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Wainer & Magui Guimaraes and their sons Daniel Lucas and Peter Mark were fundamental in the starting of Arts & Social Transformation.

They founded a program to create, develop, and cooperate with Social Transformation projects, and the various institutions and people that through the years joined them to make the program a reality. “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much more.” is Helen Keller’s wonderful works that define why Arts & Social Transformation succeeded and it is a platform for social transformation.

“I experience Arts and Social Transformation while working in Portugal in 1983 and 1984 with University Students. My passion for theater and music helped me to build the platform where we gathered the young people into a healthy process of developing their talents. We created plays, and wrote music that inspired us, and spoke to the people about the challenges, tragedies, and opportunities in life. Art was our “glue” and continued in our work in Riverbank where we co-founded the Riverbank Community Theater.

When we came to Brazil to do social work in 2007, and inspired by our Christian faith and mission, we came with a renewed inspiration towards arts because of they way we had seeing how Cal Arts (California Arts Institute) had used arts as a tool for social changes in the lives of thousands of high school young artists.

As Christians we firmly believe that to do good, and contribute to the well-being of our community is an integral part of who we ought to be/do and so, we could not be more thankful to God that our son Daniel studied at Cal Arts, and there we met the Cal Arts President Doctor Steven Lavine who opened the door for the cooperation and A&ST started.

President Lavine opened wide the door for us to create this Bridge of Arts & Social Transformation with Brazil. In four  years this is one of the most impacting programs we have ever been part of, and our hope is that hundreds, nay thousands, of other young artists will stand in this platform of arts, with amazing excellence and human dignity by Cal Arts teachers, and be transformed.

Our dream is that one day programs like this will multiply all over Brazil, and new Portinaries, Jobims, and Villa Lobos will be found and their lives, their families, their communities will be impacted; as it is already happening.

Finally Magui and I must pay tribute to two people who joined us early in the process, Paul Wiseman, director of The British School in Rio, and Anna Whyte, from Innova Group, who became with us the base for the establishment, development, and continuation of Arts & Social Transformation since 2009. Thank you dear friends… “Together we do so much more…”

President Steven Lavine with the 1st Team of Young Artists to attend CAP Program in 2009 during his visit Rio de Janeiro.

Anna Whyte from Australia, a parent of students at The British School in Rio de Janeiro, and Head Master of The British School in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Paul Wiseman, were key people in the creating of Arts & Social Transformation platform in Rio de Janeiro.