SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 10th June (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Tenerife Island Council, under the Youth and Training sector, marked two decades of the ‘Merkarte’ programme on Monday during a press briefing at the Noble Hall of the island’s government. The event was attended by the Cabildo President, Rosa Dávila; Minister for Youth and Training, Serafín Mesa; illustrator and Pelete Estudio CEO, Nareme Melión; and technical expert, Félix Fernández.
Rosa Dávila expressed gratitude to the artists, event planners, and partners who have steadfastly supported this initiative over the years, establishing it today as one of the pivotal components of the Cabildo’s youth-centric policies.
“Around 800 students enrol in the Faculty of Fine Arts every year, and Merkarte plays a crucial role in providing them with exposure, networking opportunities, professional exposure, as well as avenues for promotion, marketing, and sales,” she highlighted.
Serafín Mesa lauded the program’s journey and revealed that all future ‘Merkarte’ endeavours will bear a special commemorative insignia.
In this context, Mesa emphasised that the “new roadmap will not only pave the way for expanded training opportunities and support for entrepreneurial endeavours to professionalise young talent, but it will also introduce fresh initiatives that will enhance their visibility, not just locally but also on a national and international scale.”
Nareme Melión expressed gratitude for initiatives like ‘Merkarte’, noting that they present a valuable chance for budding artists to exhibit and promote their creations.
Felix Fernández detailed that since its launch in 2004, the program has facilitated more than 600 emerging artists to exhibit and sell their art, thereby enabling their integration into the art market.
Positioned as a strategic initiative of the Tenerife Island Council, ‘Merkarte’ encourages youth employment and entrepreneurship on the island by immersing young talents in the tourism sector.
The program’s goals encompass fostering the professional growth of young artists on the island, creating interconnected networks among art, business, education, and cultural tourism sectors to enhance relationships and promote dialogue spaces that could foster synergies in the promotional spectrum are among the key educational objectives of the revamped strategy.
Additionally, it aims to bolster collaborations between various educational institutions and organisations (public universities, private universities, art schools, among others) that foster real cooperation, both amongst themselves and with the artists benefiting from this initiative.
