The ConectArt-e project aims to create a network among local stakeholders and promote socio-economic innovation in rural areas through art.
The UOC, the Mancomunidad de la Taula del Sénia, Xarxaprod, and Jaume I University, along with many other organizations, have joined forces to strengthen and empower the local population through cultural activities.
The land of Sénia is a rural enclave in the area of the Sénia River, a natural space that serves as a bridge between Catalonia and Valencia. This area, encompassing twenty-seven municipalities, is one of the focal points of the ConectArt-e project, which aims to create a synergy between cultural and artistic creation and regenerative tourism. The project, funded by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, seeks to boost the dynamism of this region by connecting tourism with cultural and artistic activities.
Various organizations linked to the territory are participating, including the Mancomunidad de la Taula del Sénia, the Network of Production and Creation Spaces of Catalonia (Xarxaprod), Jaume I University, and the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), through the UOC Rural Network and the UOC delegation in the Terres de l’Ebre, among many others.
On April 11, the first working session was held at the SmartCentre in Santa Bárbara (Tarragona), with the participation of all the involved stakeholders. During the session, a co-creation activity was conducted to identify and share the challenges and opportunities seen in ConectArt-e. Attendees included representatives from the Museum of Pauma in Mas de Barberans, the Musical Conferences at the Ermita de la Pietat in Ulldecona, Explora Maestrat in Peñíscola, the municipalities of Sant Jordi, Godall, Freginals, and Santa Bárbara, the Casa del Artista in Sénia, the Tourism Office of Terres de l’Ebre, the Cultura Terres de l’Ebre Collective, the Montsià Regional Council, the Art and Culture School in Tortosa, and companies such as Conficon, Viajes Némon, and Produccions Cultura Viva.
The next step will be to analyze the ideas shared during the session. Soon, another co-creation workshop will take place, focusing on designing a “toolbox” to launch activities related to culture, art, and regenerative tourism in the rural areas of the Sénia region. The ultimate goal is to regenerate the territory through sustainability and citizen empowerment.
A tourism model that supports and empowers citizens
Teresa Adell, manager of the Mancomunidad de la Taula del Sénia, highlights that “different perspectives and visions converge on the need to create spaces for exchange and networks of collaboration to promote local culture, artistic creation, and the development of a tourism model that directly benefits the local population.” The way to achieve this development is by creating a network of agents that connect artistic, cultural, and tourism activities, with the goal of establishing a regenerative tourism itinerary across the various municipalities in the Sénia region. The project seeks to raise awareness about the heritage and values of the rural world, as well as to strengthen local culture and promote socio-economic innovation, encouraging new narratives about contemporary rural life.
“The UOC’s commitment to the territory is reflected in its contribution of knowledge and the promotion of a collaborative network among cultural, artistic, and tourism agents, aiming to create a tourism product that integrates these crossroads regions,” explains Teresa Nielles, UOC delegate in the Terres de l’Ebre.
Soledad Morales, academic coordinator of the Xarxa UOC Rural, states, “ConectArt-e is a strong example of the kind of knowledge we aim to foster through the Xarxa UOC Rural. Its goal is to positively contribute to the development of a rural area, the Taula del Sénia, through the intersection of regenerative tourism—clearly focused on generating beneficial processes for the local population and the hosting territory—with culture and artistic creation as key pillars.”
Laia Casanova, manager of Xarxaprod, a network of creation and production spaces in Catalonia, notes that “the region has significant potential, as well as a great wealth of natural parks and historical heritage, both tangible and intangible.” However, according to Casanova, there is “a widespread lack of self-esteem and a sense of abandonment by the administrations.”
Through the ConectArt-e project, a network is being developed that, by integrating culture, art, and regenerative tourism, will contribute to the socio-economic dynamism of the area and foster the creation of new narratives around rurality and its values.