Within the Palabras Mayores program, the MACA hosts a new session of "Encounters with Local Creators," a proposal that seeks to open the museum's doors to the voices that make up the artistic and cultural fabric of our environment.

On this occasion, we welcome Isabel Guiu, poet and curator, who will share with the group her life and creative experience alongside Alicante-based plastic artist Pepo Cantos, of whom she was a companion and principal disseminator of his legacy.

Cantos was a multifaceted, vitalist artist and deeply Mediterranean, with an international trajectory that included Paris, New York, Holland and Latin America. Portraitist, landscape painter, graphic humorist and cultural agitator, he founded workshops, directed galleries, exhibited in public and private institutions, and always maintained a constant search around figurative art and personal expression.

Absences in Spanish Colonial Discourse: Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara with:

Donato Ndongo is one of the reference African writers in the Spanish language, author of countless articles, lectures and stories as well as four novels. As a journalist, he was a delegate of the Efe Agency in Central Africa for a decade and has been a contributor to numerous media outlets. Likewise, he has carried out intense academic activity in various universities and research centers.
Juan Carlos Gimeno is a professor of anthropology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Linked to Saharan issues for more than 20 years, he has conducted fieldwork in Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cuba and Western Sahara.

Coordinated by: Mercedes Jabardo.

When identities are more than one but less than two. Dialogue on Afro-Europeanness:

Josefina Bueno Alonso is a philologist and politician. Professor at the University of Alicante, expert in African and Afro-European literatures.

Remei Sipi. Popularly known as Aunt Remei, is an early childhood educator, writer, editor, lecturer, theater director, researcher and Equatoguinean activist expert in gender and development, noted for her activism in the associative movement of Afro-descendant women and former president of the Federation of Guinean Associations of Catalonia.

Coordinated by: Mercedes Jabardo.

José Antonio Piqueras is a Professor of Contemporary History at Universitat Jaume I and director of the UNESCO Chair on Slavery and Afro-Descendance.

Lydia Delicado Moratalla is a researcher and lecturer in the Department of Human Sciences and Education and Secretary of the Institute for Advanced Social Research I-COMMUNITAS at the Public University of Navarra.

Rita Bosaho was General Director for Equal Treatment and Ethnic-Racial Diversity of the Ministry of Equality of the Government of Spain between 2020-2023.

Cycle coordinated by Mercedes Jabardo.

Licensed in Philosophy and PhD in Social Anthropology, Mercedes is a professor at UMH where she coordinates the doctoral program in "Applied Anthropology in Crisis Contexts" and is also the director of the Official Master's program "New Trends in Social Anthropology. Risk Scenarios and Post-Development Strategies". She researches African immigration to Spain, especially from Senegal, migrations and multiculturalism, the analysis of the sub-Saharan diaspora from a gender perspective, the analysis of economic transformations through migration, development and development cooperation, and Black feminisms.

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On this occasion we will focus on Gustavo Torner, whose artistic production is very broad and diverse, encompassing painting and sculpture, but also graphic work, set design, theater and opera costumes, tapestries, stained glass, public sculpture, interior design and exhibitions.

We propose a new way of relating to the museum with the aim of consolidating and promoting mutual enrichment and an exchange of experiences.

Through these guided visits and actions we want to reflect on concepts and ideas that will emerge throughout the visit, relating the works from the MACA collections to their context, in a transversal way, analyzing current reality and how artists represent their experiences by creating a collective memory through the great diversity of contemporary languages that have emerged in the 20th and 21st centuries.

For inquisitive adults. Led by Explicarte. With the support of the Consorci de Museus de la Generalitat

Exploring the continuity of racial conflict in the Mediterranean. Race, gender, sexuality and violence(s) from the Spanish State with:

Lucia Mbomio is a journalist, writer and anti-racist activist. She is currently a reporter for TVE's program Aquí la tierra and collaborates with the online community for Afro-descendant women "Afroféminas".

Pastora Filigrana is a labor lawyer, trade unionist and feminist activist and advocate for the rights of the Romani people. She was the defender of the struggles of Moroccan women workers in the strawberry fields of Huelva in 2019.

Nogoye Mbati is a sociologist, French teacher, braider, hotel maid, housekeeper, founding member of the association of Senegalese women in Alicante… Nogoye Mbati's life has been made up of different intersections in countries such as Senegal, Spain, Germany and Switzerland.

Cycle coordinated by Mercedes Jabardo.

A graduate in Philosophy and a doctor in Social Anthropology, Mercedes is a professor at the UMH where she coordinates the doctoral program in "Applied Anthropology in Crisis Contexts" and is also the director of the Official Master's program "New Trends in Social Anthropology. Risk Scenarios and Post-development Strategies". She researches African immigration to Spain, especially from Senegal, migrations and multiculturalism, the analysis of the sub-Saharan diaspora from a gender perspective, the analysis of economic transformations through migration, development and development cooperation, and Black feminisms.

The National Colonization Institute (INC) program stimulated Spain's devastated post-war economy through the creation of new irrigation systems. Dams and canals were built that would bring water to three hundred new towns inhabited by settlers, migrants in their own land.

Ana Amado and Andrés Patiño revisit, more than five decades after its completion, an undertaking that transformed the Spanish landscape and the lives of its forgotten protagonists in an integral and planned manner.

Coordinated by: Santiago Varela

In collaboration with: College of Architects of Alicante

A performative concert by CoroDelantal MACA, directed by Sonia Megías, will take an emotional journey through the voice, with soloists Irene Gil and Janet Jackson Tyler Lummer. This journey will depart from 'rare scores', experimental notations created specifically for the choir; passing through the broken loves that popular music brings us, and ending with an anti-capitalist, anti-racist, and anti-slavery denunciation by the hand of invited soloists who will make their songs resonate in the works of Kara Walker's exhibition.

End of the Graphic Music Workshop at the museum. An experimental concert based on scores, algorithms, improvisation and collective creation. Come participate as an audience member!

Mariana Gutiérrez, Natalia Fernández and Héctor Bardisa will perform graphic scores that have been created during these months over six sessions.

The Alicante International Film Festival has announced today the programming for the 3rd edition of the 'Fashion Cinema' section, one of the activities that generates great anticipation among cinema, costume, and fashion enthusiasts. In this edition, the program stands out for including exhibitions, roundtable discussions, and meetings with prominent professionals in the sector, which will allow attendees to delve into the fascinating world of film costume design, an essential component that defines the identity of characters and contributes to the development of stories.

In this edition, the MACA will once again be the venue for this section, which will host all its activities. In this edition, the program will serve as a showcase to explore the legacy and influence of renowned costume designer Paco Delgado, through exhibitions and interactive activities that will allow visitors to learn more about his creative process and his impact on contemporary cinema.

Exhibitions

Within the 'Fashion Cinema' programming, three exhibitions will be held at the MACA. The first of them, titled 'Footprints of Cinema', pays tribute to Paco Delgado and his outstanding work in films such as 'Les Misérables', 'The Danish Girl', and 'Snow White'. This exhibition, which has the collaboration of the Elda Shoe Museum, presents a collection of shoes inspired by his most iconic films, showing how footwear also tells stories on the big screen.

The second exhibition, 'From Screen to Mannequin', includes three dresses inspired by Paco Delgado's creations for the aforementioned films. These dresses, created by Tatiana Furukina, director of the Art Costura school, bring the film characters to life, inviting attendees on a textile journey through the art of storytelling through costume design.

The third exhibition, 'Paco Delgado: The Character's Stroke', allows visitors to delve into the designer's creative process through his sketches. The exhibition, created by students from the IES El Pla Institute, reveals how drawing and color become key elements in the construction of characters and the emotions they convey on screen.

Activities

The 'Fashion Cinema' activities program will begin on Tuesday, May 20 at 6:00 PM with the roundtable discussion 'Dressing Cinema: A Look from Styling, Technique, and the Imprint of Fashion Brands'. This discussion will address film costume design from several perspectives: the work of styling, the technical aspects behind each garment, and the influence of fashion brands on screen. Prominent professionals in the sector will participate, such as Natalia Bengoechea, stylist and fashion project developer; Alejandro Navas, audiovisual costume technician; and José Antonio Molla, founder and CEO of fashion and footwear brands. The roundtable will be moderated by Manuela Laguna, director of the Manela Laguna fashion communications agency.

On Wednesday, May 21 at 6:00 PM, the masterclass 'The Influence of Costume: "The Power of Personal Image"' will be held. In this talk, designer Darsy will explore how costume design can influence the construction of personal image and the way we communicate with the world. The class will address the power of design to tell stories, define identities, and transform perceptions.

On Thursday, May 22 at 6:00 PM, it will be the turn of the roundtable discussion 'Author's Footsteps: Creativity, Industry, and Cinema in the World of Footwear'. This meeting will bring together professionals in shoe design and manufacturing to discuss the role of footwear as a creative object, industrial product, and narrative element in cinema. Speakers will include Vicente Pastor, president of the Ficia Foundation; Carmen García, business development manager at Chie Mihara; and Pepe Amat, creative director of Magrit footwear. The roundtable will be moderated by Andrea Paños, director of the Elda Shoe Museum.

The 'Fashion Cinema' activities will conclude on Friday, May 23 at 5:30 PM with the screening of the film 'The Danish Girl', for which Paco Delgado was nominated for the Academy Award and the BAFTA Award for his costume design. This dramatic film, based on true events, tells the story of Einar and Gerda Wegener, a couple of Danish artists, and Einar's transformation into the woman who would become known as Lili Elbe.

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