Portugal
Artists: Margaret Machado & Goretti Carvalho
Margaret Machado’s Statement:
To me, culture is a kind of art. It gives you a foundation on how to live your life. Culture is a way to pay respect to those who came before you and allowed you to live. It’s important not to let diversity disappear and to retain that sense of pride and identity, as well as to protect unique ways of life. That goes back to art. Art is the colors, shapes, and styles of life and thought that surround us as we grow up. That’s culture to me. It’s in the way we decorate our homes, and it’s the food we eat. Culture allows us to respect values the way our ancestors did. Living today so far away from where my family originated, it’s hard to know exactly what my culture should be. Finding those connections, those details, and knowing my history and heritage gives me a little direction in life. One can’t walk if they don’t have a foundation to stand on. Culture, knowing my own family’s history gives me a foundation on which to succeed as a person. It allows individuals to be connected to something greater and build on their future through their past. Using art to express culture means representing history and all its diversity. It’s a visible way to show each other a taste of our cultures, lives, and hearts.
Goretti Carvalho’s Statement:
My passion for music and art was inspired during my upbringing on the enchanted island of Terceira, Azores; encased with mother, nature’s breathtaking beautiful surroundings, and Portuguese culture. As a young adult, settling in the quaint coastal town of Watsonville with its Portuguese community further my transition with minimum arduousness. It was here that I encountered my wonderful husband of 52 years, and blessed with four sons and six grandchildren. I owned a business here in town for 25 years, where I met the most wonderful people and created friendships that will last a lifetime. It is with great pleasure, sharing the transfer of the inner beauty of my imagination and pleasant memories of beautiful Terceira Island, onto canvas for the public eye to behold.
Sponsorship available
Current and Former residents of Watsonville that share this cultural heritage:
- Amato/Rolon/Roche
- Avis-Carvalho
- Bennet
- Bettencourt
- Cruz
- Davis-Lerma
- Gregorio
- Keeley/Bebee
- Kimara
- Lisaola
- Olin
- Olivarez
- Quezada
- Reese
- Rojas/Azevedo
- Silvera
- Shelley
- Tavarez-Dutra
- Vasquez
- Velez-Lopez
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