IIC Keck Award 2024 Winner
We are delighted to announce the Centro TAREA and Escuela de Arte y Patrimonio, National University of San Martin as well as the Ministry of Culture of the Nation and Municipality of 25 de Mayo, Buenes Aires, Argentina on being selected as the winner of the IIC 2024 Keck Award with, ' Santiago Maldonado Murals: Memory Preservation and Community Participation in a Collective Project'.
The success of this project emphasises the skills and collaborative attitudes needed to preserve heritage across a multitude of audiences. The success of this initiative has created a major and lasting impact, increasing the awareness of conservation and education of managing heritage within Argentina.
About the project
Although street art is often seen as ephemeral, it has recently begun to be recognised as cultural heritage and, in many instances, a valuable asset worth preserving. The TAREA Centre, supported by the Ministry of Culture of Argentina , was approached by the community of 25 de Mayo in Buenes Aires to preserve the urban murals of Santiago Maldonado. Maldonado was an artist deeply connected with the community and the fight for the ancestral rights of indigenous peoples. His legacy has had both national and international significance, especially after his tragic death in 2017 during the eviction of the Mapuche community in the Chubut province of Argentine Patagonia. TAREA led the project, coordinating various tasks and fostering spaces for interaction, reflection, and consensus among Maldonado's family, local residents, and authorities. Throughout this process, all stakeholders contributed to promoting a wide range of educational and cultural activities.
The intersection of art, conservation, and community engagement transformed this initiative into an educational project for all participants. The project culminated in the development of diverse strategies to mitigate alterations and restore the visibility of the murals, which are considered important remnants of Santiago Maldonado's impact and legacy.
Image Courtesy of Centro TAREA