Political Unrest Won’t Keep Venezuela From Bringing Art to the People

Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas.
Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas.

Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas.

In celebration of its upcoming 40th anniversary, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas will be bringing its art directly to the students of Venezuela, undeterred by a recent spate of political protests, some violent, and growing unrest among citizens, reports the Art Newspaper. According to USA Today, the death toll from recent protests in Venezuela currently stands at about 40.

“The museum will go to the streets,” museum director Daniel Briceño, a ceramicist and former teacher, told Entorno Inteligente. Fresh off a six-year stint as the secretary of cultural affairs at the Venezuelan Embassy in Seoul, Briceño believes that engaging with the community is crucial for the growth of the institution.

The Caracas museum (known as the Sofia Imber Museum of Contemporary Art until it was rechristened in 2006) is working with the ministry of education and Clarisa Fuenmayor, the director of education for the museum’s foundation, to develop a pilot program that will send works from the collection to schools across the nation. Each school will welcome an artwork for one day, and will offer related educational activities.

The demands of everyday life can make it difficult for schools to make regular trips to museums. In comparison, says Briceño, it is easy for the museum to mobilize. He does not anticipate security being an issue, and guarantees adequate guards.


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