Design e Turismo: uma prática sustentável em Comunidades Criativas em São Sebastião das Águas Claras (MG)

Abstract

Design and Tourism: a sustainable practice in Creative Communities in São Sebastião das Águas Claras (MG, Brazil)

The Creative Communities are local initiatives, which use territorial sources in order to solve daily problems, promoting creative methods of social interaction, in a sustainable way. Creative communities are considered groups of people who take actions in order to dissolve the dominant models of thinking and acting with new proposals and improvements. It is through them that the local mobilization of individuals takes place around productive activities that enable social innovation, bringing improvements in economic, environmental, social and cultural levels. In order for design work to be effective and beneficial in these social enterprises, a systemic approach is needed, demonstrating that forms of social organization that value creative initiatives are increasingly emerging, within a social demand that seeks a sustainable development of life. From this concept, the Creative Communities Program of Generations was developed. This work is the result of the research and practical activities for the implementation of the "Comunidades Criativas das Geraes” project that arose from a demand of the community of São Sebastião das Águas Claras, better known as Macacos, district of Nova Lima - Minas Gerais. One of the objectives of the workshops is to value products and possible services to local tourism through "design, territory and identity" approaches. For the development of the research, we used data collection through indirect documentation, bibliographic research, and direct documentation, field surveys, followed by photographic records and interviews. Data collection, in addition to interviews and questionnaires, carried out image records (community memories) and records of predecessor surveys carried out by other institutions such as: Emater-MG and Nova Lima Municipal Secretary of Culture. In each developed activity, new interests of artisans were also observed, in relation to culture, local values and identity. The artisans presented greater interest also in the acquisition of knowledge to commercialize products. An example is the initiative of setting up a store to market its products. The group is attentive to the new consumer who values the exclusivity, the traditions, the identity of a region, in artisanal production. Thus, social design meets local needs, promoting creative solutions.

KEY-WORDS: Design; tourism; sustainable practice; Creative Communities.