July 1, Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Meeting Point: Centre Cívic Santa Eugènia "Can Ninetes"
Language: English and Catalan
Registration: Registration form. Monar’T Festival Guided Tour: Art, Community and Migration
As part of the side events programme of the 23rd IMISCOE Annual Conference, we propose a guided tour of the Monar’T Festival, a unique community-based urban art initiative developed in the neighbourhoods of Santa Eugènia and Can Gibert del Pla in Girona. The visit will be offered in both English and Catalan and will provide participants with an opportunity to explore the relationship between migration, community engagement, public space, and artistic expression.
Monar’T is much more than an urban art festival. Since its creation in 2019, it has become a community project built collaboratively by local residents, neighbourhood associations, cultural and social organisations, artists, public services, and the City Council of Girona. The festival was created with the aim of celebrating the cultural diversity of the neighbourhoods, strengthening community ties, and transforming public space through collective artistic action. Today, it is recognised as one of the most significant examples of community-based urban art in Catalonia.
Santa Eugènia and Can Gibert del Pla are among the most culturally diverse neighbourhoods in Girona, bringing together residents from dozens of different national backgrounds. Through murals, artistic interventions, and community activities, Monar’T seeks to make this diversity visible, foster encounters among residents, and create a positive narrative around coexistence, belonging, and shared citizenship. The festival is organised through a participatory governance model involving neighbourhood associations, local organisations, artists, the Pla d’Educació i Convivència (PEIC), the Centre Cívic Santa Eugènia, and the City Council of Girona.
During the guided tour, participants will learn about the origins and community methodology of the festival while visiting a selection of murals and public art interventions addressing themes closely connected to the conference, including migration, cultural diversity, identity, community participation, and social inclusion. The visit will also offer an opportunity to discuss how artistic and cultural practices can contribute to community engagement, strengthen social cohesion, and create spaces for dialogue in diverse urban contexts.
By connecting participants with a locally rooted initiative that combines art, community action, and intercultural dialogue, this side event offers a practical example of how communities can become active producers of knowledge, narratives, and social transformation—an approach that resonates strongly with the conference theme Strengthening Migration Studies through Community Engagement.
Reccomendations: Please wear comfortable walking shoes, as the visit includes a two-hour walking tour of the neighbourhood to explore different murals. Please also allow sufficient travel time, as the meeting point is approximately a 30-minute walk from the conference venue.
Participation is free of charge, but places are limited to 30 participants. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. A waiting list will be created for those who are unable to secure a place.
A confirmation email will be sent on Friday, June 26, informing participants whether they have been allocated a place on the tour or placed on the waiting list.
More information about Monar’T festival here.
