Sacatar, a story of art and resistance

Instituto Sacatar is an art residency initiated in 2001 on the island of Itaparica, Brazil. The program was created by Taylor Van Horne and Mitch Loch.

The two Americans initially wanted to set up their project in California, in the mountainous region of Sacatar. “But, they realized that there was no residency program in Brazil at the time, so they decided to bring this initiative here,” explains Augusto Albuquerque, administrative manager of Instituto Sacatar.

And as a result of the implantation of the residency, others took it as a model to elaborate initiatives throughout the country and abroad. “I think that this primacy served as an example and as a stimulus for other people, for other artists, many former residents, to start residency programs in their places,” indicates the manager.

The particularity of Instituto Sacatar is its way to treat all of its residents as professional artists and as an essential part of our society. “I believe that the way the Sacatar program is presented gives the artist a level of respect and consideration in which the artist's work is taken seriously. The artist is regarded, he is understood, and he is respected as a worker. Sacatar was created exactly because it considers the artist as a special person,” confides Augusto Albuquerque.

At Sacatar, artists are seen as a communication tool for the transformation of our world, and they do think that artists need spaces to work on their creativity, and where they are able to think, live, eat, get inspiration, and create as a professional. “Every initiative that embraces art, that embraces culture, that stimulates critical thinking, that stimulates reflection, has a fundamental role in Brazil and in the world, {…} artistic residencies and any person, not only institutions, but any person who makes his home, who makes his Facebook page, who makes his word, his conversation a trench, a place of resistance, I think all these initiatives are welcome in the world. We need them,” concludes Augusto Albuquerque.