WORKSHOPS
Workshops are a central part of ACEAA’s approach to artistic research, creating spaces where theory, experimentation and making come together through collective practice.
The programme brings artists, researchers, architects, performers, designers and craftspeople into dialogue around themes such as the body and space, landscape, archaeology, ecology, gender, ritual, sound, geometry, material culture and traditional knowledge.
The workshops presented here draw on a long-standing programme of interdisciplinary artistic experimentation developed by Valerie de la Dehesa in collaboration with museums, cultural institutions, artists and specialists, together with more recent craft-based programmes developed through Rainbow Art Residencies.
Rather than conventional teaching formats, these workshops combine lectures, fieldwork, performance, installations, material experimentation and collaborative production. Participants are encouraged to use action and direct experience as tools for artistic thinking, connecting contemporary practices with ancestral knowledge, natural environments and traditional making techniques.
SELECTED WORKSHOPS & PROGRAMMES
Performance among Megalithic Stones
31 May–2 June 2019 · Museo Vostell Malpartida & Salorino, Cáceres
A performance and artistic research workshop exploring archaeology, megalithic landscapes and the body as a means of perceiving and interpreting territory. Curated by Valerie de la Dehesa, with sculptors Sergio Carronha and Lucia Beijlsmit, performer Paula Santos de Lucas, and architect Jorge Caminero. The programme combined performative archaeology, material practices, archaeoastronomy and site-specific performance.
Feminine Ecologies through Contemporary Art
10, 12 & 13 May 2018 · Madrid & Valdelarte, Huelva
An interdisciplinary programme connecting ecofeminism, contemporary art, performance and environmental awareness. Workshops and lectures were led by Aline Part, Ruth Peche, Valerie de la Dehesa and Rocío Asensi, with Verónica Álvarez as facilitator. The programme moved between urban cultural spaces in Madrid and artistic experimentation in the rural landscape of Huelva.
Geometry and the Body–Space Experience in Contemporary Art and Architecture
20–22 April 2018 · NMAC Foundation, Montenmedio, Cádiz
A workshop exploring geometry as a connection between the human body, architecture, nature and artistic perception. Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, architect Jorge Caminero, artist Claudia Bonollo and performer Miriam Soliva. The programme combined contemporary art, performance, solstitial geometry and archaeoastronomy.
Geometry and the Body–Space Experience in Contemporary Art and Architecture
13–15 October 2017 · Cantercel Experimental Architecture Site, France
An international edition of the geometry workshop developed in the experimental architectural landscape of Cantercel in southern France. Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, Jorge Caminero and Claudia Bonollo, the workshop explored geometry through bodily experience, architecture, landscape and contemporary art.
The Woman and the Plant
2016 · Madrid, Barcelona & Zaragoza
A series of workshops exploring symbolic and material relationships between the female body, vegetation, mythology and contemporary artistic practice. Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, with invited artists including Eulalia Valldosera, Rosó Cusó, Lucía Loren and Montserrat Rodríguez Herrero. Editions were held at institutions including Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Hangar Barcelona and Harinera Zaragoza.
The Power of Feminine Mystery, Magic and the Serpent
24–27 May 2016 · Casa del Lector, Matadero Madrid
Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, this workshop investigated representations of the feminine through mythology, archetypes, transformation, ritual and the symbolism of the serpent, connecting these themes with contemporary artistic practice.
The Journey: Walking as Artistic Practice
7–10 April 2015 · Casa del Lector, Matadero Madrid
Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, with invited artist Eulalia Valldosera. The workshop investigated walking as a form of artistic practice and as a dialogue between body and landscape, connecting ancestral experiences of movement through territory with contemporary art.
Sound Art, Installation and the Body–Space
30 September–3 October 2014 · Casa del Lector, Matadero Madrid
A workshop investigating sound as a spatial and bodily experience within contemporary installation and performance. Coordinated by Valerie de la Dehesa, with invited artists Arturo Moya Villén and Llorenç Barber. Participants explored sound, technology, space, voice and performance before developing their own interventions and installations.
Performance, Magic and Ritual through Contemporary Women Artists
18–21 March 2014 · Casa del Lector, Matadero Madrid
Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, with invited artists Cristina Núñez and Eulalia Valldosera. The programme explored performance through ritual, mythology, archetypes, emotional experience and the symbolic dimensions of the feminine.
Paper Folding: The Art of Folding, Light and Shadow
4–7 February 2014 · Casa del Lector, Matadero Madrid
Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, this workshop used paper folding as a starting point for investigating geometry, transformation, light, shadow and spatial perception, extending traditional origami toward sculpture, photography, sound and performance.
The Woman and the Labyrinth: Ariadne’s Thread through Contemporary Women Artists
5–8 March 2013 · Casa del Lector, Matadero Madrid
Led by Valerie de la Dehesa, with contributions from Montserrat Rodríguez Herrero, Silvia Nieva and Yolanda Tabanera. The workshop explored the labyrinth, thread, weaving, repetition, ritual and memory as artistic languages connected to female experience and contemporary art.
Reading the Landscape through Art
14–17 November 2012 · Casa del Lector, Matadero Madrid
Coordinated by Valerie de la Dehesa, with invited artists Lucía Loren and Evaristo Bellotti. Through lectures, artistic references and practical interventions, participants explored landscape as a field for visual, experimental and performative research, developing temporary interventions in and around Matadero Madrid.
CRAFT, MATERIAL & ANCESTRAL TECHNIQUES
More recent programmes developed through Rainbow Art Residencies extend this interdisciplinary approach towards craftsmanship, natural materials and the transmission of traditional knowledge, bringing contemporary artists and designers into direct contact with techniques preserved by artisans.
Roman Mosaic Technique Workshop
May 2025 · San Antonio, Toledo
A two-weekend practical programme exploring the complete process of Roman mosaic making, from the traditional iron tools used to prepare tesserae to the reuse of marble and the collaborative construction of a mural inspired by the Roman archaeological heritage of the surrounding area.
Traditional Textile & Loom Weaving Residency
4–31 July 2025 · Arraiolos, Portugal
A month-long artistic residency and learning programme devoted to traditional Portuguese textile practices and handloom weaving using Alentejo wool, encouraging exchange between contemporary artistic practice and inherited craft knowledge.
Terra Sigillata Ceramic Techniques
Summer programme · San Antonio, Toledo
A material-based workshop exploring the historical ceramic techniques associated with Roman Terra Sigillata, led within the Rainbow Art Residencies programme by master ceramist José Juan Marín Ordóñez.
Raku & Kurinuki: Ancestral Japanese Ceramic Techniques
5–11 August 2024 · San Antonio, Toledo
A week-long workshop combining Raku firing and Kurinuki hand-building techniques, bringing together earth, water, fire and air through ceramic practice. Led by master ceramist José Juan Marín together with meditation and yoga teacher Alba Teno, the programme connected material practice with concentration, meditation and embodied experience.
Across these different formats, workshops become spaces for co-creation, experimentation and knowledge exchange, connecting contemporary artistic research with landscape, material culture, craft traditions and embodied experience.