Devoting yourself to art is rarely an easy decision. It involves choosing creativity as a way of life, intuition as a work tool and sensitivity as a professional driving force. For many people, the great challenge is not only to find their own language, but to do so in an environment in which they can explore without fear.
That space is in the Círculo de Bellas Artes of Madrid, where the SUR School teaches the Fundamental Course of Arts and Artistic Professions. Under the motto Art in (r)evolution, The program proposes training in which experimentation and the mixture of languages are combined with practical learning of different disciplines. Added to this is working alongside active artists, who share both their work and their processes and turn the experience into something close and very practical.
With the aim of promoting new creative paths, Reale Foundation announces two scholarships that reinforce its support for young talent. They are aimed at those under 35 years of age, cover 100% of the registration fee for the Fundamental Course, valued at 5,000 euros, and facilitate access to quality artistic training. The application period is open until May 11.
These South School scholarships are one of the projects that are part of the Culture with Impact campaign, created in 2023 by Reale Seguros with the aim of highlighting the projects supported by its corporate foundation, Reale Foundation, and that use the transformative power of culture in three key areas: health, social inclusion and job creation.
A blank map to explore
The Fundamental Course of Arts and Artistic Professions is a space of exploration for those who are interested in creating, but do not yet know which path to take. For seven months it offers a transversal journey to try, make mistakes and discover affinities without the pressure of deciding too soon. “Becoming familiar with strangeness and overcoming any prejudice is essential to finding what you like most, even discovering a talent or ability that you didn’t know about in yourself,” explains Covadonga Blasco, academic director of SUR.
Each discipline offers a different way of looking at the world. The engraving is presented as a trace and origin; drawing, as an exercise in deep observation; painting and collage, as spaces where color and fragment generate new meanings, and graphic design provides the conceptual order so that ideas take shape through typography and composition.
The body also plays a central role. Theater and dance activate voice and movement as expressive tools and lead to a performance capable of turning everyday life into an artistic gesture. Creation also moves towards the immaterial in disciplines such as sound, film or graphic narrative, which builds worlds without depending only on the word.
Creativity (and little else) as a starting point
One of the keys to the SUR course is that it does not require prior training. It is not necessary to have studied Fine Arts or present an impeccable portfolio. “We highly value curiosity and interest in experimenting, researching, creating and building,” says Blasco. “We have had students from medicine, anthropology, finance or law, and their personal transformation through this course is always surprising.”
Getting familiar with strangeness and overcoming any prejudice is essential to find what you like most, even discovering a talent or ability that you didn’t know about in yourself.
Covadonga Blasco, academic director of SUR
The objective is for each person to find or reinforce their own creative identity. “The course allows anyone, regardless of their artistic experience, to understand how the ecosystem of galleries, fairs, convocations and residencies works,” he says. Beyond the technical, it is presented as a process of personal growth: “mainly, it is an investment in self-confidence and opening of horizons.”
In this process, communication, work registration and portfolio construction are worked on, along with individual support in professional orientation sessions. “We consider that all these activities, together with the personalized advice and the growth of the work and works that each student carries out in the workshops, expand the knowledge of possible paths of development and professional growth,” adds the director of SUR.
The value of learning in a small group
The human dimension is another of the pillars of the course. Each year around fifteen students enter, a reduced format that allows close and continuous monitoring of each process. The focus is not only on what is learned, but on how it is learned. In the words of Blasco, “the most important thing is to generate an environment of security in the group so that you can embark on doing something you have never done before, always trusting in the network of affection that you generate with your classmates and teachers to take a leap without fear of falling.”
This support also extends to the construction of one’s own creative identity and the understanding of the context in which it is developed. At SUR we work on communication, the registration of work, the preparation of the portfolio and the knowledge of the artistic ecosystem ⎯galleries, fairs, calls or residencies⎯, along with professional orientation sessions that help visualize different possible paths. “We consider that all these activities, together with the personalized advice and the growth of the work that each student does in the workshops, expand the knowledge of possible paths of professional development,” reflects Blasco.
Scholarships that promote new careers
This year, access to the Fundamental Course of Arts and Artistic Professions of the Círculo de Bellas Artes takes an important step thanks to the two scholarships awarded by the Reale Foundation, a decisive boost for those who are in a moment of search and consolidation of their creative path. The selection of candidates will take into account three aspects – career, potential and motivation – with the aim of understanding the history of each person and their relationship with creation. The final decision will be in the hands of SUR management.
As stated by the director of Reale Foundation in Spain, Arancha Escalada, “we believe that it is important to support, in a direct way, the personal and professional development of youth who seek their future in the field of Fine Arts, because they continue to have a future.”
As Covadonga Blasco highlights, “support for young talent through the Reale Foundation Scholarships is for us a privilege and a shared opportunity. We are convinced that creativity is the engine of change and therefore, betting on creation and art means, without a doubt, ensuring the existence of a more humane, sensitive society prepared to adapt to a world in constant transformation.”