COMMUNITY
Jorge at Recycling Rhythm workshop, Darwin Festival, 2015
Jorge has worked as a community artist with disadvantaged communities in Australia, Colombia, USA and Afghanistan. He has also lead community arts projects bridging the gap between the Latin community in Australia. "Jorge Leiva and Claudia Escobar are the dynamic duo of Latin art in Melbourne, they have pushed the Latin artistic scene for over 10 years with projects that bring the community together through music, theatre, visual arts and poetry" Carmenza Jimenez, SBS, 2016
EL TARRO:
Between 2010 and the early 2020s, EL TARRO, created by Claudia Escobar Vega and Jorge Leiva, became a platform for experimental art that took form into a platform where new Latin Australian artists arriving in Melbourne performed and connected with each other and with audiences. During its history, EL TARRO/peopleartpeople played an important role in the development of a community immersed in a new wave of Latin-Australian contemporary art in Melbourne.
It worked with more than 300 artists and cultural leaders presenting over 40 sessions, and engaging audiences of over 10,000, mostly in Melbourne, but also in Sydney, Buenos Aires, Mexico, Berlin, Bogota, San Francisco, Cesena and Venice.
EL TARRO’s work was widely recognised across its history. In 2010, it was officially selected as a Leading Project across the Southern Hemisphere by The South Project Inc, and also featured in the exhibition From Latin American Stories to Victorian History: Building Bridges (2018) by Latin Stories Australia. Additionally, it received a City of Yarra Grant (2018) and the Pozible Gigs Prize (2013) for the gig with most supporters.
In 2020 it released the report ‘Who is going to look this way? A glimpse of Latin Australian contemporary artists in Melbourne towards the 2020s’.
Visit peopleartpeople
OTHER COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECTS
Darwin Festival (Australia). Percussion and beat-making workshop for children in local schools, 2016, 2015
Port Fairy Folk Festival (Australia). Percussion workshop for festival audiences, 2013
Heartlands Refugee Art Price/Multicultural Arts Victoria (Australia). Coordinator, 2011
Preshil 'Margaret Lyttle Memorial School', Northland Secondary College (Australia), Academia de Artes Guerrero (Colombia) and Skateistan (Afghanistan). Creator and coordinator My International Friend Cultural Education Program between educational institutions in Australia, Afghanistan, Colombia, 2009 – 2012
Visible Sessions by Multicultural Arts Victoria and The Arts Centre Melbourne devising and running an interactive performance between Asanti Dance Theatre (West African dance and music), The Polynesian Log Drummers(Polynesian Music) and La Descarga Band (Colombian Music).
Sacred Heart School (Australia). Theatre Teacher and Artist in Residence devising and directing a performance piece with children between 12 and 13 of age from newly arrived communities in Melbourne (Sudan and Vietnam), 2010
Melbourne Writers Festival/Multicultural Arts Victoria (Australia). Arts and Crafts workshop for children. 2009
The Arts Centre Melbourne (Australia). Percussion workshops for “Sounds of Colombia” event audiences , 2009
Multicultural Arts Victoria/Queen Victoria Market (Australia). Design and running weekly percussion workshop for Market attendees, 2009
Auspicious Arts Projects Inc. (Australia). In charge of developing, planning and running a series of weekly percussion workshops for the City of Yarra during 2009.
City of Melbourne and RMIT ‘Livehouse’ project devising and running percussion workshops with Carlton estate housing residents of all ages including a final public performance, 2009
Academia de Artes Guerrero (Colombia), Fine Arts teacher (volunteer) ‘Art and Youth for Peace’ Program. Art teacher for social project supporting children victims of the armed conflict in Colombia, 2004- 2007
The City College of New York (USA). Tutor, Assistant Editor and Artistic Director for the Adult and Continuing Education Program, 2003