Often when you think of the Portuguese art scene you automatically think of Lisbon, but in the spirit of trying something new, I headed to Covilhã. Yes, I committed to a four hour bus ride to a winter resort area in Portugal after "surviving" a brutal winter in Canada. Proof of how much I love art and my little cousin who is currently studying fashion design here in the mountains.
I arrived just in time to have lunch with some of the fashion students before they headed off to put the finishing touches on their pieces for this year's Expand Your Mind event. Their conversation was bursting with creativity and excitement. The event lasts three days and showcases everything from fashion, painting, photography, installation art, performance art and music. There was a lot going on in the abandoned garage that they had turned into an art gallery.
Covilhã might be too out of the way for most, but it was nice to see that creativity is thriving in places outside of the big cities. I wish more towns would encourage local artists.
Congratulations to all of the artists who participated in Expand Your Mind 2014.
You can follow Rodrigo's budding artistic career on his blog.
Congratulations to all of the artists who participated in Expand Your Mind 2014.
You can follow Rodrigo's budding artistic career on his blog.
