Social retribution: exposing local communities to contemporary art

Andrés Maduro is the co-founder of the residency program Conexión Drácula and owner of the botanic garden Finca Drácula named after the jewel of this Orchids collection, the Dracula Orchid.

Conexión Drácula is an annual program organized each year around a thematic and that gathers a group of artists from various disciplines, as well as botanists and scientists. Taking advantage of bringing creative minds, and as the botanic garden is located up north of Panama and about seven hours away from the capital city, the founders rapidly understood the importance for the local community to interact with these contemporary artists. “When the artist is selected to participate in the residency, it is explained to them that there is a part of community workshops and that it is totally voluntary if they want to do it. But we have found that many of the artists like to do this and already come with ideas,” explains Andrés Maduro.

To organize this encounters between artists and the communities, artists form teams of interest at the beginning of the residence to create community-oriented activities that will be communicated to the locals later on. “There have been several types of workshops, not only plastic arts workshops, but also literature workshops, corporal expression workshops, photography workshops with the children. And the workshops are for all ages, from mothers to children {…} It is the contribution that the artists make to inspire the people,” adds the founder.

These activities are exposing the locals to contemporary arts, thus participating in the decentralization of culture towards the most isolated populations. “When the artists finish their works, be it visual arts or performing arts, we open the farm to the community so that they can enter, free of charge, and see the works, talk to the artists and ask them what they did, why they did it. And for them, it is something that makes an impression,” confides Andrés Maduro.

Among the numerous activities organized around the residents, a performing art presentation encountered a wild success, becoming a contemporary opera with numerous crowded representations. "And everyone was impressed. In the scenes where the Dracula orchid appeared, some people were afraid of the one in the presentation, and it made an impact on people! {…} it's an experience they will take with them for the rest of their lives,” concludes Andrés Maduro.