The MiratecArts association leads workshops for companies, municipalities, and other organizations wishing to invest in artistic culture. “Increasingly, entities that advertise their services, products or locations need to realize that investing in people, in artistic, cultural creation and development, is the most significant way to invest their promotion budget,” says Terry Costa.
On the island of Pico, where MiratecArts is based, a group of business patrons have already realized that by supporting the entity, they can achieve promotion that goes much further and an added value they couldn’t acquire while being part of the island’s development. “It’s not just a logo on a magazine or poster, it’s being part of a family that has proven to build from Pico to the world,” adds the artistic director and president of the non-governmental organization that reaches all the islands. “Our artists, more than 700 Azorean collaborators, guests and audiences thank our partners by purchasing their products and frequenting their businesses. And MiratecArts is always open to facilitate the island’s presence through art that travels the world, offering workshops in companies and at the same time providing visibility for new products.”
Autatlantis Rent-A-Car is one of MiratecArts’ partners. Its participation and visibility extend far beyond the island of Pico. So does the Novo Rumo travel agency. Café Cinco has been part of the MiratecArts family since it opened ten years ago. The Invest Group, which has several catering establishments, including Príncipe in Faial and Mercado Bio in Pico, has already seen its Cella Bar become part of the cultural association’s programming agenda, including the Azores Fringe, Festival Cordas, and in September it will be home to the performance, art and conversation season: SURREABSURDO.
In the filming of Luís Filipe Borges’ short film “First Date”, the investment from LavaHomes and Magma Restaurante was “one of the biggest driving forces behind getting the movie produced in Pico”. Businesswoman Benedita Branco, who manages these, among other ventures on the mountain island, explains that “it’s important to help create the conditions for people in the arts to thrive, in a country where so little money and support is given to this backbone of our humanity, which is the arts. What most distinguishes human beings from other species is the ability to express themselves artistically and the ability to support and help their community. Pico has these two very strong aspects: family/community support and the arts: the traditional ones with the philharmonics and the local theaters; and the modern ones with everything MiratecArts has done, which I admire very much, because I appreciate the immense effort this means.”
MiratecArts is calling on the business sector to join the cultural association, which has its headquarters on the island of Pico, a presence on nine islands, and visibility around the world. “More and more we rely on our private family to be able to create and present,” admits Terry Costa. “All support is welcome, whether monetary or in products and services. The art of investing in the arts is as important as art itself, and increasingly necessary.”
Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for their support of Filamentos.
Filamentos (artes e letras) 