The César Manrique Integrated Vocational Training Center (CIFP) of Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrated this Friday a day entitled 'Centenary of the Birth of César Manrique', which included multiple activities with which the management team, students and teachers have paid tribute to the artist who gives name to the educational center.
Among these initiatives, is the decoration of different spaces of the center with the work of César Manrique and, as the highest expression of this idea, a large graffiti mural, of 200 square meters, by the muralist 'Sabotaje al Montaje', which was presented this Friday and which, from now on, will decorate the facade of the building.
The event was attended by the general director of Vocational Training and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education and Universities of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Jorge, as well as the councilor of the Ofra-Costa-Sur District of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Dámaso Arteaga, and the director of the educational center, Jorge Alonso.
A pioneering artist in his conception of the relationship between art and nature
Manuel Jorge congratulated the educational center for this initiative "which contributes to giving visibility to the figure of one of the most important artists of the Canary Islands whose legacy, in addition to his landscape and architectural work, is that of a pioneering artist in his conception of the relationship between art and nature, who promoted an idea of environmental and territorial sustainability, which is still very valid, also, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda".
In this sense, he stressed that "Vocational Training should not be limited only to technical training for students, but should offer a comprehensive training, also linked to culture and, in general, with the community in which we live in order to train people who get involved and contribute to improving the society in which they live, as César Manrique did".
Therefore, he added that "it is essential that our educational centers promote this type of activities that help us to deepen the knowledge about the figure of an artist with a great critical awareness and also with great artistic and environmental proposals of which the island of Lanzarote is a clear example".
Jorge also recalled that the Government of the Canary Islands has also joined the tribute to the figure of César Manrique with the organization of a series of activities related to the commemoration of the centenary of the birth of the artist from Lanzarote with a specific program that includes training, exhibition, dissemination and recognition activities, both in the island and national territory.
Screening of the documentary 'Taro. The echo of Manrique'
After the presentation of the mural, the documentary entitled 'Taro. The echo of Manrique' was screened in the assembly hall of the center, which served to contextualize the subsequent colloquium, moderated by the deputy director of the educational center, Laura Benítez, in which personalities who lived with César Manrique, such as Jerónimo Saavedra, former president of the Government of the Canary Islands and friend of the artist, Alfredo Díaz Gutiérrez, head of the Pedagogical Department of the César Manrique Foundation and José Luis Olcina Alemany, engineer and friend of Manrique, took part.
Thus, students and teachers have had another opportunity to ask and learn more about the work, the person and the struggle of the conejero artist. All this, enlivened with a musical performance by the rapper Jennifer Regalado, who presented an unpublished theme inspired by the artist.
Also, a time-lapse video was presented with the creation process of the mural that decorates the center and a contest about Manrique was also held.
