The role of civil society in the preservation of cultural heritage in rural settings, a debate

The ties between society and cultural heritage represent a potential factor for social cohesion, and this human dimension plays a key role in protecting heritage. This is one of baseline premises of the online seminar “La sociedad civil en la conservación del patrimonio cultural en el medio rural” (Civil society in the preservation of cultural heritage in rural settings) organized by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport on October 26 and 27, in which Territorio Mudéjar took part.

The seminar entailed a collective reflection on the importance of cultural associations created by civil society for the preservation of heritage in rural settings. Courses of action and management instruments focusing on safeguarding cultural heritage in rural settings were outlined during the seminar. The participants also shared examples of good practices applied to regions and heritage sites with great cultural value, so as to generate a sense of belonging among the inhabitants through this attention and even help to create jobs and improve social and economic management.

The seminar was kicked off by Dolores Jiménez Blanco, director general of Fine Arts, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, deputy director general of the IPC. Lectures were also given by Mikel Landa (ICOMOS), María Pía Timón and Elena Agromayor (IPCE), Sergio Pérez Martín (program for the recovery and educational use of abandoned villages in Granadilla, Extremadura), Manuel García Félix (FEMP Committee for Historical and Cultural Heritage), Francisco Mestre (Federación de los pueblos más bonitos de España, the federation of the most beautiful villages in Spain), Vicente Carvajal (Asociación Cluny Ibérica and Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País, León), Araceli Pereda (Hispania Nostra), Antonio Berenguer (Campanero), María Concepción Benítez (heritage expert for the District of Sobrarbe and for Sobrarbe-Pirineos UNESCO Global Geopark), José Manuel Rodríguez Montañés (Asociación de Municipios del Camino de Santiago, the association of municipalities along the Way of St. James) and Aniceto Delgado Méndez (IAPH).

Furthermore, Territorio Mudéjar will also be participating in the online course “Guía para planes de conservación preventiva” (Guide to preventive conservation plans) by the IPCE (Cultural Heritage Institute of Spain), which proposes a framework for generating standardized procedures to which quality control rules can be applied.

Territorio Mudéjar will use this training to contribute to knowledge-building that can help our member towns identify and analyze cultural asset conservation issues in order to subsequently advise them on the implementation of procedures that address these issues.

▫️

The first students in the 2020 Challenge Program reach Territorio Mudéjar

The first students in the Challenge Program, which is funded by the DPZ and organized by the University of Zaragoza, are now at Territorio Mudéjar, learning and implementing applied cultural heritage management models. This is the third edition of this initiative, which enables university students to do internships in towns in the province of Zaragoza in order to encourage young people with good ideas come to – and stay – in rural settings.

“By showing students how we work with the heritage in these towns, we pave the way for them to choose how they want to focus their careers in the future, and we hope that this future is closely related to our region,” explains Victoria Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar.

The group of Art History students participating in the Challenge Program –María Foradada, María Domínguez, Elena López and Sarai Salvo- have been living in Tobed, the town where the entity’s offices are located, since early August, learning about the working system there. They are joined by Eugenia Gallego, María Irazabal and Derry Holgado, working remotely.

The program’s first phase consists in an introduction to the entity and its working methods, familiarizing the students with the networking system and the partners involved: city councils, culture officials and individuals in charge of cultural and heritage dissemination programs, combining classroom learning with fieldwork. In addition, the students are being trained in the cultural heritage management project methodology by professionals in diverse disciplines such as project design and assessment, awareness of the applied management models implemented in our region, and in the fields of project dissemination management and communication.

The Challenge Program – now in its third edition – is aligned with Territorio Mudéjar’s strategic aim of fostering for-credit and training internships and professionalizing job profiles linked to heritage in order to boost employment in rural settings, attract professionals and develop projects that entail conservation of our heritage and investments in our towns as a distinguishing feature.

How is Territorio Mudéjar unique? It is a part of the rural setting, working with a network of 34 municipalities and numerous cross-disciplinary professionals, bolstered by the international renown afforded through the declaration of three monuments pertaining to the member towns as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Additionally, it is committed to professionalism, scientific rigor, innovation and sustainability, while also ensuring that the inhabitants of the towns are inextricably involved in the projects.

5 fieldwork grants and one second prize awarded for the study, management of resources and development of projects in the member towns

Territorio Mudéjar, the network of 34 municipalities created by the Provincial Government of Zaragoza that aims to conserve and promote Mudejar art in the province, has awarded 5 fieldwork grants and one second prize for the study, development of projects and management of natural and heritage resources in its member towns.

This is the second round of grants awarded under the project bearing the name of Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis, as a tribute to the distinguished professor and Mudejar scholar. Each award consists of EUR 6,000, to be used for the development of research projects that are responsible, sustainable and innovative, have a direct impact on rural settings, foster their visibility and raise awareness about the area.

This year’s proposals were particularly outstanding, consisting of cross-disciplinary research teams from diverse Spanish and Italian institutions, with guidance from renowned experts. Under the selected proposals, projects will be developed in fields such as the restoration of construction materials like Mudejar plaster work, the conservation of traditional architecture, designing tours that combine agricultural cycles and Mudejar heritage, the creation of a Territorio Mudéjar podcast channel, a guide about historical carpentry in our towns and the study of new cultural management models for Mudejar civil architecture.

The aim of these grants is to promote awareness about the rural setting through its Mudejar identity by creating innovative perspectives that have a positive impact on the towns and foster networking about the possibilities arising from the region’s resources and from collaborative, cross-disciplinary work. In addition, they specifically aim to enhance knowledge about the Mudejar as World Heritage and about the benefits it affords as an international brand recognized by the UNESCO.

The selected projects are categorized into five lines of research: new perspectives on Mudejar art, Territorio Mudéjar and cultural landscape, management of cultural heritage, communication and dissemination of Mudejar heritage and Mudejar heritage and its role in society as a key element for regional development.

The projects one by one

1-“Mudejar plaster work, symbol of identity, knowledge and opportunities for the future”.

Traditional plaster work plays a key role in Mudejar architecture, used in both monumental and vernacular architecture, but it is also largely unknown, given that it is often incorrectly identified and confused with lime-based materials. In the 2019 fieldwork grant, architect Pedro Bel comprehensively documented the traditional plaster manufacturing process in 16 municipalities and drew attention to the obstacles involved in restoring plaster structures due to the lack of compatible materials. During the 2020 fieldwork grant, he is seeking solutions to the limitations for conservation of traditional plaster work with some ambitious goals: better understanding the material, raising awareness about its role in traditional Aragonese architecture and developing plaster that can be manufactured today in order to preserve the legacy handed down. Thus, he intends to reactivate quarries and find materials that are compatible with Mudejar plaster for restoration and renovation purposes, in order to re-introduce it in contemporary architecture.

There is a strong team of researchers behind this project, from the universities of Zaragoza, Granada, Malaga and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, as well as top rate consultants such as Ramón Rubio Domene, head of the plaster work and tile workshop of the Alhambra Trust, and Antonio Almagro Gorbea, scholar from the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

2-“Vernacular architecture in Mudejar villages: tools and networking for adaptive re-use and compatible intervention”.

In addition to their important monuments in terms of history and art, the Territorio Mudéjar towns also have simpler architecture that is, however, of great social and ethnological value, integrated into the environment and reflecting the cultural identity of the area. Proper preservation and spotlighting of this traditional architecture may be a launch pad for economic regeneration based on the use of these heritage spaces by private individuals in order to make historical villages more attractive and competitive. In this regard, a balance must be sought between preservation of architectural heritage and socio-economic development.

Javier Gómez Patrocinio, who holds a PhD in architecture from the University of Valencia, studied construction techniques and the prevailing dynamics of intervention in Territorio Mudéjar during his 2019 fieldwork grant. Now, he is progressing with the project and aims to design and implement tools to raise awareness among local communities about the value of vernacular architecture and the importance of preserving it, in order to help developers make renovations of traditional buildings more compatible.

More info:
www.estancias2020mudetrad.territoriomudejar.es/

3-“Mudejar heritage and agricultural cycles: The poetry of the landscape. Designing and scheduling pilot experiences for tours in different seasons”.

Agricultural heritage, as a cultural asset to be understood in a manner similar to intangible heritage, is an identifying feature and a unique, irreplaceable element of the surrounding landscape. With this fieldwork grant, art historians Juan Ignacio Santos Rodríguez and Elvira del Pilar Domínguez Castro will assess the level of representativeness and the types of this heritage in existence, as well as defining them and assessing their capacity to generate new heritage resources linked to the agricultural cycles and to Mudejar heritage. The aim is to come up with a schedule of activities that combine agricultural heritage and Mudejar architecture, rooted precisely in this landscape, linked to the agricultural cycles.

Pilot test routes are also included for the purpose of demonstrating the undeniable and unique symbiosis that the earth, farming production and materials found in the surroundings have with Mudejar architecture and decoration, in addition to strengthening the emotional bond of the inhabitants to their land, farming industry and products.

4-“Muros Loqui. The walls speak. A podcast for giving the region a voice”.

This communication project consists in creating a podcast channel for Territorio Mudéjar, to encourage and complement visits to the monuments in our towns. Travelers can listen to these podcasts via mobile technology at any time of the day or week, thus meeting the needs of small-scale sustainable tourism.

The podcast content does not replace the experience of visiting the relevant monument, which should always be explained on site by a specialist, but rather complements the visit with proposed routes in the surrounding area, to encourage visits to other towns, and provides additional information about the town as a supplement to existing tours and suggested activities available in the area. The project will also help consolidate the idea of Mudejar culture beyond the monuments themselves. This proposal will be developed by a team made up of Gianluca Vita (Polytechnic of Milan), Irene Ruiz (Polytechnic of Turin and University of Zaragoza) and Marco Marcellini, expert in new technology.

More info:
www.territoriomudejar.es/podcast/

5-“Mudejar wood. Guide to historical carpentry in the towns of Territorio Mudéjar”.

This fieldwork grant falls within the category of New perspectives on Mudejar art, aiming to bolster awareness about and appreciation for all forms of Mudejar art expressed in wood: ceilings (alfarje structures and ridge trusses), windows, doors, eaves, choirs, organ platforms, choir stalls, carillons, etc. It consists in creating a specialized online publication that contains an inventory of works providing descriptions, conditions and images. In addition, it will include texts written by specialists on Mudejar carpentry techniques and concepts, a full bibliography on the subject and special chapters devoted to the masterpieces of historical carpentry in Territorio Mudéjar.

Myriam Monterde, an expert in cultural management and museum studies, and José Manuel Herraiz, an audiovisual producer and scriptwriter specialized in the historical and cultural genre, are in charge of conducting this research.

More info: www.estancias2020maderamudejar.territoriomudejar.es/

6-Second prize: “New models of cultural management and funding for Mudejar monumental/historical civil architecture restoration projects in the province of Zaragoza”.

Territorio Mudéjar has awarded second prize to a research project about Mudejar civil architecture. Art historians Ricardo Monreal Lafuente and Marta López Veamonte are responsible for this initiative, which will further the research process and data input that began in 2019. In the initial project, they sought to obtain up-to-date, technologically advanced material on the civil architecture with Mudejar elements in Territorio Mudéjar and to document the management model for these buildings. In 2020, the current phase will consist in specific work on one of the most important civil buildings in our region, the Palacio de los Luna, in Daroca. This will entail defining a working model for this type of Mudejar architecture and analyzing new historical and artistic heritage management models to enable these buildings to be used, thus making them more sustainable and strengthening their role in society and inclusion in village life. Means of financing restoration projects for these buildings will also be addressed.

Territorio Mudéjar participates in the CortonaOpen3D workshop as an example of innovative heritage management

Territorio Mudéjar took part in the CortonaOpen3D workshop, a specialized course in computer graphics and smart city design applied to cultural heritage, which was held from August 1 to 10 in the Italian city of Cortona, in the province of Arezzo (Tuscany), to share its example of innovative management of artistic and historical heritage in a rural setting.

During this workshop, the participants work individually or as a group to develop an architectural design project or an art installation inserted into the context of the city of Cortona. To do this, they receive specialized training in different areas related to architecture.

In this regard, Victoria Trasobares, director of Territorio Mudéjar, gave a conference to explain the Territorio Mudéjar model “as a strategic example of heritage management: the project behind the projects”.

The lecture was streamed live from the town of Tobed and in it, Victoria Trasobares discussed how the Territorio Mudéjar network began and grew, outlined its activity program and, in line with the course contents, explained how a technological vision can guide the work of historical, artistic and cultural heritage management.

She also talked about the “Mudéjar Patrimonio Mundial 3D” (3D Mudejar World Heritage) project, a cross-disciplinary initiative led by Luis Agustín Hernández, architect and professor at the School of Engineering and Architecture of University of Zaragoza, aimed at revaluing Mudejar heritage. The project arose from the 2019 fieldwork grants and will continue in a major new cross-disciplinary, multi-university project between Spain and Italy. The University of Zaragoza (School of Engineering and Architecture, and the Art History department of the School of Humanities), the Polytechnic of Turin, Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Salerno will all take part.

In addition, the conference at CortonaOpen3D represented the first of numerous wide-ranging activities open to the students in the 2020 Challenge Program internships, an initiative funded by the Provincial Government of Zaragoza and managed by Universa, the job orientation and employment service of University of Zaragoza.

Journey into the Mudejar with the special course at University of Zaragoza

For yet another year, Territorio Mudéjar is participating in the course entitled “Viaje al arte mudéjar” (Journey into Mudejar art), which will take place on July 13, 14 and 15, 2020, as part of the special courses at University of Zaragoza, aimed at directly studying Mudejar art by taking in-depth tours of the most emblematic monuments in these areas. The course provides a thorough explanation of the geographic, historical, ethnographic and artistic framework of this genre, and represents a continuation of the journey that began seven years ago under the leadership of professor Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis, a constant presence in our work.

This year, we’ll be visiting 16 towns, all of which are part of Territorio Mudéjar, and traveling hundreds of kilometers between the valleys in the districts of Calatayud, Aranda, Daroca and Valdejalón with the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares; supervising professor of the UNED in Calatayud, José Luis Cortés; University of Zaragoza professor, Rebeca Carretero; art historian at Centro de Estudios Bilbilitanos, Silvia Molina, and Elena Paulino, from the Complutense University.

The Mudejar architecture of Aragon was designated as UNESCO World Heritage in 1986 in the city of Teruel and in 2001 it was extended to the province of Zaragoza, with the city of Zaragoza, the Santa María collegiate church in Calatayud, the church of La Virgen in Tobed and the church of Santa Tecla in Cervera de la Cañada. “This course focuses on the conceptual hub around Calatayud, which features a web of rivers linked to the Jalón River, bolstering the concept of valley culture through learning on site. The course affords a complete understanding by learning on the ground and through the unique contribution of each individual place,” explains Victoria Trasobares. The director of Territorio Mudéjar added that monuments are just the tip of the iceberg in Mudejar culture, because it is the context of the towns and the valleys that provides room for comprehension. “In this course, we show that learning can have a scientific side, but it can also have a fun approach entailing a journey that is open to all audiences, with universal access, and this element has defined our courses ever since we first began in 2014,” she concludes.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Monday, July 13

  • 9:30 AM. Tour of the chapel of La Virgen de Cabañas in La Almunia de Doña Godina. Lecture “El génesis del mudéjar” (The genesis of Mudejar).
  • 10:15 AM. Tour of the tower and church of Santa María in Ricla. Lecture “El mudéjar en la Comarca de Valdejalón, Ricla” (Mudejar in the district of Valdejalón, Ricla).
  • 12:00 PM. Tour of the church of Santa María in Tobed. Lecture “Mahoma Calahorri y el Santo Sepulcro” (Mahoma Calahorri and the Holy Sepulcher).
  • 1:00 PM. Tour of Espacio Mudéjar-Mahoma Calahorri. “La Gestión del Patrimonio y el territorio” (Heritage management and the countryside).
  • 2:00 PM. Tour of the church of San Miguel in Belmonte de Gracián. “Épocas y estética del mudéjar en la torre y el ábside de la torre de Belmonte de Gracián” (Mudejar periods and esthetics in the tower and tower apse in Belmonte de Gracián).
  • 4:30 PM. Tour of the church of Santa María in Maluenda. “La personalidad del mudéjar de Maluenda” (The Mudejar personality of Maluenda).
  • 5:30 PM. Tour of the church of Santas Justa y Rufina, Maluenda. “El binomio, arte mudéjar-pintura gótica” (The pairing of Mudejar art and Gothic painting).
  • 6:30 PM. Tour of the church of San Martín de Tours in Morata de Jiloca. “Transformaciones de las iglesias fortaleza” (Transformations in fortified churches).
  • 8:30 PM. Tour of the church of San Pedro de los Francos in Calatayud. “Espacios mudéjares” (Mudejar spaces).

Tuesday, July 14

  • 9:30 AM. Tour of the castle in Mesones de Isuela. “Las techumbres mudéjares I” (Mudejar ceilings I).
  • 11:00 AM. Tour of the castle of Papa Luna in Illueca. “Las techumbres mudéjares II” (Mudejar ceilings II).
  • 12:00 PM. Tour of the church of San Juan Bautista in Illueca. “Pervivencias mudéjares en el siglo XVII” (Enduring Mudejar elements in the 17th century).
  • 1:00 PM. Tour of the church of Santa Ana in Brea de Aragón. “La obra de Juan de Marca” (The work of Juan de Marca).
  • 4:30 PM. Tour of the church of Nª Sª del Castillo, Aniñón. “Las iglesias fortaleza del Valle del Ribota I” (The fortified churches in the Ribota Valley I).
  • 5:45 PM. Tour of the church of La Asunción or Santa Tecla. Cervera de la Cañada. “Las iglesias fortaleza del Valle del Ribota II” (The fortified churches in the Ribota Valley II).
  • 7:15 PM. Tour of the church of San Félix, Torralba de Ribota. “Las iglesias fortaleza del Valle del Ribota III” (The fortified churches in the Ribota Valley III).
  • 8:30 PM. Sanctuary of La Virgen de la Peña, Calatayud.

Wednesday, July 15

  • 9:15 AM. Tour of the Luna family home, Daroca. “El mudéjar civil” (Civil Mudejar).
  • 10:15 AM. Tour of the church of San Juan. “La fusión del mudéjar y el románico I” (The fusion of Mudejar and Romanesque I).
  • 11:30 AM. Tour of the Santo Domingo de Silos church tower. “La fusión del mudéjar y el románico I” (The fusion of Mudejar and Romanesque I).
  • 12:45 PM. Tour of the Santa María church tower in Ateca. “Las torres de ascendencia islámica I” (Towers of Islamic origin I).
  • 1:45 PM. Tour of the Asunción church tower in Terrer. “Las torres de ascendencia islámica II” (Towers of Islamic origin II).
  • 5:00 PM. Tour of the church of San Andrés in Calatayud. “El mudéjar después de la Guerra de los Pedros I” (Mudejar after the War of Two Peters I).
  • 6:00 PM. Tour of the cloister of the Santa María collegiate church in Calatayud. “La figura y mecenazgo del Papa Luna” (The figure and patronage of Papa Luna).
  • 6:30 PM. Closing ceremony.

The Aragonese Mudejar, a mouse-click away around the world with the Google Arts and Culture platform

The Mudejar architecture of the province of Zaragoza can be accessed at the click of a mouse by anyone, anywhere around the world, thanks to its inclusion in the “UNESCO World Heritage” collection on Google Arts and Culture, a multi-lingual platform that has received more than 175 million visits and a mobile application that has been downloaded more than 30 million times, which offers virtual tours of museums and heritage treasures around the world.

Thanks to the initiative of the Provincial Government of Zaragoza and Territorio Mudéjar’s collaboration, the platform has included the Mudejar architecture of Aragon in a special UNESCO project for the promotion and dissemination of World Heritage sites. Specifically, the platform displays the monuments designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2001: the church of Santa Tecla in Cervera de la Cañada, the church of La Virgen in Tobed and the Santa María collegiate church in Calatayud, in Zaragoza province, and the Seo, the San Pablo tower and the Aljafería palace, in the city of Zaragoza. Mudejar sites in the province of Teruel, declared UNESCO World Heritage 15 years earlier, thus triggering the process of promotion and rediscovery of the Mudejar as the most authentic art form in Aragon, can also be seen.

The Mudejar art of Aragon has a strong regional component and cannot be understood through a single site. Its diversity and wealth is much more thoroughly explained when it is defined as “valley culture”, in which the valleys of Zaragoza are a highlight. To discover all its splendor, Google Arts and Culture has also included photographs of some monuments in Territorio Mudéjar that are not listed as World Heritage, such as the church in Torralba de Ribota, the San Andrés tower in Calatayud, the magnificent views of the city of Daroca and the church in Aniñón, just a few of the many wonderful examples found scattered throughout the valleys of Zaragoza. In addition, there are also images of the Seo in Zaragoza, the San Pablo tower and the Aljafería palace in the city of Zaragoza, as well as the El Salvador church tower in the city of Teruel. All of them offer a glimpse of the scope of Mudejar heritage as a cultural expression found nowhere else in the world.

The platform offers photographs, a video about the Mudejar identity of the towns in Zaragoza that share this rich heritage, and a photogrammetric model of some of the World Heritage churches. This model was created as a result of the work done in one of the Territorio Mudéjar fieldwork grants in 2019, representing a launching pad for many other projects in the field of 3D heritage. The owners of the more than 30 million mobile phones that have downloaded the Google Arts and Culture app have received a message containing a link to all of these contents.

 

Universality, uniqueness and authenticity

This initiative spotlights the Mudejar World Heritage brand internationally and provides a powerful tool for heritage outreach and for the towns in the province.

The Mudejar architecture of Aragon was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2001 for its “universality, uniqueness and authenticity”. Although Mudejar is usually described as Christian architecture built by Mudejars, Muslims who remained in the lands conquered by Christian rulers, this avant-garde movement from the medieval period is actually much more complex. This genre, which extends across several centuries and has a regional component entailing journeys across valleys, mountains and urban settings, has stamped each town with a unique personality that goes beyond mere monuments to encompass urban design, the division of land, the landscape and society, impacting the intangible heritage of the towns and their idiosyncrasy.

 

Link to Aragonese Mudejar architecture on Google Arts and Culture:

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/VwVBrGnQt1ZofQ

 

Territorio Mudéjar holds its annual assembly with 34 towns in attendance and an action plan for spotlighting Mudejar heritage and creating jobs in rural areas

Territorio Mudéjar now has 34 member towns – it started with 22 in 2018 – that will benefit from an activity program in 2020 designed to support the management, research and dissemination of Mudejar heritage and to create a network of professionals and jobs linked to the management of these historical and artistic resources. The association of towns promoted by the Provincial Government of Zaragoza held its annual assembly online this year and ratified the inclusion of the towns of Mainar, featuring the slender Mudejar tower of the church of Santa Ana, Magallón, represented by the chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Huerta and the church of San Lorenzo, Villarreal de Huerva, with the San Miguel tower and the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, and Zuera, with the San Pedro church.

At the assembly, chaired by the mayor of Tobed, Juan Antonio Sánchez Quero, and attended by the mayors of the member towns, Victoria Trasobares, director of the entity, presented the activity program that is being carried out in 2020 and the adjustments made in response to the COVID-19 situation.

The plan will continue promoting knowledge applied to Mudejar culture thanks to the second call for proposals to the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis grants for projects and fieldwork, which will make it possible to implement up to six fieldwork projects and will help create a network of professionals linked to the towns, with the training and skills needed to ensure that projects are launched and that they remain feasible and are implemented in the future.

Territorio Mudéjar will continue progressing on projects aimed at designing job profiles related to the heritage in the towns in order to attract highly qualified professionals who can generate business ventures in Mudejar locations.

Work will also be done on educational innovation projects, such as the so-called “Circular Desde la Escuela Rural” (Circular from Rural Schools), to include contents related to Mudejar heritage in the curricula and to generate value in the schools to make teaching positions in these towns more attractive and, therefore, more stable.

In turn, Territorio Mudéjar will participate in calls for proposals and European projects that bring investments and foster development in the towns, such as the MOMAr Interreg project by the Provincial Government of Zaragoza and Cultural Heritage in Action, in which the entity was selected in the ‘peer learning visits’ category, generating learning visits among European entities with common goals.

Similarly, the members will continue to receive advice on developing projects and seeking funding, and the dissemination and communication of Mudejar culture will be strengthened through the creation of our own contents, workshops in the towns and activities in the media.

The deadline for submitting proposals for research stays, extended until June 29

Territorio Mudéjar has extended to Monday, June 29 the deadline for submission of proposals for the award of five fieldwork grants for the study and management of heritage and natural resources in its towns, as a result of the large number of queries received in the past few days. This is the second edition of these grants bearing the name of Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis, as a tribute to the distinguished professor and Mudejar scholar who passed away last year. Each grant consists of EUR 6,000, and they are all to be used for the development of responsible, sustainable and innovative projects that have a direct impact on rural settings, foster their visibility and raise awareness about the area. Territorio Mudéjar is an initiative promoted by the Government of Zaragoza that brings together 34 municipalities and is aimed at preserving and promoting Mudejar art in the province.

Candidates must submit their ideas by June 29, 2020 at 12:00 midnight (mainland Spanish time). New and intermediate researchers, as well as professionals in the heritage management field with experience in innovative regional projects or papers that address the responsible and sustainable use of local resources are eligible to participate. It is also essential for the candidates to propose and justify living for a certain amount of time in one or more of the towns in Territorio Mudéjar. The proposed projects may be in their initial stages, in progress or in execution, and must provide proof that they have a direct impact on at least three member municipalities, as well an influence on the region as a whole.

Candidates may apply as individuals or as part of a research team, may be starting or partway through their research period or professional career, and they must provide proof of higher education credentials related to the subject matters addressed in the call for proposals and at least two years of research or professional activity, whether paid or not. However, professional experience may be substituted by Master’s degree level work in fields linked to cultural heritage.

Through this second call for proposals to the Gonzalo Borrás Gualis grants for projects and fieldwork, Territorio Mudéjar aims to promote awareness about the rural setting through its Mudejar identity by creating innovative perspectives that have a positive impact on the towns and to foster networking about the possibilities arising from the region’s resources and from collaborative, cross-disciplinary work. It also seeks to create dynamics of social participation in relation to heritage. In addition, it specifically aims to enhance knowledge about the Mudejar as World Heritage and about the benefits it affords as an international brand recognized by the UNESCO.

Five different lines of research

The first of the five fields that may be addressed in the proposals submitted is New perspectives on Mudejar art, which includes everything from updating data about this heritage in terms of monuments, urban issues, ethnography or linguistics to technical language applied to this style. Geolocation and cartography, as well as other aspects that make it possible to expand the scientific understanding of this art genre, are also included.

The second line of research is Territorio Mudéjar and cultural landscape. Here, the actions of people on heritage resources, the social and natural contexts, or the interactions and relationships between landscape and monuments are addressed.

Management of cultural heritage is the third field of action, encompassing new usage models for managing heritage for purposes other than tourism or recreation. It may also include studies on physical, economic and intellectual accessibility, as well as ideas for the future of heritage preservation and intervention.

New media discourses and knowledge or information for the general public may be addressed in proposals under the category of Communication and dissemination of Mudejar heritage.

Finally, under Mudejar heritage and its role in society as a key element for regional development, projects related to society’s participation in the spotlighting and collective construction of new ways of learning, inter-generational experiences, or emotional ties and roots as the basis for protecting and managing heritage shall be considered.

Rules for submitting proposals: https://www.territoriomudejar.es/estancias-de-investigacion-y-proyectos-2020/

The countdown has begun on the second call for proposals to the Territorio Mudéjar fieldwork grants

If you have an idea that can be developed somewhere in Territorio Mudéjar, this is your advance notice about the 2nd call for proposals to the 2020 Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis grants for projects and fieldwork; the application period begins on the 10th. In the meantime, we have prepared a summary of the key features we are looking for in the proposals and a major update of the contents on our website, with a recap of the results from the 2019 call for proposals in the projects section and a general overview of the towns that belong to our entity.

If you are looking for guidance about the types of proposals you could submit, starting today our 2019 resident researchers will be explaining their proposals and results on our Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels.

An explanatory video by the director of Territorio Mudéjar, Victoria Trasobares, is also available, outlining the characteristics of these grants, the requirements and the five lines of research: New perspectives on Mudejar art, Territorio Mudéjar and cultural landscape, management of cultural heritage, communication and dissemination of Mudejar heritage and Mudejar heritage and its role in society as a key element for regional development. At the end of May we will also open up live forums to address any questions you may have.

We will soon be providing all the details about the call for proposals and will keep you up to date on the latest news. We encourage you to participate! See you in Territorio Mudéjar!

You can find us on:

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNlRwwS3qWi6qmHcEa6UQxQ?view_as=subscriber

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/proyectoterritoriomudejar/

INSTAGRAM: @territoriomudejar

LINKEDIN: @territoriomudejar (business profile)

RULES FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS: 2020 grants for projects and fieldwork

2nd call for proposals to the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis grants for projects and fieldwork

Territorio Mudéjar has announced the second edition of the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis grants for projects and fieldwork aimed at directly supporting the work of researchers and developers of projects that are to be carried out in the member towns, based on a responsible, sustainable use of cultural and natural heritage resources.

Territorio Mudéjar was established as an association of city councils – thirty-two at this time – whose objective is to consolidate a unified, collaborative management network for the use of historical and artistic resources linked to important Mudejar heritage; such resources are deemed a driving force in the development of the towns and an identifying feature for upholding the communities existing in our region. Our activity program for the coming years was designed in accordance with the strategic lines set out in the “2019-2022 Work Plan by the Council of the European Union”, which are aligned with the goals of Agenda 2030, and it is based on the guiding principle that “the cultural identity of the territories shall contribute to sustainable social and economic development, differentiating markets and, in turn, enabling them to be integrated into a diversified economy that can ensure their future success”.

The projects undertaken in 2019 have strengthened one of our most important lines of work based on the development of activities that help attract and retain talent, as well as activities aimed at building networks of highly qualified professionals linked to the use of historical, artistic and cultural resources, thus contributing to regional development in the medium and long term.

They are dedicated to professor Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis, a firm advocate of managing Aragon’s heritage and territory, in terms of individual action and as an innovative field of work with a bright future. His work exemplified in a perfectly coherent manner how it is possible to combine highly relevant scientific research with a commitment to the land and its people, not only fostering knowledge, preservation and dissemination of historical and artistic heritage but also modernizing working methods and proposing innovative projects in which natural, cultural and heritage resources play a key role in communities’ futures.

Rules for participation

1/ Aim and scope of application

The aim of this call for proposals is to award FIVE grants to researchers and professionals in the field of cultural and natural heritage management so that they can carry out highly innovative research work or a project in this region within one of the fields of activity or areas of work specified below.

The proposals may span from the preliminary phases to development or pilot testing phases to project trials already underway.

The proposals must include a justified physical fieldwork stay in one or more of the towns in Territorio Mudéjar as an essential element in their execution. The projects submitted must demonstrate that they have a direct impact on at least three Territorio Mudéjar member towns and provide evidence of the influence of this impact on the region as a whole.

Objectives:

  • To raise awareness about the rural setting through its Mudejar identity by creating innovative perspectives whose ultimate aim is to have a positive impact on the towns.
  • To encourage projects with a strong regional impact carried out by experiencing life in the towns.
  • To help create and implement professional networking through a shared perspective about the potential that heritage, cultural and natural resources have for supporting other sectors by means of cross-disciplinary and collaborative work.
  • To create mechanisms for social participation in the field of heritage resource management from a regional perspective.

Specific objectives:

  • To drive the knowledge about heritage resources in order to foster the implementation of projects, to better protect and to encourage preservation of the Mudejar heritage in the towns.
  • To raise awareness about UNESCO World Heritage and the benefits it offers the region as an international brand.
  • To support, in particular, projects related to the paragraphs above that deal with two or more Territorio Mudéjar towns.
  • To support projects that function as a framework for action in a large number of sites or in relation to numerous assets, or that propose solutions and formulas that enhance the sustainability and management capabilities of Mudejar heritage in general.
  • To support projects that help foster the social function of cultural heritage.

The areas addressed in this call for proposals are as follows:

AREA 1. New perspectives on Mudejar art:

– Updating data and knowledge about all aspects of Mudejar heritage: Monumental, urban, ethnographic, linguistic, agricultural, water-related and geographic issues, materials, processes, etc.

– Technical languages applied to the Mudejar: planimetric measurements, photogrammetry and 3D Mudejar.

– Geolocation, cartography and maps.

– Any topic that contributes to the expansion of the scientific base about Mudejar art.

AREA 2. Territorio Mudéjar-Cultural Landscape (definition of cultural landscape)

– Heritage resources and the actions of individuals

– Natural and social contexts

– Interactions between landscape and monuments

AREA 3. Management of cultural heritage:

– New models for usage beyond the traditional concept of “tourism or recreational use”

– Studies on physical, economic and intellectual accessibility

– Models for the future of preservation or intervention.

AREA 4. Communication and dissemination of Mudejar heritage

– Mudejar heritage and the media

– New media discourses

– Interpretation and means of accessing knowledge about Mudejar heritage

AREA 5. Mudejar heritage and its role in society as a key element for regional development

– Emotional ties as a key element in caring for, protecting and managing heritage.

– Population contexts: The value of inter-generational experience

– Society’s participation in the spotlighting, exchange and collective construction of knowledge and new ways of learning.

Grants will be awarded in accordance with a competition system following the assessment criteria set out in the call for proposals and pursuant to article 22.1 of General Subsidies Act 38/2003, of November 17.

2/ Applicants

Individuals and groups of individuals that have not formed a legal entity and that meet all the requirements set forth in this call for proposals may submit proposals.

Applicants (or groups of applicants) may be in the initial or intermediate stages of their research period or professional career, and must provide proof of:

  • Higher education credentials related to the subject matters addressed in the call for proposals
  • A Master’s degree in cultural heritage management (or a similar degree) or provide documented proof of having completed at least two years of research or professional activity, whether paid or not.

No legal entities of any kind may participate, including companies, associations, partnerships or groups formed under any other type of legal association.

When a project is submitted by two or more people, the formula shall be referred to as a “team”, and each member of the team must be accredited individually.

If the project submitted is part of a research program linked to a university, public research institution or private (non-profit) entity, this must be indicated in the project description.

Acceptance of the project and development of the fieldwork is compatible with other professional activities as long as the way in which this will be reconciled is specified and accounted for in the project description.

Projects submitted may receive funding from other sources as long as they are supplementary and specified in the description.

The total income must never exceed the expenses for carrying out the project.

3/ Requirements

  • Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, Graduate Diploma or Architecture Degree, or equivalent.
  • And a Master’s Degree specialized in heritage and/or in other related areas, or provide proof of at least two years of research experience and/or professional work in a field related to the proposal (whether paid work or not).
  • They must prove that they are up to date on the payment of all their tax and social security obligations, and have met their subsidy reimbursement obligations.
  • They must not fall under any of the categories set forth in art. 13 of the General Subsidies Act.

4/ Submission deadline

The deadline for submitting applications shall be MONDAY, June 29, 2020.

Proposals sent by email before 11:59 pm – mainland Spanish time – shall be accepted.

If an application contains mistakes that can be corrected, the entity receiving the proposals shall notify the applicant, who shall have a period of no longer than three days after receiving the notice to correct the mistakes; this shall be mandatory for the application to be considered in the assessment process.

5/ Características y condiciones

Period: The projects and fieldwork must be carried out by December 24, 2020. The final project report must be handed in by December 28, 2020 at the latest.

Length of grant: The proposals must be carried out over a period of at least THREE months and no more than SIX months.

Grant amount: The projects shall be allocated a sum of up to € 6,000.00, which must be accounted for in the project report, based on the expenses indicated in the following section.

Expenses chargeable to the grant: The budget must identify expensed items related directly to the project needs such as fees for work performance, materials, travel, living expenses, accommodations and others, which may include any relevant taxes that might arise.

If the project receives funding from other sources, the candidates must specify: Entity, length, financed activities (aim and content), and the part of the project to which the funding is allocated.

Compatibility: Performance of the fieldwork is compatible with other employment, professional or research activities, provided the entity receiving the proposals is properly notified. The project description must indicate the degree of compatibility and the working methods used so as to avoid overlaps or any breaches of the conditions set forth in this call for proposals.

Number of calls for proposals: Beneficiaries may not receive grants under more than two consecutive calls for proposals. Therefore, resident researchers who were beneficiaries in the last two calls for proposals are not eligible to apply in this call for proposals, and will be disqualified if they do so.

Other:

Beneficiaries shall be included in the entity’s third-party liability insurance policy.

The beneficiaries shall not establish any kind of employment relationship with the entity.

All grant amounts are subject to the withholdings and taxes stipulated in the legislation in force, and shall be deducted from the relevant grant amount.

6/ Applications

Applications must be sent in digital format to the following Asociación Territorio Mudéjar email address: info@territoriomudejar.es

  1. Application-Basic identification details of the applicant and the project
  2. Copy of ID card.
  3. Summary of the professional career of the applicant(s) (maximum 2,000 characters).
  4. Summary of the project/proposal (max. 2,000 characters)
  5. Abridged academic and professional resume (max. 5 pages)
  6. Five projects carried out that the applicant deems relevant as the basis for the proposal (Summary of each project containing max. 2,000 characters)
  7. Description of the proposed project (max. 5 pages) containing: Title, background and current status of the topic, hypothesis, methodology, work plan and schedule, description of the project’s specific objectives, towns to be directly and indirectly affected by the proposal, town or towns proposed for the fieldwork stay and expected length of stay, detailed budget for the research, stating the amount requested.
  8. Optionally, a letter of recommendation from a relevant individual within the proposed field of work may be provided.
  9. Where teams are involved, both the application and the award resolution must expressly state the performance commitments undertaken by each member of the team and the grant amount to be applied to each member, all of whom shall be considered beneficiaries equally. One member of the team must be appointed to act as its representative or agent, and this person must be sufficiently authorized to fulfill the group’s obligations as a beneficiary. The team must agree not to disband until the statutory period set forth in articles 39 and 65 of Act 38/2003, of November 17, has elapsed.

7/ Selection process and criteria

The project selection process shall be based on the assessments conducted by the Scientific Committee and the entity’s management team, which shall prepare a ranking in line with the following criteria:

  • The applicants’ previous curricular background, training and performance: 15%. The focus of the curricular background shall be assessed in relation to the area of work for the project chosen by the applicant.
  • Project quality and innovative nature of the proposal: 35%. An assessment shall be made as to whether the project is properly formulated and presented in an accurate and detailed manner. The framework of objectives/actions/resources/budget must be correctly established. The schedule must be realistic. The project must contemplate its own assessment and future feasibility.
  • Area of impact / no. of towns entailed: 35%. The way in which the project affects the territory shall be assessed. This may be a direct impact in the present or future, but in all cases this is a mandatory requirement. Projects that foresee a realistic impact but are not based on trends or the media shall be assessed in a highly positive light.
  • Complementary activities that involve the local population: 15%. An assessment shall be made as to whether any of the activities involve the public in project performance. This involvement need not necessarily be through a cultural activity. The inclusion of activities that have an unconventional cultural impact shall be assessed.

8/ Assessment and resolution

The grant resolution shall be announced on or after Wednesday, July 1, 2020.

The call for proposals may be declared fully or partially null and void, and the committees’ decisions shall be final.

When the resolution of the call for proposals has been issued, the list of beneficiaries and members of the assessment committee shall be published on the Asociación Territorio Mudéjar website www.territoriomudejar.es.

Under no circumstances shall personalized information about the applications received or the decisions of the assessment committee be provided.

9/ Formalization, justification and payment of the grants

Formalization: Prior to the project starting date, based on each schedule but no later than August 1, 2020, the beneficiaries must sign an acceptance agreement, which shall be compulsory for receipt of the grant. Once the acceptance document has been signed, they must begin the project on the date indicated in the schedule.

Payment: The grant shall be paid in three installments: 40% at the start, after signing the acceptance agreement; 40% halfway through the project, and the remaining 20% upon submission of the final report on the project. These conditions shall apply in general to all the beneficiaries unless the project description, as an exception, provides justification for the need to receive payment on a different timeline.

Justification and presentation of results:

The beneficiaries must provide proof that they have met the requirements and conditions established in this call for proposals by submitting: An intermediate report halfway through the fieldwork stay so that the project progress can be assessed. A final project report in digital format describing the objectives, aims accomplished, and outcomes, as well as a financial report accounting for the cost of the activities performed.

Financial control:

The intermediate report must include a review of the estimated budget that either confirms its validity or introduces the necessary adjustments, whenever they are justified.

The final report must include a financial report detailed as follows:

  • A list of expenses incurred, indicating the payment recipient, amount, date issued and payment. Since the project contains an estimated budget, the list of expenses shall be classified according to the budget items in the subsidized project or activity. Any budget deviations that may have arisen in the course of the project must be accounted for.
  • Proof of payment: Invoices, receipts or supporting documents and proof of payment. If payment was made in cash, this must be indicated on the expenditure document, correctly specifying the item.
  • The payment of fees shall be documented in a sworn statement and detailed in the report in accordance with the results attained, specifying the hours of work assigned to the actions performed.
  • Mileage expenses shall be documented in a sworn statement and a breakdown shall be included in the report in accordance with the results attained, specifying the journeys made and assigned to specific actions.

Breach:

The grants shall be canceled and the amounts received must be refunded if the conditions established in this call for proposals are not met and, in general, in any of the cases set forth in article 37 of the General Subsidies Act.

10/ Dissemination of project results

Asociación Territorio Mudéjar may ask the grant beneficiaries to collaborate in project dissemination activities. In this regard, the beneficiary shall furnish Asociación Territorio Mudéjar with all the information and documentation requested and shall assign the latter any appropriate rights for the dissemination of the results, at no cost.

The beneficiaries must mention the source of the grant on any materials or results issued by including the phrase “Project funded by Territorio Mudéjar under the 2020 Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis fieldwork grant program” and adding the entity’s logo whenever possible.

Asociación Territorio Mudéjar shall, in turn, always identify the authors of the projects.

11/ Acceptance of the rules for participation

By participating in this call for proposals, applicants agree to the rules herein and the resolution to be issued, which shall be final, and they also waive their right to file any kind of complaint.

As an exception, for duly justified reasons, Asociación Territorio Mudéjar reserves the right to interpret and amend the wording of the rules for participation in order to clarify or specify the contents thereof, as long as this does not represent a substantial or arbitrary alteration of such contents.

Applicants may contact Asociación Territorio Mudéjar with any queries they may have by sending an email to info@territoriomudejar.es