One of the most sought-after activities in the Brazilian Creative Industries Market (MICBR+Ibero-America) is mentoring. After a public call, 14 mentors were selected, one for each segment of the creative economy covered by the event, such as dance, visual arts, music and audiovisual. MICBR began on Wednesday (3), at the Centro Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura (CDMAC), in the central region of Fortaleza, and continues until Sunday (7).
MICBR’s senior Market Intelligence consultant, Micaela Neiva, explains that more than 400 people signed up to offer mentoring. And each of the 14 selected will guide 15 people within their segment, until Saturday (6).
The senior market consultant for the Brazilian Creative Industries Market (MICBR+Ibero-America), Micaela Neiva, at the Centro Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura, in Fortaleza. Photo Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
“These are renowned professionals who dedicate exclusive service to entrepreneurs and creative businesspeople. The mentors themselves, these market specialists, selected the entrepreneurs to whom they would like to offer mentoring, which lasts 30 minutes of individualized assistance. It is very rich to follow this immersion that each one is having the opportunity to do”.
One of the people who underwent mentoring, in the area of crafts, was Josefa Marques Nazaré, who works with natural dyeing of sheep’s wool at the Associação de Arte e Artesanato Vale da Esperança, in Carapó, in Mato Grosso do Sul. She reports that she participated in the business roundtable in the morning. “It was very good, we had a good conversation, with two people interested in the partnership”. Regarding mentoring, she says she loved the ideas.
Artisan Josefa Marques participates in business mentoring during the Brazilian Creative Industries Market (MICBR+Ibero-América), at the Centro Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura, in Fortaleza – Photo Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
“Because I work with wool, but someone came with the idea of dyeing fabric, changing the focus a little, cutting the pieces to sell. She said it’s better not to mix it, to stick to the specific work of natural dyeing and pass it on to anyone who wants to make the clothing pieces.”
Dona Josefa’s mentor was Nina Coimbra, designer and crafts curator. “I told her not to mix things up in the presentation, to have the service separate from the product, to be able to tell her story in the product, different from the service”.
For Nina, opportunities like the MICBR have been consolidated as a public policy that contributes to the professionalization of the cultural sector.
“It is a unique event, of exchanges not only in each sector, but between different cultural expressions and creates the possibility of dialogue beyond what is happening here. Events like this last throughout the year. Culture also produces savings in various sectors and a meeting like these is proof of that”.
*The team traveled at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture
