RELEASE

OVERVIEW OF THE INSTITUTO SACATAR AND THE SACATAR FOUNDATION
updated June 2009

The INSTITUTO SACATAR, a Brazilian non-profit, runs an international arts residency program on the island of Itaparica, Bahia, Brazil.  The Instituto Sacatar awards selected artists roundtrip airfare, a room with private bath, meals and studio space for the duration of their stay (usually eight weeks). The Instituto Sacatar sponsors residencies for highly qualified individuals in all creative pursuits, without regard to race, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, disability or HIV status. Each year fifteen to twenty-five artists are awarded Fellowships, which are scheduled between May and February. Over 150 artists from 41 countries have come since the first Fellows arrived in September 2001.  The Instituto Sacatar receives a substantial part of its funding from the Sacatar Foundation,  a United States private non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.  

The Instituto Sacatar is situated on the island of Itaparica, across the bay from Salvador, Bahia, the colonial capital of Brazil. Its residential estate, the former retreat of a Catholic girls' school, features a cloistered home on two and a half acres of gardens, fronting a secluded beach. Additional outbuildings house studio space, administration, staff facilities and a woodshop.  The historic town of Itaparica is a brief walk from the property. Boats from the island to the historic core of Salvador take 20-50 minutes.

Bahia, Brazil is a very special place on earth. Blessed by a generous tropical climate, its people are warm and outgoing. Music and dance, poetry and art, seem to come naturally to Bahia's inhabitants. From the entwined roots of its native, Portuguese and African traditions, its vibrant culture continues to grow and bear sometimes unexpected fruits, giving pause to those who think globalization diminishes cultural vitality.

The Instituto Sacatar is a member of Res Artis, the Worldwide Network of Artist Residencies, www.resartis.org, and the Alliance of Artists Communities, www.artistcommunities.org. In addition to its own program, the Instituto Sacatar awards specific Fellowships in conjunction with the UNESCO/Aschberg bursary program, www.unesco.org/culture/ifpc.  Sacatar also has established artist exchange programs with the Taipei Artist Village in Taiwan and The South Project in Australia. 

More information---including a tour of the property, the Residents' Manual and the download of the application forms---is available at www.sacatar.org. If you have any questions, please write us at info@sacatar.org.

INSTITUTO SACATAR
Rua da Alegria, 10
Itaparica
Bahia 44460-000
BRASIL
tel ++ 55 (71) 3631 1834
fax ++55 (71) 3631 2069

SACATAR FOUNDATION
P.O. Box 2612
Pasadena
CA 91102-2612
UNITED STATES
tel ++ 1 (626) 440 9688

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PRESS RELEASE

Press Release - Instituto Sacatar - Fellows Sessão de Outubro de 2009 Press Release - Instituto Sacatar - Fellows Sessão de Outubro de 2009

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PHOTOS

The images below may be used only in connection with media coverage of the Instituto Sacatar. Please include credit for any images used (as provided below).