Cena Minas Award expands access to art.
Resources totaling R$ 1,34 million will be invested in 45 projects in the areas of circus, dance, and theater, most of which will be located in inland cities.
Minas Agency - Dance and theater companies, circus groups, production companies and artists who stand out in Minas Gerais were benefited with resources of R$ 1,34 million this Thursday (28). The amount will be invested in 45 projects from Belo Horizonte and the interior, approved in a call for proposals from the State Secretariat of Culture (SEC).
The Minas Gerais State Performing Arts Award – Cena Minas – was presented by Governor Antonio Anastasia to the recipients of this fifth edition, at the Administrative City in Belo Horizonte.
Created in 2007, Cena Minas has already supported 181 projects and invested R$ 5,5 million throughout the state. Its objective is to encourage and strengthen theatrical expressions, ensuring the maintenance of spaces and fostering audience development through increased access to art.
The Cena Minas Award is granted annually by the Government of Minas Gerais and provides better working conditions for artists, stimulates research into artistic languages, and promotes the exchange of information, in addition to benefiting the population of various regions of the state. It also contributes to audience development, especially for children and young people, and facilitates access to knowledge and quality artistic productions.
The projects included in three categories (Maintenance of Scenic Spaces, Circulation of Scenic Performances, and Acquisition of Equipment and Materials) receive resources to maintain cultural spaces, amounts corresponding to ticket sales for students and teachers from public schools, and the acquisition and renewal of equipment and circus tents.
Interiorization on the rise
This fifth edition, launched in 2012, awarded 20 projects from the capital and 25 from the interior of Minas Gerais, with 15 in the circus arts, 15 in dance, and 15 in theater. There was also a 138% increase in project submissions compared to 2011, with 201 currently compared to 84 in the previous edition.
According to the Department of Culture, the growth is due to changes requested by representatives of artists, entities, and performing arts groups during the Permanent Evaluation Forum, aimed at reducing bureaucracy and increasing access to the call for proposals.
Among the changes are a 20% increase in the total prize money, opening registration to individuals, including Circus among the categories, equalizing the amount allocated to the three areas (theater, dance and circus), defining a fixed amount per category, renegotiating the counterpart contribution, and unifying the registration form.
In 2012, the government promoted the reading of public notices in ten cities, which also contributed to the increase in registrations, as it is an important form of dissemination and guidance. Cena Minas is carried out in partnership with the Instituto Sérgio Magnani, made possible by the Federal Law for Cultural Incentive, and is sponsored by Copasa.