of the program of the 4th edition of Open Studios Faro, which starts on Friday, 21st, and runs until Sunday, 23rd of October, in the city center and, for the first time, in other areas of the county.
But if you think that it is only in museums and galleries that you will be able to enjoy the program, you are wrong. The essence of Open Studios is also to take art to 'less conventional' places and invite people to interact more closely with all creators.
«Every year we try to choose spaces where, as a rule, the public does not enter for this purpose. Therefore, we are looking for alternatives and this year the opening will be in Jardim Manuel Bivar. What we also want is to involve as many audiences as possible and make interventions in spaces that are not just galleries and studios – and thus get in touch with many more people», he explains to the Sul Informação Toma Svazait, one of the event's mentors.
In the year in which the program also extends to places such as Santa Bárbara de Nexe and Bordeira, the 17 initiatives are spread across gardens, museums, galleries, associations and local accommodation spaces (such as The Modernist and Lemon Tree Stay).
«In addition to using these “unconventional” spaces, the idea of the event is also to create a route through the artists' studios. Studios that are normally closed because that's where they work. On these days, exceptionally, they are open to the public, allowing people to see the space where the creation takes place, talk to the artists and, eventually, purchase the pieces of art», continues Daniela Garcia, who is also the mentor of the initiative.
The event has been taking place since 2019 and, according to the organizers, it has, since the beginning, had a «great acceptance» by the people of Faro (and not only).
But even for those who already know the concept, every year there are new reasons to be part of this journey that starts on Friday, the 21st, with a visit from the schools to the studios.
Later, at 17:00 pm, the official opening takes place with the installation “PORTAL X001”, by artist Xana, in Jardim Manuel Bivar, and at 18:30 pm there is art, music and wine with Tom Leamon.
On Saturday, the 22nd, in the morning, the studios open so that they can be visited until Sunday, between 10:00 am and 13:00 pm and 14:00 pm and 18:00 pm.
Although the studios can be visited freely, there is a guided tour for those who prefer, whose registration can be done via the email openstudiosfaro@ gmail.com.
Workshops are also not lacking in this edition. The first, “Construction of a herbarium in Cyanotype”, with Helena Lourenço, takes place at 10:00 am on Saturday, at the IPDJ.
At 10:30 am, “Playing with terracotta art”, with Hermínio Pinto da Silva, is aimed at children between 6 and 10 years old and takes place in the studio on Avenida Repúblico Federal Alemã.
«The idea is also to work with children or families so that everyone is involved. In this sense, every year we hold a kind of events around creation and expression that involve children», says Daniela Garcia.
Also on Saturday there is the opening of the exhibition “Saloon of Varieties” by Albert Tannat, at GAMA RAMA.
At 18:00, the “Drink & Paint” activity, with Inês Barracha, aims to «associate artistic creation with other more informal moments in life».
On Sunday, the 23rd, there will be a cineclub created by Joana Rosa Bragança and at 10:30 am the workshop for families “The butterfly flight”. At 11:00 there will be a guided tour again with a conversation about design in arts and crafts in the cultural heritage promoted by The Home Project Design Studio, this time at the Algarve Regional Museum, and at 15:00 there will be conversations “Education and Art” with Zulmira Oliva.
The program ends at 17:00 pm with a Solidarity Auction at the Gimnásio Clube de Faro, in partnership with the Algarve Mental Health Association.
«The objective is to auction and sell the pieces of the artists who are part of the script to be able to give them a financial return and, at the same time, to be able to explore this format that is very dear to the artistic world, which is to auction the pieces», says Daniela , mentioning that an artist with a background in the theater was invited to the event to provide «a playful moment of connection with the public».
In Daniela and Toma's opinion, there is still a long way to go for people to become more connected to the arts and artists, but «we are on the right path».
«This event had a great acceptance since the beginning, also because it opens doors to curiosity, but we feel that there are more and more people wanting to come», emphasizes Toma.
“Parents are also increasingly aware of this reality and seek to provide their children with experiences in this regard. On the other hand, we also have young people who really want to come and ask their parents to accompany them on the route», concludes Daniela.
According to the organizers, the idea is to bring news every year so that people get more and more involved with the initiative and artists.
All program activities are free, except for workshops, which cost 10 euros.
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