Oviedo 2031 brings together teachers and cultural organisations in its first participation roundtable dedicated to education and culture

The School of Art of Oviedo hosted on Monday the first of four participation roundtables organised by Oviedo’s bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2031. The session, focused on education and culture, brought together teachers, representatives of educational centres, cultural mediators and artistic organisations from different parts of Asturias.

This roundtable is part of the listening and participation process promoted by Oviedo 2031 to incorporate new contributions into the second bid book. During the session, participants worked on the challenges, criteria and opportunities that can help build a more inclusive proposal, closely connected to the educational, cultural and social reality of Asturias.

The roundtable brought together profiles linked to Primary and Secondary schools, cultural mediation projects, artistic creation and citizen participation. Among the participating organisations were initiatives such as Arte en Red, the collective behind the Asturias School Contemporary Art Exhibition, and Cuéntame un Cuadro, a project dedicated to bringing art and culture closer to diverse audiences.

Throughout the session, participants addressed the importance of strengthening the presence of arts education within the bid, facilitating the circulation of cultural projects across the territory and supporting initiatives that already exist in Asturias and can contribute to the spirit of Oviedo 2031.

The session made it possible to gather contributions on the role of culture as a tool for social cohesion, shared learning and transformation. Participants agreed on the need to build an open and plural bid, capable of listening to those who work every day in classrooms, neighbourhoods, associations and cultural mediation spaces.

This first roundtable opens a cycle of four meetings. The next sessions will focus on accessibility and care, diversity and non-discrimination, and territory and community.

Through these participation roundtables, Oviedo 2031 continues to move forward in building a shared bid, rooted in Asturias and designed to bring together voices, experiences and projects on the path towards becoming European Capital of Culture.