19 artistic projects for the social transformation of vulnerable groups in the current pandemic context will be launched in 2022

The "la Caixa" Foundation will allocate 399,320 euros to 19 new projects from all over Spain selected in the annual Art for Change programme of the "la Caixa" Foundation. This call offers aid to artistic projects in disciplines such as plastic arts, photography, video, music, literature and the arts that promote the active role of groups in situations of vulnerability.

The initiative is a boost for the cultural fabric in Spain through these grants to artists and cultural organisations, as well as fostering communication networks between them with the different meetings organised throughout the year to share learning and experiences.

"In the current context of pandemics, art and culture have been reaffirmed as fundamental elements for well-being and social cohesion, which is why the call for applications makes even more sense, if possible", as Gloria Andreu, head of the Art for Change programme of the "la Caixa" Foundation, states. "The projects in this edition have the opportunity to show the value of artistic creation in tackling social challenges".

In the 2021 call for proposals, 224 proposals were submitted by artists and cultural organisations from all over Spain. Of all of them, 19 projects have been selected that have passed an initial artistic evaluation and, in a second phase, a technical-social evaluation. These will be carried out in the provinces of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Córdoba, Castellón, León and Badajoz. More than 1,478 people in vulnerable situations will participate in them and will have the opportunity to actively take part in a process of artistic creation.

The 19 projects that have been chosen meet the three objectives of the programme: the promotion of the personal development of the participants through their involvement in the creative process; social cohesion and inclusion through the creation of neutral spaces for relationships, exchange and coexistence, and social regeneration of a community nature through activities that contribute to the development of neighbourhoods or social groups and reinforce concepts such as identity and self-confidence.

Art. A way to help us understand reality, as well as a way to transform it.

The "la Caixa" Foundation has been a pioneer in the search for new ways of understanding culture. The exhibitions are a meeting point for different types of public and the activities involve people from different backgrounds and of all ages who take the initiative and play an active role. Initiatives in which the public and the creators work together to give meaning to art. From this vocation was born, in 2007, Art for Change, a programme that combines artistic creation and personal and social transformation, which encourages participation in creative processes of any artistic discipline to promote collaboration and inclusion of all, and which is respectful of diversity and open to learning and listening to society.

Through Art for Change, "la Caixa" Foundation generates creative processes led by an artist, in which groups in vulnerable situations or people from the same environment or neighbourhood take part with the aim of encouraging processes of social transformation. These initiatives offer participants the opportunity to come into contact with art and culture, promote equality of conditions and opportunities and contribute to the empowerment of individuals or groups through an artistic process.