EDP Foundation’s “Arte Público” arts project, aimed at students of arts, design and architecture, is focused on promoting social inclusion through art and the integration of the community of Ribera de Arriba, in Asturias. The EDP Foundation has revealed the chosen concepts during the first edition of Arte Público, among a total of 33 received proposals, exhibited by 59 students from 21 Spanish universities.

The elected projects have been shown today in a virtual event with the participation of Melania Álvarez García, advisor of Social Rights and Welfare of the Principality of Asturias; Berta Piñán Suárez, Cultural Advisor, as well as of Llinguistic Politics and Turism; Tomás Manuel Fernández Muñiz, mayor of Ribera de Arriba; Joaquín Vaquero Ibáñez, architect and president of the jury; and Manuel Menéndez Menéndez, president of the EDP Foundation.

As for the three courses of action the students have submitted their applications to, these consist of expanding the Social Centre of La Viesca to turn it into a focal point of interaction and services for the community; integrating an open environment for all residents of Barrio de la Llosa; or reworking the green areas of the Prieto mansion in Bueño to turn it into a multi-purpose cultural space.

The name of the winning project for the expansion of the Social Centre of La Viesca is “Caudal” (Flow), developed by Antonio Santana de Miguel and Paula Gallego Vicente, both students at the University of Valladolid. The submission selected for the social-urbanistic intervention at Barrio de la Llosa is called “50 x 50: La plaza fragmentada” (50 x 50: a fragmented square), an initiative thought up by Pablo Guardia Hermida and Arturo Moreno Latorre, from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. As for the remaining initiative, the new cultural installations at Bueño, Diego Catena Nieto, Claudia Gadea Milián, Jorge María Abad Martínez and Marta Molins Laín, from the University of Zaragoza, have come up with “CAB – Central Artística de Bueño” (BAC – Bueño’s Artistic Centre). Furthermore, the jury has elected two more projects as honorary mentions: “Páxara”, of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and “Nova Estrada”, of the University of Granada.

Regarding acknowledgments, each proposal will be granted 14,000 euros.

The jury that was tasked with choosing the winning projects was composed of experts in and across each area, of interdisciplinary profiles and perfectly aligned with the values of the contest. The president of the jury, architect Joaquín Vaquero Ibáñez, stablished the following criteria for the development of the submissions: economically viable interventions combining beauty and pragmatism, innovative and sustainable, and adapted to the social and urban environments.  

EDP Foundation’s president, Manuel Menéndez Menéndez, has pointed out during his speech this first edition of Arte Público 2020, that “choosing was a difficult task as students of arts, architecture and design in our country treasure great talents and their initiatives had great quality.” Furthermore, he wanted to remind us that art is crucial for our development as people, and for any society to move forward.
 

Among members of the jury we find Laura Gutiérrez, director of the Arts School of Oviedo; Karin Ohlenschläger, director of La LABoral; Alfonso Palacio, Director of the Fine Arts Museum of Asturas; Carlos Coronas, artist; Carlos Cuadros, general director of the International Cultural Centre Oscar Niemeyer; Irma Álvarez-Laviada, artista; Lydia Santamarina Pedregal, director of the Barjola Museum of Gijón; María José Baragaño, who is both responsible for the Plastic Arts Exhibition of the Principality of Asturas and director of Sala Borrón in Oviedo; María Valle, architect of the Valle Architecture Study; Sonia Puente Landázuri, urbanistic architect and Virginia López, artist.

This initiative shall remain active in the Asturian community of Ribera de Arriba during the next three years and is one of many actions the EDP Foundation promotes in areas where they carry out their agenda, promoting innovative, sustainable projects in these towns and aiding in the development of young people and their creativity.
 

You can find more information about the “Arte Público 2020” contest at fundacionedp.es/es/artepublico