Transformative Art for Belonging
Basic information
Project Title
Transformative Art for Belonging
Full project title
Creating regeneration, community and belonging through transformative art in Villanueva de la Vera
Category
Regaining a sense of belonging
Project Description
"Art for belonging" is a project about intrapersonal and interpersonal transformations in a rural area home to more than 30 nationalities for 2100 inhabitants in Extremadura, Spain. A multicultural group will explore their connection with the space they share and create together artistic expression of it, physically transforming public and private places to create a deeper sense of belonging and identity in the village and surrounding natural areas.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Villanueva de la Vera, Spain
Urban or rural issues
It addresses urban-rural linkages
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
The project is created by Lisa Malina, Ukrainian muralist, living in Spain for more than a year and a half. The project is a wish to tackle the issue of belonging through transformative arts. "As an artist, forced migrant and member of a new community, I designed the project to explore with other people - local and of different ethnic origins and ages - the realm of relationships and connections that are created when arriving to a new place and the projections that can emerge towards the collective creation of an inclusive and diversified community, in harmony with its ecosystems and environments."
The project will bring together participants and through a series of participatory workshops, will explore the relationship that the participants have with their urban and rural environment, and the different cultures present in the municipality. The workshops will result in the creation of several murals reflecting the ideas, expectations and feelings of the participants. This is expected to reflect positively the diverse cultures present in the village. In addition, a map of regenerative entrepreneurship initiatives (agriculture, tourism, trade...) and the route of murals will be created in order to offer a tool for the discovery of the territory with a perspective that integrates elements that are absent from conventional tourist maps. Local businesses will be advertised in order to promote sustainable tourism, authentic discovery and fair local trade. Finally the redecoration of a public space will take place using recycled materials, bringing beauty to places of communal use, encouraging the connection of people with the public space and citizen participation.
The project will be open to anyone living in Villanueva, with a special focus on young and older people, to assure an inter-generational transfer of knowledge and customs, preserving the cultural and traditional heritage of the place and combining it in a harmonious way with the new narratives of the youth.
The project will bring together participants and through a series of participatory workshops, will explore the relationship that the participants have with their urban and rural environment, and the different cultures present in the municipality. The workshops will result in the creation of several murals reflecting the ideas, expectations and feelings of the participants. This is expected to reflect positively the diverse cultures present in the village. In addition, a map of regenerative entrepreneurship initiatives (agriculture, tourism, trade...) and the route of murals will be created in order to offer a tool for the discovery of the territory with a perspective that integrates elements that are absent from conventional tourist maps. Local businesses will be advertised in order to promote sustainable tourism, authentic discovery and fair local trade. Finally the redecoration of a public space will take place using recycled materials, bringing beauty to places of communal use, encouraging the connection of people with the public space and citizen participation.
The project will be open to anyone living in Villanueva, with a special focus on young and older people, to assure an inter-generational transfer of knowledge and customs, preserving the cultural and traditional heritage of the place and combining it in a harmonious way with the new narratives of the youth.
Key objectives for sustainability
Environmental and ecosystems regeneration and sustainability are among the main conditions for us to thrive as humans. The whole project will have a clear orientation towards promoting, in a subtle way (leading by example), the importance of preserving and regenerating our environment to be able to function fairly and harmoniously as a society, embedded in the natural ecosystems. This condition is even clearer in a rural area, where the day to day activities are affected by all environmental happenings.
The workshops for the elaboration of the sketches of the murals and the map will have a clear environmental sustainability awareness building components like: dynamics of storytelling around environmental experiences and connection to nature of the participants; walks in nature and surrounding areas to connect and thus increase the sense of belonging to the space; explanation of the agricultural practices and visits to farms that practice regenerative agriculture techniques, and other activities. Bonding activities will take place in natural or agriculture spaces, and the participants will be introduced and will share their views on connection to nature and the benefits that this entails.
The material used for the murals and for all activities will be from sustainable and ecological sources and components.
The redecoration of the meeting space will encourage recycling and up cycling of materials/furniture and their transformation so they have a new life and usage.
The map developed will be also digitalized and accessible with QR, reducing the utilization of papers for the printing and distribution.
As explained in the section on inclusion, food is an important connector between the people and it will be served at several occasions as a way of bonding and knowing other culinary cultures of the area. The ingredients for the preparation of the dishes will come from local farms as much as possible, with the promotion of locally cultivated organic food.
The workshops for the elaboration of the sketches of the murals and the map will have a clear environmental sustainability awareness building components like: dynamics of storytelling around environmental experiences and connection to nature of the participants; walks in nature and surrounding areas to connect and thus increase the sense of belonging to the space; explanation of the agricultural practices and visits to farms that practice regenerative agriculture techniques, and other activities. Bonding activities will take place in natural or agriculture spaces, and the participants will be introduced and will share their views on connection to nature and the benefits that this entails.
The material used for the murals and for all activities will be from sustainable and ecological sources and components.
The redecoration of the meeting space will encourage recycling and up cycling of materials/furniture and their transformation so they have a new life and usage.
The map developed will be also digitalized and accessible with QR, reducing the utilization of papers for the printing and distribution.
As explained in the section on inclusion, food is an important connector between the people and it will be served at several occasions as a way of bonding and knowing other culinary cultures of the area. The ingredients for the preparation of the dishes will come from local farms as much as possible, with the promotion of locally cultivated organic food.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The project is deeply focused on the aesthetics and quality of experience of the direct and indirect beneficiaries. The participants will have the opportunity to live a transformative experience and participate in enhancing the attractiveness of the village through the painting of a number of murals in various sites creating a specific identity to the streets.
Through the workshops, thematic like: trauma, sense of esthetics, relationship to agriculture and land, migration, ethnical richness, and the village in general will be explored and translated into art. The local historical heritage will be also reflected and local landmarks will be visited as part of the process. The intercultural exchange will enrich the whole experience: it will be the opportunity to know other cultures, understand them thus creating a tolerant society, beneficial for all people. Through their participation in the creation of those murals, which will last for years, the participants will gain a sense of belonging as their imprints will be on the public and private spaces, accessible to all people, and will be a testimony of the intrapersonal and interpersonal transformation that this project desire to provoke in direct and indirect beneficiaries. As more murals are being realized, more people can experience this state of positive immaterial ownership and belonging to the place of living. Other artistic expressions will also be explored and the space will be open for proposals from the participants.
Designing a map will require the participants to reflect deeply on what they want represented on it, making research about the components, exchanging with other people about it, a whole process that will make them connect to the place.
Also, the nature of the group will allow for rich exchanges between people from different ages, conserving stories and facts that older people can transmit, and allowing space for the expression of the youth concerns, ideas and proposals at the same time.
Through the workshops, thematic like: trauma, sense of esthetics, relationship to agriculture and land, migration, ethnical richness, and the village in general will be explored and translated into art. The local historical heritage will be also reflected and local landmarks will be visited as part of the process. The intercultural exchange will enrich the whole experience: it will be the opportunity to know other cultures, understand them thus creating a tolerant society, beneficial for all people. Through their participation in the creation of those murals, which will last for years, the participants will gain a sense of belonging as their imprints will be on the public and private spaces, accessible to all people, and will be a testimony of the intrapersonal and interpersonal transformation that this project desire to provoke in direct and indirect beneficiaries. As more murals are being realized, more people can experience this state of positive immaterial ownership and belonging to the place of living. Other artistic expressions will also be explored and the space will be open for proposals from the participants.
Designing a map will require the participants to reflect deeply on what they want represented on it, making research about the components, exchanging with other people about it, a whole process that will make them connect to the place.
Also, the nature of the group will allow for rich exchanges between people from different ages, conserving stories and facts that older people can transmit, and allowing space for the expression of the youth concerns, ideas and proposals at the same time.
Key objectives for inclusion
The project will be an opportunity for people from different ages and ethnical backgrounds (local, Spanish, others origins) to connect and share a common space with the objective of creating collectively a series of products reflecting their view and perspective on issues relative to their sense of belonging, environmental regeneration and conservation capacities, spatial integration and impact as active members of the community.
Through a series of workshop and the participatory creation of the murals/redecoration and the map, the participants will have the chance to share opinions, views, concerns and ideas, constructing at the same time a rich proposal for the rest of the village, with the objective of starting a diversified and thriving community of actors of change leading to rich social interactions, with all the benefits that it will bring to the participants and their community.
The free of charge workshops will be designed to include people with different level of the Spanish language by providing translation when necessary; they will facilitate the participation of people with different capacities: the murals painting, will take into consideration every participant physical capacity; the activities will be inclusive of different availabilities of time; the participation of women with young children will be encouraged with the availability of childcare. The participants, with the guidance of the artist, will actively organize the space and times of the activities and a space will be given at the launching of the project to include proposals of improvement of the latter. A special effort will be done for the participation of people more vulnerable because of ethnical, economical or other reasons. The activities' main aim is to celebrate the diversity of this region, home to more than 30 different nationalities including sharing food from the different cultures. People will have the chance to cook meals representative of their culinary traditions.
Through a series of workshop and the participatory creation of the murals/redecoration and the map, the participants will have the chance to share opinions, views, concerns and ideas, constructing at the same time a rich proposal for the rest of the village, with the objective of starting a diversified and thriving community of actors of change leading to rich social interactions, with all the benefits that it will bring to the participants and their community.
The free of charge workshops will be designed to include people with different level of the Spanish language by providing translation when necessary; they will facilitate the participation of people with different capacities: the murals painting, will take into consideration every participant physical capacity; the activities will be inclusive of different availabilities of time; the participation of women with young children will be encouraged with the availability of childcare. The participants, with the guidance of the artist, will actively organize the space and times of the activities and a space will be given at the launching of the project to include proposals of improvement of the latter. A special effort will be done for the participation of people more vulnerable because of ethnical, economical or other reasons. The activities' main aim is to celebrate the diversity of this region, home to more than 30 different nationalities including sharing food from the different cultures. People will have the chance to cook meals representative of their culinary traditions.
How Citizens benefit
The region is home to some organizations, initiatives and a diversity of people settled or hoping to settle in the area for the long term. Up to 32 nationalities have been counted in the area. In encounters held, they have communicated a need and interest to live an inclusive and sustainable development of the village and surrounding area, building a solid, collaborative and permanent community. By inclusive and sustainable development, it is meant development that avoids the negative consequences of gentrification, so people can preserve their homes and heritage as well as practice the welcoming of new-comers. It is also a development that avoids the creation of separate and divided communities based on religion or ethnical belonging and that takes into account the sustainability of urban and rural environments. A diverse group of 6 people has already been involved in the talks for the creation of this project and it is expected that more people (up to 15 for the direct participants; more in the school and more widely touched population), will join in the coming year. The project could be expanded and more people can join the journey of transforming the village into an open air art exhibition of the ideas and views of the inhabitants, after a participatory and collaborative process .
The group already formed comprises different nationalities including Spanish, Moroccan, Lebanese and French. Development workers were also involved with the added-value of their knowledge. And through the collaboration with the Municipality, more local people will participate.
The project is open to include new ideas and proposals from the people that will join on the way. The main theme will be the creation of identity and beauty by art and to reflect this in the public and private spaces of the area. The vehicle to transmit this is open and the limit is the imagination of the participants and inhabitants.
The group already formed comprises different nationalities including Spanish, Moroccan, Lebanese and French. Development workers were also involved with the added-value of their knowledge. And through the collaboration with the Municipality, more local people will participate.
The project is open to include new ideas and proposals from the people that will join on the way. The main theme will be the creation of identity and beauty by art and to reflect this in the public and private spaces of the area. The vehicle to transmit this is open and the limit is the imagination of the participants and inhabitants.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Innovative character
The innovative character of the project is using art and beauty as a healing and community bonding process in the rural area from one hand. From another hand, it brings together people both local/native and people that have migrated to the region, in conclusion, people from different ethnical origins into the same space to develop together a common project, reflecting at once their diversity and unity as the community of Villanueva de la Vera. The project will give the opportunity to the participants, the muralist included, to reflect, express and create art and beauty in connection with urban space and nature, and afterwards be the catalyzers of similar change through the sharing of their experience and new ways of being. The project´s aim is to produce positive social change directed toward an environmentally sustainable and socially harmonious society, with a profound sense of shared belonging to the village and surrounding areas. While many efforts are being done for the integration of migrants and new comers in the area, few include such an integrated approach, linking diversity and social integration with locals and allowing for the common creation of identities and connection to community and natural space, while giving special importance to the inter-generational aspect of the community and the intrapersonal change people will live. The activities will take place in different public space such as the municipal auditorium, the house of the youth, democratizing the utilization of those spaces to civil society and bringing creative energy into them. Those spaces will be also made more accessible to the migrants/new comers, increasing their sense of belonging and possibility of participation and diminishing the separateness they may feel towards official spaces.
The project uses art as a way to explore the perceived reality according to different ethnical, social and economic narratives and will encourage new ways of intra and interpersonal relationships.
The project uses art as a way to explore the perceived reality according to different ethnical, social and economic narratives and will encourage new ways of intra and interpersonal relationships.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
The pillar of the project is art and the desire to share it and put it at the service of the creation of beauty and connection between people. As an artist, it is one of the responses I use, to confront the ugliness of the war and conflict that is destroying my home country and other countries of the world.
I was warmly welcomed in Spain after I flew Kiev more than a year and a half ago. My challenge currently, like other migrants, is to put the basis to feel myself at home. The creation of beauty and connection can heal us as a society, and allows to put the basis for the future. I believe transformative art is an important way to connect people through feeling, aesthetics, touch, laughter and other, and is less dependent on oral communication which sometimes can diminish the interactions between people. I needed to find a way to transmit my art to other people who might feel the same way I do.
So I reached out to people and organizations in the zone of the project to design a comprehensive project.
Some disciplines that people have brought into the design of the project include regenerative agriculture, group facilitation, social work, politics/governance and cooking. Once my idea about creating participatory murals in the village was exposed, the representatives of these different fields advanced their proposals to enrich the whole process and insure that it is successful. The main activity in the area is agriculture, especially peppers to produce the famous Pimentón de la Vera. So any project about increasing the sense of belonging and knowing a region should include agriculture and the farmers. It would help also connect with the environment, as these farmers practice regenerative agriculture.
Some of the people contacted are migrants and so the idea of a map, as a tool to finding one´s way was exposed. The project will include the punctual collaboration of a group facilitator.
I was warmly welcomed in Spain after I flew Kiev more than a year and a half ago. My challenge currently, like other migrants, is to put the basis to feel myself at home. The creation of beauty and connection can heal us as a society, and allows to put the basis for the future. I believe transformative art is an important way to connect people through feeling, aesthetics, touch, laughter and other, and is less dependent on oral communication which sometimes can diminish the interactions between people. I needed to find a way to transmit my art to other people who might feel the same way I do.
So I reached out to people and organizations in the zone of the project to design a comprehensive project.
Some disciplines that people have brought into the design of the project include regenerative agriculture, group facilitation, social work, politics/governance and cooking. Once my idea about creating participatory murals in the village was exposed, the representatives of these different fields advanced their proposals to enrich the whole process and insure that it is successful. The main activity in the area is agriculture, especially peppers to produce the famous Pimentón de la Vera. So any project about increasing the sense of belonging and knowing a region should include agriculture and the farmers. It would help also connect with the environment, as these farmers practice regenerative agriculture.
Some of the people contacted are migrants and so the idea of a map, as a tool to finding one´s way was exposed. The project will include the punctual collaboration of a group facilitator.
Methodology used
The project has different phases and works as a spiral. Those phases are sensitive to feedbacks and can be easily adapted to any change that can be proposed by the participants and indirect beneficiaries.
The first step that has been implemented was to have meetings with some people that are willing to participate and is composed from people of different ethnical origins and ages. Also meetings have been done with different stakeholders.
A public announcement with the support of the municipality and of local organizations is necessary to form the bigger group of people wishing to participate. There will an encounter once the people have expressed their desire to participate and to form the final group of participants. Parallel to the Municipality call, information will be sent to local organizations (like association of women, of youth, local NGOs, local cultural associations, social clubs, bars, schools, residency for retirees, and other) to make sure the information arrives to the maximum number of people. Visits will be done also to some of the entities to ensure that the information arrives to the right people.
Once the informative talk has been done and the people have appointed themselves to the process, a meeting will be done to program the different activities/workshops and determine the space where the murals will be realized.
The project will use participatory dynamics to enhance the creative capacities of attendees as the first phase. The dynamics include group bonding activities such as the River of Life dynamic; simple drawing techniques, dynamics for exploring the perception of participants of their own connection to the place.
Concerning the realization of the murals, simple techniques will be taught so that the people with no previous experience in painting could participate easily.
Once the map is designed collectively, the artist will proceed to translating it into a professional design and have it digitalized.
The first step that has been implemented was to have meetings with some people that are willing to participate and is composed from people of different ethnical origins and ages. Also meetings have been done with different stakeholders.
A public announcement with the support of the municipality and of local organizations is necessary to form the bigger group of people wishing to participate. There will an encounter once the people have expressed their desire to participate and to form the final group of participants. Parallel to the Municipality call, information will be sent to local organizations (like association of women, of youth, local NGOs, local cultural associations, social clubs, bars, schools, residency for retirees, and other) to make sure the information arrives to the maximum number of people. Visits will be done also to some of the entities to ensure that the information arrives to the right people.
Once the informative talk has been done and the people have appointed themselves to the process, a meeting will be done to program the different activities/workshops and determine the space where the murals will be realized.
The project will use participatory dynamics to enhance the creative capacities of attendees as the first phase. The dynamics include group bonding activities such as the River of Life dynamic; simple drawing techniques, dynamics for exploring the perception of participants of their own connection to the place.
Concerning the realization of the murals, simple techniques will be taught so that the people with no previous experience in painting could participate easily.
Once the map is designed collectively, the artist will proceed to translating it into a professional design and have it digitalized.
How stakeholders are engaged
The project was developed in collaboration with different stakeholders on the local level. One of the main one is the Association Doctora Fatiha (ADF), founded by a Moroccan woman that migrated to Spain and Villanueva de la Vera in the past years. ADF have provided insightful information about the feasibility of the project and many contacts to develop the idea.
Another stakeholder is the Municipality of Villanueva de la Vera who is open to projects that enhance the cultural life in the area and promotes environmental preservation, as well as allows social interactions between the people living in the village and surroundings. The municipality would give the permits to realize the murals in the public spaces, among other support. Also, the participation of the municipality will reinforce the trust of the citizens, specially the older ones, in the project.
Local non-governmental organizations working with vulnerable migrants were also contacted to identify possible young participants who benefit from the support of those NGOs and will play a crucial role in the implementation of the project, especially concerning the logistics of transport and participation of the young migrants.
Other individuals and local farms have been contacted for the nature connecting visits and explanation of the rural employments scheme existing. Three regenerative farms (agriculture and poultry) are willing to participate and share with the participants their vision about sustainable and regenerative soil conservation and food production system. The area is mostly dedicated to agriculture activities and the relationship of people with the fields is of upmost importance when speaking about belonging. Encouraging a relationship that is based on respect and care of the natural and agricultural ecosystems is thus a fundamental aspect to include when realizing awareness building and creation of collective narratives about the belonging to a place like Villanueva de la Vera.
Another stakeholder is the Municipality of Villanueva de la Vera who is open to projects that enhance the cultural life in the area and promotes environmental preservation, as well as allows social interactions between the people living in the village and surroundings. The municipality would give the permits to realize the murals in the public spaces, among other support. Also, the participation of the municipality will reinforce the trust of the citizens, specially the older ones, in the project.
Local non-governmental organizations working with vulnerable migrants were also contacted to identify possible young participants who benefit from the support of those NGOs and will play a crucial role in the implementation of the project, especially concerning the logistics of transport and participation of the young migrants.
Other individuals and local farms have been contacted for the nature connecting visits and explanation of the rural employments scheme existing. Three regenerative farms (agriculture and poultry) are willing to participate and share with the participants their vision about sustainable and regenerative soil conservation and food production system. The area is mostly dedicated to agriculture activities and the relationship of people with the fields is of upmost importance when speaking about belonging. Encouraging a relationship that is based on respect and care of the natural and agricultural ecosystems is thus a fundamental aspect to include when realizing awareness building and creation of collective narratives about the belonging to a place like Villanueva de la Vera.
Global challenges
The global challenges that the Project aims to address are among other: racism, migration, degradation and erosion of soil, rural depopulation and lack of generational overtake of agricultural practices, loss of hope due to wars and conflicts and finally the challenge of building peaceful and inclusive multiculturalism.
In the last decade, Europe has seen more migration due to wars and due to environmental issues and climate change, especially in Africa. This fact, if not addressed properly, creates pressure and tension on the migrating people and on the welcoming communities.
As a forced migrant myself due to war in my country, I am experiencing the consequences that this situation has on my general well-being and the efforts I have to do to adapt to a new culture, mourn the losses (human, material or immaterial) that I have experienced, and create a proactive and constructive attitude in my life.
The project I am designing aims to address those issues through the healing power of art. Art, understood as an expression of the creative talent, as a way of channeling an array of feelings, moving forward by choosing how to constantly create a narrative of the world and translate into a material object that can be understood by an external viewer. The process of creation includes motivation and pro-activity in the subject that is experiencing it. This project will allow the participants to live this process, to project it and share it with the outside world, creating a deep connection with the final product and the space welcoming it, in this case the village and surrounding areas, as well as the co-creating partners. This would build long-lasting relationships and the will to shape together the shared space of co-existence.
Having an important aspect of nature connection, the whole process will allow the participants not only to connect with the urban space of the village but also all the natural surroundings and connected economical activities related.
In the last decade, Europe has seen more migration due to wars and due to environmental issues and climate change, especially in Africa. This fact, if not addressed properly, creates pressure and tension on the migrating people and on the welcoming communities.
As a forced migrant myself due to war in my country, I am experiencing the consequences that this situation has on my general well-being and the efforts I have to do to adapt to a new culture, mourn the losses (human, material or immaterial) that I have experienced, and create a proactive and constructive attitude in my life.
The project I am designing aims to address those issues through the healing power of art. Art, understood as an expression of the creative talent, as a way of channeling an array of feelings, moving forward by choosing how to constantly create a narrative of the world and translate into a material object that can be understood by an external viewer. The process of creation includes motivation and pro-activity in the subject that is experiencing it. This project will allow the participants to live this process, to project it and share it with the outside world, creating a deep connection with the final product and the space welcoming it, in this case the village and surrounding areas, as well as the co-creating partners. This would build long-lasting relationships and the will to shape together the shared space of co-existence.
Having an important aspect of nature connection, the whole process will allow the participants not only to connect with the urban space of the village but also all the natural surroundings and connected economical activities related.
Learning transferred to other parties
The project is completely replicable in other contexts, adapting it to the space and the people that would be interested in developing a similar idea.
The context of the project is a rural context, experiencing migrations from people from the territory or coming from other countries, searching for a home, employment opportunities and to settle in the area. It is a context with its traditions (cultural, culinary, religious, economic etc.) that is seeing an evolution due to the constant change any place experience nowadays. This situation is present in many places throughout Spain and people experience similar challenges and opportunities which sometimes differ by their characteristics but have in common their nature.
Art and self-expression have a positive benefit on the people wherever it is lived and experienced. Humans, if allowed, have sensitivity and are receptive to the experience of freedom of expression, of beauty, interactions, of positively impacting their surroundings in the aim of improving their living experience and that of their families and loved ones. The participative methodology that will be used during the preparatory workshops can be easily replicated by social workers, art-therapists, development agents. This methodology will include: dynamics of storytelling, drawings, walks in nature, group sharing and active listening among other. Many rural areas have abandoned or unused public and private buildings or walls that could be used for the realization of the murals. The tools and inputs are easily found in those regions.
Also the transformative experience art creates, can benefit people in any place and especially in the rural areas that needs it the most in Spain. The subject of the artistic creation can be adapted to the specific social, economic and environmental needs that any region faces, as for example depopulation, climate change, youth migration.
The context of the project is a rural context, experiencing migrations from people from the territory or coming from other countries, searching for a home, employment opportunities and to settle in the area. It is a context with its traditions (cultural, culinary, religious, economic etc.) that is seeing an evolution due to the constant change any place experience nowadays. This situation is present in many places throughout Spain and people experience similar challenges and opportunities which sometimes differ by their characteristics but have in common their nature.
Art and self-expression have a positive benefit on the people wherever it is lived and experienced. Humans, if allowed, have sensitivity and are receptive to the experience of freedom of expression, of beauty, interactions, of positively impacting their surroundings in the aim of improving their living experience and that of their families and loved ones. The participative methodology that will be used during the preparatory workshops can be easily replicated by social workers, art-therapists, development agents. This methodology will include: dynamics of storytelling, drawings, walks in nature, group sharing and active listening among other. Many rural areas have abandoned or unused public and private buildings or walls that could be used for the realization of the murals. The tools and inputs are easily found in those regions.
Also the transformative experience art creates, can benefit people in any place and especially in the rural areas that needs it the most in Spain. The subject of the artistic creation can be adapted to the specific social, economic and environmental needs that any region faces, as for example depopulation, climate change, youth migration.
Keywords
Community and ecosystem sustainability
Diversity
Art - Murals
Inclusion
Migrations
