The Educational Service of the coliseum is launching a 10-month project, offering free artistic workshops, cultural visits, sharing spaces, and a community choir open to people of all ages.
The workshops and community choir will be held at the coliseum’s facilities, according to a source from the cultural center.
The organizers aim to enlist 300 participants for quarterly activities including music, theater, dance/movement, drawing/painting, creative writing, philosophical ‘podcast’, photography, and video workshops.
Coordinated by a team of artists and educators, the initiative seeks to combat growing isolation in the historical center, foster a sense of community, promote access to culture and the arts, and exchange knowledge, valuing the input participants bring to the project, the press release states.
The project will conclude in July 2026 with a festival intended to present ‘Alquimia’ to the city.
Participation is free, and registrations are available online on the project’s dedicated website.
A source from the coliseum mentioned efforts to engage people through visits to senior universities and social centers, noting the challenge of finding senior residents in the historical center.
An important aspect of the project, highlighted by the source, is an independent team’s assessment of the participants’ mental health impact, aiming to evaluate how culture can help combat isolation and promote well-being.
‘Alquimia’ is co-financed by the NORTE 2030 Regional Program, with support from Banco BPI, ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, António Oliveira Foundation, and the Union of Parishes of the Historic Center of Porto.
