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| Fundación Cartonera | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fundación Cartonera |
| Formation | 2003 |
| Type | Non-profit cultural organization |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Region served | Latin America |
| Leader title | Director |
Fundación Cartonera is an Argentine non-profit cultural organization founded in Buenos Aires that emerged from the cartonera publishing movement. It promotes independent publishing, artisanal bookmaking, and cultural inclusion through collaborations with writers, artists, NGOs, and academic institutions. The foundation operates at the intersection of literature, visual arts, and social activism, seeking to connect marginalized communities with national and international cultural networks.
The roots of the organization trace to the early 2000s Buenos Aires milieu shaped by the aftermath of the Argentine economic crisis and the rise of alternative cultural practices involving cardboard recyclers, the cartoneros. Founders and early collaborators drew inspiration from Latin American literary traditions associated with figures such as Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, and Mario Vargas Llosa, as well as contemporary activists linked to Movimiento de Trabajadores Desocupados, Madres de Plaza de Mayo, and community publishers in Montevideo, Santiago, Lima, Quito, and Bogotá. Early projects engaged with street vendors, recyclers, and neighborhood cultural centers like Centro Cultural Recoleta and Centro Cultural San Martín, while fostering ties to independent presses such as Editorial Sudamericana, Grupo Editorial Norma, Ediciones Godot, and Editorial Planeta.
Over subsequent years, the foundation expanded through exchanges with international artists and institutions including British Council, Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, Centro Pompidou, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires), and universities such as Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, University of Oxford, and Harvard University. The trajectory intersected with cultural events like Feria del Libro de Buenos Aires, Bienal de Arte de São Paulo, Venice Biennale, Documenta, and literary festivals in Hay-on-Wye, Hay Festival Querétaro, and Festival Internacional de Literatura de Gijón.
The foundation’s stated mission emphasizes access to culture, artisanal publishing, and socio-economic inclusion through projects with readers, writers, visual artists, and recyclers. It organizes workshops inspired by practices associated with Taller de Gráfica Popular, Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón, and community initiatives in La Boca, Barracas, Villa 31, and Comuna 1 (Buenos Aires). Activities include bookbinding workshops, editorial projects, literacy campaigns, and exhibitions in venues such as Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, Fundación Proa, Malba, and municipal cultural houses across Buenos Aires Province and Provincia de Córdoba.
Programming often features collaborations with writers, translators, and visual artists connected to institutions like Fundación Antorchas, Centro Cultural Kirchner, Casa de las Américas, and residency programs at Faber Residency, MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and Cité Internationale des Arts. Educational outreach has intersected with curricular initiatives at Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and community centers run by organizations such as Cáritas Argentina and TECHO.
Publishing efforts produce hand-bound, cardboard-covered books in limited editions, echoing independent imprints like Cartonera, Libros del Zorzal, Editorial Universitaria, and small presses across Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Mexico. Projects include poetry collections, short fiction anthologies, artist books, and translations involving authors such as Alejandra Pizarnik, Silvina Ocampo, Beatriz Vignoli, Luisa Valenzuela, and contemporary voices from festivals including Festival Internacional de Poesía de Medellín and Festival de Poesía de Medellín.
The foundation has curated exhibitions and pop-up bookstores at cultural events like Feria de Mataderos, La Noche de los Museos, Buenos Aires Photo, and collaborative installations with collectives from Valparaíso, São Paulo, Asunción, and Caracas. Special projects have engaged with archival work at institutions such as Archivo General de la Nación (Argentina), digitization initiatives with Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno, and artist residencies connected to Pivô Arte e Pesquisa and Espaço Cultural Bosque da Memória.
Organizational governance combines a board of directors, program staff, volunteer coordinators, and community liaisons who interface with municipal cultural agencies like Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación (Argentina), provincial cultural secretariats, and municipal offices in La Plata and Mar del Plata. Funding streams include grants from cultural agencies such as Fondo Nacional de las Artes, international cultural cooperation from UNESCO, philanthropic support from foundations like Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and project-based sponsorships tied to events like Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara and residency exchanges with Instituto Cervantes.
Operational partnerships involve in-kind contributions from recyclers’ cooperatives, social organizations such as Movimiento Libres del Sur, and artist collectives. Financial audits and reporting align with Argentine nonprofit regulation and philanthropic practice modeled after regional NGOs like Fundación OSDE and Fundación Patagonia Natural.
The foundation’s model influenced independent publishing movements throughout Latin America and received attention from cultural critics, academics, and media outlets including La Nación, Clarín, Página/12, El País (Spain), and international coverage in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Le Monde. Scholarly interest has emerged from researchers at CONICET, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and conferences such as Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispanoamericana and International Association for the Study of Popular Music.
Awards and recognitions include programmatic mentions in cultural policy dialogues within forums like Ibero-American Cultural Summit, cooperation acknowledgments from UNICEF, and participation in curated lists for alternative publishers showcased at Frankfurt Book Fair and London Book Fair.
Long-term collaborations link the foundation with artist-run spaces, cooperatives, and international cultural agencies such as British Council, Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, Instituto Cervantes, and regional networks like Red de Editoriales Independientes. Institutional partners include Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires), universities like Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, and NGOs such as TECHO and Cáritas Argentina. Collaborative publishing and residency exchanges have engaged organizations across Mexico City, Bogotá, Santiago de Chile, Montevideo, Lima, and European nodes including Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, and London.
Category:Publishing organizations Category:Non-profit organisations based in Argentina Category:Arts organizations established in 2003