In a formal exchange this Thursday, the First Vice President and Vice President for Culture witnessed the handover of the new Minister of Culture, Rachel Blacksmith, as part of ongoing efforts to address the cultural investment gap affecting Alicante. The event, which took place during a meeting with the Provincial Assembly representative, was met with appreciation for the regional president’s rapid response to the assembly’s request and was marked by a tone of genuine sincerity and institutional respect. The transition signals a clear commitment to strengthening cultural leadership in the region and aligning policy action with the needs of Alicante’s cultural sector.
The vice president expressed concern about what he described as a prior lack of attention from the Ministry to Alicante within the provincial legislative arena. He noted that the previous regional president, Vincent Marza, while accompanying the delegation, highlighted missed opportunities such as the absence of the Prado Museum director Miguel Falomir at the opening of the MARQ exhibition, the ADDA concert, and the chance to visit Mubag, underscoring perceived gaps in regional cultural engagement. This reflection accompanied a call for renewed focus on Alicante’s cultural institutions and the importance of higher-level support to bridge regional disparities in cultural funding and visibility.
With the new portfolio in place, the vice president stressed that the change represents a turning point. The objective is to ensure that the province of Alicante receives appropriate consideration in the broader Valencia region, closing the cultural divide that has long separated Alicante from Valencia and Castellón. This stance emphasizes a more balanced distribution of cultural resources, programming, and institutional collaboration to foster growth across the province while reinforcing its cultural identity within the wider regional framework.
The Cultural Assistant then conducted visits to Valencia’s two principal cultural centers, the Center del Carme and the San Pío V Museum of Fine Arts, where he met with top officials such as José Luis Perez Pont and Pablo Gonzalez Tornel. Following the discussions, he outlined plans to deepen cooperation between the Provincial Assembly and these centers, highlighting the potential for joint projects. He indicated that several promising initiatives are under consideration and are expected to be finalized in the weeks ahead, signaling concrete collaborative movements between provincial authorities and Valencia’s cultural leadership.
The itinerary included a tour with Vice President Perez Pont that showcased design exhibitions and Earth-focused retrospective materials. The delegation also reviewed the ongoing and upcoming exhibitions at the Valencia Museum of Fine Arts, including the collaborative efforts involving its curator Pilar Tebar and the Juan Gil-Albert Cultural Institute, under the direction of Alicante’s Cultural Institute leadership. The highlighted specimen, created by an Alicante-born artist active in the 18th century, is set to remain on display at the Valencia gallery until 12 June. Plans were announced for the piece to later travel to Mubag, reinforcing the intent to create a broader cross-institutional exchange that enhances Alicante’s visibility in major regional galleries. The participants emphasized that the initial showing represents a significant step in a larger program designed to promote regional artistry and historical interpretation across institutions in Valencia and Alicante, culminating in a shared exhibition strategy that benefits all parties involved.