The MiratecArts association has over 700 members across the nine islands of the Azores. From crafts to fine arts, classical music to contemporary performance, literature to cinema, painting to photography, the miratecarts.com network is a platform that encourages inter-island and multidisciplinary synergy.

The thirteenth edition of the Azores Fringe Festival provided an opportunity for contributors to showcase their original work “Made in Azores.” Several products created on the islands were selected to be judged by an international jury, with the aim of one of the ideas being put into production and joining the promotion program, “From the Azores to the World.”

The sculptor Catarina Alves, from São Miguel, with her jewelry design project “Pedras de Lava” (Lava Stones), was the winner, thus gaining a promotional boost for her work. In 2009, Catarina Alves began exploring handmade jewelry, seeking to develop her own design style inspired by the nature and craftsmanship of the Azores, combining sculpture with jewelry, sustainably using local materials, adding value and meaning to each piece created, with a sense of ethics, respect, authenticity, and innovation, aiming to spread a piece of Azorean nature around the world.

She presented her collection Sobejos de Ilha, ou Retalho Distintos (Island Leftovers, or Distinct Scraps). “Inspired by traditional patchwork quilts, it reflects on the idea of individuality through the exploration of materials, sometimes weak, sometimes strong, sometimes cold, sometimes warm, sometimes fragile, sometimes vigorous, just like me, just like you, composed of different materials in search of balance,” is how Catarina Alves describes her work.

“Pedras de Lava” designer jewelry joins the MiratecArts program “From the Azores to the World,” which includes the musical concert ‘SOLO9VIOLA’ by Evandro Meneses, the film “First Date” by Luís FIlipe Borges, “Sorrisos de Pedra” by Helena Amaral, and the children’s literature project, “Néveda Ent.” MiratecArts’ “From the Azores to the World” program is supported by the Regional Directorate for Tourism.

From MiratecArts Press Release

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 Publications at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for their support.