Faced with the option of permanent conflict and a general proposal that is almost non-existent at the national level; he City Ministry of Culture The experience of more than a decade of management marked in his favor. First-hand knowledge of the demands that Buenos Aires places on its governments, in terms of public activity, in museums, theaters, festivals and all kinds of massive events.
“Porteños do not care whether they consume culture or not, it is in their DNA, regardless of their social stratum; “He lives in a city with a cultural offer of which he is part and that offer is no exception, it is his daily life,” he describes. Gabriela Ricardes, Minister of Culture of the City for a year.
Unlike those who previously held the same position, Ricardes has extensive experience in the public function of Culture, since the times when Macri was head of government: she was director of the San Martín Cultural Center and the Buenos Aires Theater Complex; Secretary of Public Content with Macri in the presidency and under the orders of Hernán Lombardi and was in charge of the Buenos Aires Polo Circo initiative.
When asked about the differences with the national Ministry of Culture, he marks an objective distance based on experience, but he clearly distances himself from the management of Horacio Rodríguez Larreta. The resident of Buenos Aires, he says, should be the only beneficiary of the City’s cultural investment; while he attributes the mistakes of the management of his minister, Enrique Avogadro, to the presidential desire of the former head of government. “After a year, I think our great achievement was getting the ministry up and running. And with a single project: reach citizens with quality shows. It was a year of putting many things in order and very active in terms of the number of things that were done,” he explains.
In dialogue with NOTICIAS, the minister took stock of the first 12 months in her position and anticipated what is coming for next year.
NEWS: Are you satisfied with this first year of management?
Gabriela Ricardes: In fact, we exceeded expectations quite a bit. The change was rapid. The implementation of the policy was done in record time. The public responded very quickly, which made us understand that we were in good harmony with what we believed was needed. This year we sow a way of understanding culture in the City of Buenos Airesas global cultural capital.
NEWS: How was the coexistence with the Ministry of Culture of the national government and the conflicts it raised towards the different sectors of cultural activity?
Ricardos: The national government has a different situation than the City government. We come from 16 years of organizing cultural programs and investment in culture. We are not at the same point as the national government that encountered other chaos in the area. So having reached zero deficit this year, understanding that our institutions are strengthened, we were able to approach management in a totally different way. We understand that they are doing their job, their commitment, their evaluation and their enhancement. Yes, it was a year of great turbulence in which we, fortunately, were able to make a difference that has to do with the fact that we have been governing for a long time, with the accounts in order and with a vision from the Head of Government who clearly said: “the “Culture is an investment, not an expense.”
NEWS: What do you expect from Julio Bocca’s management at the Teatro Colón?
Ricardos: Julio represents what all Argentinians are capable of doing.
Where merit, effort, bonhomie, good faith, hard work can lead any Argentine to maximum talent. I think your experience also contributes a lot. We don’t have to invent the wheel, there are many organisms in the world that function virtuously. We are not the exception all the time. We can be the rule in many cases and we want to return to quality training of artists. May every time the curtain opens, you can see the best that each of our stable bodies is capable of doing.
NEWS: Buenos Aires has very diverse audiences in cultural matters, from the most specialized to the most popular. How do you ensure that these universes have representation in the ministry’s proposals?
Ricardos: In principle, there is nothing more popular than quality and this is something that guides all of our management. Quality and excellence are always popular. Of course, the city is heterogeneous, with multiple interests and we try to ensure that they are always represented in all our stakeholders. If there is something that the private sector does better than us, we make alliances to reach the greatest number of people. Another of our policies is that each of the spaces can have mixed audiences. Beyond the fact that one goes to look for something at the San Martín or the Recoleta Cultural Center or the Usina del Arte, they have to be spaces of discovery that can surprise you and open your mind to new experiences, new sensations, new tastes. That is our mission: to promote talent, awaken vocations and, above all, improve the quality of life of citizens.
NEWS: From the sectors that work in culture, cultural policies that privilege what is seen and give electoral returns are always criticized. How do you respond to that reproach?
Ricardos: Working well means working at all levels. The citizen sees the last mile, but for that we have to work a lot beforehand. We do a lot of work inside the environment, inside the training, inside the buildings to maintain and sustain them, inside the digital infrastructure. It is a job that is often not seen.
NEWS: What are the programs you carry out in needy neighborhoods?
Ricardos: We continue with the Cultural Program in Neighborhoods, which turned 40 years old, like democracy. We paid a nice tribute for the anniversary by inviting Pacho O’Donnell, who was its creator, as the first Secretary of Culture of democracy.
It is a plan that changes the emphases and the spaces where it is developed. The great promotion program of the City of Buenos Aires is Patronage. Buenos Aires is a pioneer in the Patronage Law and has special weighting for all those projects that are developed in spaces where there are fewer cultural effectors or where there is less cultural offer. The same with Prodanza, Proteatro, Buenos Aires Milonga, Proetrabajores, all the funds transfer lines. We always ensure that there is good equity in this distribution. We must try to make sure that all citizens know that this exists; regardless of whether it is close or not. The important thing is that you know how to get there and that it is at your disposal.
NEWS: What are we going to see again in the next year?
Ricardos: We have 26 works that are currently being carried out for the care of the heritage and the proper functioning of the activities. One of them is in Sívori Museumwhich opens very soon with an exhibition by María Martorell. As a great project we will have the enhancement of the San Martín Cultural Center, to be able to not only restore that iconic building by Mario Roberto Álvarez and recover many of its rooms; but also to radiate to that area of what I call the “off Corrientes”. We are going to have a huge celebration for the 100 years of the stable bodies of the Colon Theaterwith wonderful programming. They are going to go out to work in other spaces and resume a touring schedule that is very important for the Teatro Colón. The La Prensa building, headquarters of the Ministrybegan a restoration that has three stages. The first stage ends in March. So, starting in April we will have a cultural center here, in the historic center of the city of Buenos Aires. Next year we have a year dedicated to Gardel 90 years after his death. Buenos Aires has been awarded as Plaza Mayor of Ibero-American Culture by the union of Ibero-American capital cities. We are going to give special emphasis to Ibero-American programming. We have a lot of programming that is starting to be exported.
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