translated from Spanish: Undersecretariat of Culture responds to criticism for allocating funds to the cultural elite during the pandemic

Following criticism of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage given that it financed, within the framework of the Program of Support to Collaborating Cultural Organizations (PAOCC) and the Emergency Fund 2021 two galleries in the eastern sector of the capital, the Undersecretariat of Culture issued a statement where it explains that “Espacio Aninat” and “Patricia Ready Galería” were selected according to the application bases of the PAOCC and the Emergency Fund 2021.
“Both organizations alluded to in press releases, Espacio Aninat and Galería Patricia Ready, met the requirements set forth in the bases of the respective calls (Exempt Resolution No. 563 of May 12, 2020 and Exempt Resolution No. 1124 of August 20, 2020). Subsequently, their applications were submitted to the evaluation and selection process, being announced and publicly disseminated by this Undersecretariat from August 11, 2020,” the document explains.
According to a report broadcast on the television channel La Red, the ministry selected the gallery “Espacio Aninat” whose owner is Isabel Aninat, mother-in-law of Luciano Cruz-Coke, deputy of Evópoli and “Patricia Ready Gallery” of Patricia Ready, who is married to the businessman Juan Carlos Yarur, owner with her two children of the Real Estate and investments Cerro Sombrero.
The PAOCC fund delivered a total of $8 billion pesos of which $17,337,441 were delivered to “Espacio Aninat” and through the 2021 Emergency Funds, the government approved the delivery of two equal installments of $49,853,690 for “Patricia Ready Gallery”
The allocation of these amounts caused outrage in different cultural groups given that since the beginning of the pandemic the cultural industry has been totally abandoned by the ministry led by Consuelo Valdés.
The statement issued stated that “due to its universal nature, none of the calls for Cultural Funds considers the socioeconomic criterion within the evaluation of their applications, which also applies to the aforementioned bases of the Calls of the PAOCC program”.
The statement also detailed how many organizations applied for each of the funds and the total amount of the award.
“In the Call for Support to Cultural Spaces 2020, where Espacio Aninat was selected, 188 organizations applied, leaving 123 selected at the national level. A total of $2,029,991,328 was awarded,” he says.
And he adds: “meanwhile, the PAOCC 2020 Call, Line Strengthening of Management and Programming, Modality Cultural Spaces, submodality A, where Patricia Ready Gallery was selected, 281 organizations were nominated, leaving 95 selected at the national level, being awarded a total of $ 7,805,706,635”.

Original source in Spanish