espais c. Artistic creation in public primary schools
Spaces for artistic creation in primary schools
espais c [spaces c] is a program aimed at public primary schools in Barcelona. It is based on connecting artists or collectives within and with the school. The artists undertake a one- or two-year residency at the school, which also provides the creators with a space (preferably a studio or workshop) where their residency takes place.
Since its launch in the 2015-2016 academic year, spaces c project has involved 16 schools, 41 artists and 6 mediation teams, establishing itself as a benchmark program at the intersection of education and contemporary creation.
espais c is a program of the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona and the Consorci d’Educació de Barcelona created jointly with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Since 2021, the program has been coordinated by EART.
The participating educational centers are selected through the Unified Call for Programs and Training (CUPC), promoted by the Consorci d’Educació de Barcelona.
In the 2026-2027 edition, the mediation network formed by the Museu Tàpies, the Fundació Suñol, HANGAR. Center for Artistic Production and Research, and the Centre d’Art La Capella is consolidated, and L’Automàtica joins for the first time. These teams select the artists, support the development of the processes, and strengthen the relationship between each school and the city’s creative spaces. This year, the Museu Tàpies is mediating espais c at the Miralletes School and the artist Martina Manyà. The espais c program lasts for one academic year and can be extended to two. This will be Martina Manyà’s second year at the Miralletes School.
The espais c project was born in the spirit of the Room13 International project, an idea implemented in 1994 at Caol Primary School in Scotland. In Barcelona, the first phase of the espais c project (2015-2020) had its own characteristics, but it approached art in schools in a similar way: by creating a free art studio coordinated by the school children in collaboration with the resident artist. The new phase of espais c began during the 2021-2022 academic year, launching a new format that emphasizes the links between educational centers and art centers and creative spaces.
Editions:
-Courses 2021-2022 and 2022-2023: espais c located in the Institut Escola Eixample with the artist Regina Giménez.
-Courses 2023-2024 and 2024-2025: espais c located in the Escola Dolors-Monserdà Santapau with the artists Gonzalo Elvira and Anita García.
-Courses 2025-2026 and 2026-2027: espais c located in the Miralletes School (El Campo del Arpa del Clot, Sant Martí) with Martina Manyà Vintró
