{"id":18936,"date":"2014-11-12T10:53:25","date_gmt":"2014-11-12T13:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=18936"},"modified":"2015-12-19T17:11:22","modified_gmt":"2015-12-19T20:11:22","slug":"boreart-community-youth-group-in-borel-sets-out-to-dissolve-stigma-through-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=18936","title":{"rendered":"BoreArt: Community Youth Group in Borel Sets Out to Dissolve Stigma Through Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

BoreArt<\/a>, a group of young residents in the Borel<\/a> favela in Tijuca, North Zone, aims to turn a former space of crime into a community meeting point through art with their latest endeavor, the Escadaria do Borel project, which will transform\u00a0a popular local staircase into an urban artwork.<\/p>\n

Art in the favela<\/b><\/h3>\n

BoreArt is an art-promoting group formed in 2012, led by five young residents from\u00a0the Borel community. Their current goal is to reverse the negative perceptions people have of a specific location\u00a0in their community, Nossa Senhora de F\u00e1tima Street.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive years ago, that street was a known meeting point for criminals,\u201d said\u00a0Ana Santos, a member of the group.\u00a0\u201cWe wanted to change the idea that people have in their heads that the street is only an area of violence<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group began to tackle this objective through a partnership with Rio de Janeiro’s Museum of Modern Art<\/a>\u00a0last year, when they held an exhibition that showcased\u00a0work by Brazilian artists. The works were displayed on the walls of four homes along Nossa Senhora de F\u00e1tima Street, and have remained there since for open visits. The group also began offering urban art workshops for young residents between the ages of 15 and 29 that include graffiti and photography.<\/p>\n

\"BoreArt<\/a><\/p>\n

Isabela Santos, another member of the group, said BoreArt is now looking to build on the success of the last exhibition\u00a0to host another by the end of this year, and to take on a new project, the escadaria<\/em> (stairway)<\/span>. The gallery and workshops offered so far have helped transform the stigmatized<\/a> location, but the Escadaria do Borel project will be the consolidation of the cultural community \u201cmeeting point\u201d the group aims for, she said.<\/p>\n

The Escadaria do Borel project<\/b><\/h3>\n

Inspired by the famous Escadaria Selar\u00f3n in Lapa<\/a>, the idea is to collect tiles from donations and use them to decorate the stairway in their community Selar\u00f3n-style by the end of November.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought, man, the Escadaria Selar\u00f3n is extremely popular, it changed\u00a0a big space. That place used to be abandoned. Maybe we can do the same in our community,\u201d Isabela said. \u201cWe could draw the attention of outsiders and residents to that space and not only give our project visibility, but give the residents visibility and give that space visibility, transforming it into a meeting point in Borel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BoreArt<\/a><\/p>\n

Isabela Santos said BoreArt has made a positive impact in giving value to spaces that were once undervalued by community members themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents undervalue the place. They see it through the eyes of outsiders and so see it as a decaying space instead of realizing the potential it has. The residents themselves are the potential,\u201d Isabela said. \u201cWe work a lot with youth, and we show them how art and this kind of intervention modifies space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BoreArt<\/a><\/p>\n

A project for projects<\/b><\/h3>\n

BoreArt was founded through the initiative of five young students who participated in the groundbreaking Rio program,\u00a0Ag\u00eancia Redes Para Juventude\u00a0(Networks for Youth Agency, featured previously on RioOnWatch<\/a>). Founded by Rio writer and theater director Marcus Faustini, Ag\u00eancia establishes networks and opportunities for young people in the urban periphery to imagine and execute their own community-based projects. There are currently 25 funded projects–including BoreArt–and each receives a grant up to R$10,000 to set up operation.<\/p>\n

Ana Santos said the Ag\u00eancia is not only the group\u2019s financial backer, but it stimulates students\u2019 creativity to think of project ideas through courses and workshops, offers mentorship from college students, provides contacts for potential partnerships and gives scholarships. Ag\u00eancia fellows think of a good project, and the organization gives them all the resources to make it happen, she said.<\/p>\n

How to help<\/h3>\n

BoreArt is\u00a0taking tile donations throughout the month of November. For more information contact Isabela Santos at\u00a0+55-21-98711- 8006, email\u00a0galeria.boreart@gmail.com<\/a>, or contact the group via Facebook<\/a>. Tiles may also be mailed to:<\/p>\n

BoreArt a\/c\u00a0<\/span>Ag\u00eancia de Red<\/span>es para Juventude |\u00a0<\/span>Rua Teot\u00f4nio Regadas, 26 – sala 603 | Santa Teresa, RJ | CEP\u00a020021-360 | Rio de Janeiro, RJ | Brazil<\/p>\n