Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Terry Costa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Terry, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Since childhood, the arts were always part of my daily life. Growing up on an island, in the middle of the Atlantic, music and theatre were part of my regular activities. After moving back to Canada, where I was born, to go to highschool, I focused on visual arts, dance and theatre, knowing well that I wanted to create, direct and produce shows and other arts events. My post-secondary scholling was all in the arts, from acting conservatory at Sheridan College and Theatre & Drama Studies at University of Toronto. Since university years I always worked somewhere in the artistic cultural world, from behind the scenes to the stages. Didn´t take long to become an artistic director and programme and manage organizations. Since 2012, back on the island of Pico, in the Azores, that´s exactly what I do with MiratecArts and the many festivals we present.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a multidisciplinary artist. I can be working on a theatre show one day and the next mounting an exhibition, or directing dancers in a new performance, or presenting a film. That´s why I slid into the position of the artistic director quite organically, while can still manage to develop my own personal arts projects that, nowadays, are more focused on ilustrated books for the child in all of us. Since arriving on the island of Pico, I founded the Azores Fringe Festival, an eclectic non-juried international festival, part of the movement that includes about 300 festivals from all four corners of the world. Next came the Montanha Pico Festival, dedicated to mountain-themed cinema, since we are on the highest mountain of Portugal and mid-Atlantic, made much sense. Cordas World Music Festival has now celebrated its 10th edition, and annually welcomes string-music artists from around the world to play in our gardens, museums, outdoor natural pools, caves, the mountain crater and our largest cultural center in the Town of Madalena, which is also the home to AnimaPIX, a festival for the kid in all of us, that goes from the illustrated book to the animated film. The Madalena Auditorium & Library is an epicenter for the MiratecArts work and this year is celebrating twn years since opening its doors with our first oficial season of programming, in partnership with the Madalena Municipal Chamber. Creatives inspire me and in return I become more creative. Young folk inspire me to keep believing, more experienced humans inspired me to keep on learning. Every day is the beginning of a new study for life and life in the arts.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As an artist, seeing the way people respond to the work is very fulfilling. And I don´t mean if they like it. Any type of response that one is able to provoke, to make a person feel alive, is more and more important nowadays. In a world where technoloy is literally taking over our lives, the human feeling is sought out like gold. Therefore, causing emotions is the most rewarding aspect of being a creative human. Every day I encourage the ones around me to keep on being creative, learning and creating something new. Inventing without fear of failing. That´s how we, humans, will separate ourselves from the machines.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing one can do is consume the art. Go to a show, visit a gallery, see a movie, read a book, and on and on. Tell your friends about the artist, the event, there is always a chance they might not know. Never assume people know something you know. Share online your experiences in the artistic world. Be the messenger. And, of course, those that have the means, can sponsor an art project, an event or an artist, or make a donation directly to artist or artistic organizations. That is the way to insure continuity. And, don´t forget, if you have kids, spoiled them with artistic experiences, from meeting artists to participating in workshops and goingg regularly to events. Think of arts as the new bread of life. And, be adventurous. Don´t stick to what or whom you know. Go see new artists, those are the ones that need to most support.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miratecarts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miratecarts
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/galeriacosta/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrycosta/

Image Credits
Pedro Silva, Luis Godinho