The ARCOmadrid 26 Contemporary Art Fair took place from March 4th to 8th. For the third consecutive year, the University of Malaga's (UMA) TAEC (Auxiliary Technician in Cultural Environments) program, with the support of ONCE (Spanish National Organization of the Blind), presented a stand. TAEC is a project spearheaded by Ms. María Jesús Martínez Silvente, Deputy Vice-Rector for Social Policy and Professor at the UMA, who, for the past nine years, has been dedicated to training people with intellectual disabilities. Students in this program have at least a 33% intellectual disability and are prepared during the year-long course to enter the workforce in cultural settings. Various workshops are held throughout the course, and this year, Professor Miguel Ángel Rego and Professor Ana Esther Santamaría from the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) participated.

The stand, dedicated this year to Carlos Martínez, a student from this graduating class who recently passed away, showcases the work students have created throughout the year in workshops led by artists from various disciplines, outside the main commercial section of the fair. This year's exhibits included pieces from workshops held in collaboration with the Prado Museum, the Picasso Museum in Málaga, visual artists Beatriz Ruibal and Elo Vega, and painter Abraham Lacalle, among others.

For the second year in a row, URJC has supported TAEC at the prestigious contemporary art fair in Madrid. Twenty-five students from the degree programs in [specific fields] participated. Bellas Artes e Art History and Cultural HeritageThe participants, who had previously completed an online training course, assisted visitors who came to learn about the project. The activity was organized by Miguel Sánchez-Moñita and Ana Esther Santamaría Fernández, coordinators of the respective degree programs at URJC. This collaboration is part of the MARCO project (Madrid Real y Cortesano), which involves several Madrid universities and whose principal investigator at URJC is Félix Labrador, Professor of Modern History.

The TAEC stand also hosted other activities, such as the presentation of publications related to the Diana Fonseca and Timsam Harding exhibitions held at La Térmica in Málaga. The project has generated considerable interest among the general public and various art professionals. Artists Javier Garcerá, Elvira Amor, Óscar Carrasco, Alegría y Piñero, Sheila Cañestro, Federico Miró, Juan del Junco, Miguel Fructuoso, Cachito Vallés, and Rosell Meseguer visited the stand, as did curators and art critics including Ángel Calvo Ulloa, Juan García Sandoval, Isabel Tejeda, and Manuel Segade, director of the Reina Sofía National Art Centre Museum. Well-known figures such as designer Ágata Ruiz de la Prada, Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun also stopped by for a few minutes to learn more about this initiative promoting inclusivity through art.

From the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, we congratulate the participants for their involvement and commitment to accessible art.