Cultural manager Ilita Patrício opens the doors to art with Espaço HPM

"At first I couldn't believe it, because I thought it was such an honor, with so many people doing so much for the arts in the city. Then I was ecstatic." These are the words of Ilita Patrício , when describing the surprise and fulfillment of receiving an institutional honor from the Municipal Secretariat of Culture (SMC) of Porto Alegre during the ceremony to present the 17th Açorianos de Artes Plásticas Awards, on the stage of the Túlio Piva Chamber Theater, on the evening of March 28 of this year.

Modesty is inherent to her profile, but the recognition is justified. Over the last three decades, the businesswoman and cultural promoter has contributed to a series of achievements behind the scenes in the segment. This is an engagement that began with the Association of Friends of the Rio Grande do Sul Art Museum (Aamargs) and that expanded with the creation of the HPM Cultural Space, installed since 2024 inside a hotel in the Historic Center and today one of the most popular exhibition spaces in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

"With her tenacity and sensitivity, Ilita was very active and efficient in seeking resources, partnerships and sponsorships for Margs, thanks to her tenacity, in a field where things are not usually easy", praises the visual artist, critic and curator Paulo Amaral, director of Margs for three periods from 1997 to 2008 and current head of the Visual Arts Coordination of SMC. "We are talking about a professional of great value and sensitivity, including in her dealings with people."

Not bad for a Porto Alegre native whose connection to cultural circles came relatively early, through some decisive leaps in her curriculum. The youngest of three children of the couple who owned a small leather goods factory in the Santa Cecília neighborhood (they would later open an elastic store in the city center), she was in her second year of Science Education at Colégio Americano when she was selected, in 1967, for a scholarship to study in the Netherlands.

The exchange program of the North American organization International Christian Youth Exchange (ICYE) would provide experiences that would change her worldview at the age of 17. Welcomed by a family in the city of Duiven, Ilita also visited Belgium, England, Italy, France and what was then West and East Germany. In addition to her English (with a diploma from the North American Cultural Institute), she also learned Dutch, worked as a cafeteria attendant and, in her spare time, visited museums and exhibitions.

This period coincided with his first major contact with the world of art. "I cycled 10 kilometers to the city of Arnhem to see an exhibition by the Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516). When I saw those paintings of medieval and fantastic scenes up close, it was love at first sight. Especially because I had no theoretical or practical experience in Porto Alegre on the subject, except for geometric drawing classes at school or ballet and piano courses, the latter practiced at home with an instrument that I had ended up selling for travel funds."

Back home in 1968, after a two-month layover in the United States (her older brother worked at the Embassy in Washington), the cosmopolitan young lady rekindled her relationship with Marco Antônio, a medical student. She completed her undergraduate studies, took guitar lessons and began teaching English at the Yázigi language school. She passed the entrance exam for Social Service at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), influenced by her readings and the more egalitarian context she had witnessed in Europe. Her paths would cross again with those of art only decades later.

Married since 1970 and mother of the first of her two daughters the following year, Ilita Patrício interned at the then State Foundation for the Welfare of Minors (Febem, today the Foundation for Socio-Educational Assistance, Fase) before obtaining her Social Service diploma in 1973. First job, in double doses: the adolescent clinic at the Hospital Espírita, in the morning, and the Hospital Psiquiátrico São Pedro, in the afternoon - in the women's unit, then in the children's and professional rehabilitation wards, coordinating multidisciplinary workshops.

Working at the second institution provided her with the opportunity to come into contact with Freudian and Jungian approaches. Among her most memorable experiences was visiting the Engenho de Dentro Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, where the psychiatrist from Alagoas, Nise da Silveira (1905-1999), was developing a pioneering art therapy initiative for treating mental disorders. Outside of work hours, her contact with cultural environments was limited to being a spectator, visiting exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, accompanied by her husband.

It would take Ilita 25 years to reopen the doors to a vocation that would soon manifest itself with full force. Retired in 1998, one of her first actions was to enroll in an extension course at PUCRS, on Art History. "In the first class, I was overcome with indescribable joy", she recalls. "The theoretical aspect really attracted me, so the four semesters of activities reinforced the certainty of wanting to be there and to go further."

The next move came in 2000, when I saw a newspaper article. It was Margs, calling for volunteers to work on guided tours. "I applied, was selected, took a mediation course with 20 colleagues and soon I was there, two afternoons a week, guiding the public through the exhibitions, without pay but completely fulfilled. It went on like this for almost a decade, until a new director decided that it would be better to have university students in the role."

If art is made of cycles, the same goes for its instances. And Ilita's skills did not go unnoticed: two years later, the sculptor, historian, critic and curator Gaudêncio Fidélis invited her to be part of the winning ticket for the leadership of the Associação dos Amigos do Margs. From 2010 to 2023, she would be treasurer, president (in two different periods) and vice president. It didn't take long for her name to become a reference in institutional management.

"We have made progress such as including the Museum in funds from the Rouanet Law," he says proudly. "We have also held competitions for photography exhibitions in the café and bistro, in addition to implementing the Conversations at the Museum debate series and the Travessia exchange program between Swiss and Rio Grande do Sul artists, in addition to producing a series of testimonials with local artists for the MARGS audiovisual collection."

Ilita Patrício's active ties to culture took on new colors when she revealed another successful side: that of a businesswoman. This connection dates back to 1966, when her husband inherited from his father the mansion at Largo João Amorim de Albuquerque nº 72, exactly 98 meters from Theatro São Pedro. Acquired by the family in 1949 and leased to a hotel since the mid-1970s, the property had its return requested by the couple of owners in 2014, with the plan to give the establishment a new look, based on a meticulous revitalization project.

The potential had been noticed by the eldest daughter, Cristine Patrício, who had graduated in hotel management in Germany and had returned from a period of work in the Brazilian Northeast. "The priority was to restore the building, with many of its original elements preserved, but also several problems", explains the manager and partner. "It took four years of construction and investment, including financing from BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development), a course at Sebrae (Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses) and support from a specialized consultancy."

Reopened in June 2016, two months after the death of Ilita's husband, Hotel Praça da Matriz quickly became a charming accommodation option in the Historic Center, including for actors, directors and film and theater producers - its proximity to São Pedro and other landmarks is one of its attractions. Add to this the events such as lectures and the internal layout full of paintings by local artists (which served as the location for the short film Ainda Somos os Mesmos, starring Edson Celulari), and the combination encouraged the businesswoman to move forward with the concept.

"With our extensive network of contacts in the cultural world, I told the painter Britto Velho about the desire to use the mansion's spaces as a sort of permanent art gallery. He thought it was great and asked that, if the idea were to go ahead, he would like to be the first to exhibit with us," says the owner, who has her second daughter, Cláudia Patrício, as a partner - in addition to her grandchildren Janina and Vinícius at the reception. A team was then assembled, with partners in the areas of publicity, marketing, design and expography, resulting in the inauguration of the HPM Cultural Space in April 2024.

There are three spaces with specially prepared lighting and supports. Highlights include new solo exhibitions (with busy openings) by the aforementioned Britto Velho and Eduardo Vieira da Cunha (painting), Beatriz Dagnese (drawing), Gilberto Perin (photography) and the Maresias collective. The agenda is complemented by the Roda de Cultura series of chats, bringing artists and the public closer together - social columnist Paulo Gasparotto, historian Arnoldo Doberstein and journalist and tour guide Maria Lúcia Badejo have also been among the protagonists.

"This is an incredible experience, because it brings together not only people from the artistic world, but also goes beyond the socializing that is often restricted to the opening cocktail party," Gilberto Perin emphasizes, after two meetings alluding to his exhibition, on display until next Monday. "Participants can learn a little more about the artist and his work, as well as share their impressions, some of which are surprising, shared and repertoire on social media. This means that the exhibition goes beyond the limits of appreciating the work itself."

Upon completing one year in April of this year, the venue's relevance was consolidated by the inclusion of the exhibition Pintura à Deriva, by Eduardo Vieira da Cunha, in the Portas Para a Arte program, held in parallel with the itinerary of museums and other institutions integrated into the Mercosul Biennial. "Alternative spaces like the HPM are indispensable platforms for the vitality of the artistic world, as they increase the visibility of events that institutional institutions would not normally support," says Gaudêncio Fidélis, former director of Margs.

"Ilita is a great entrepreneur, who puts her heart into everything she does, both in the hotel project and in the cultural space she designed, managing to unite historical heritage and visual arts, two of her great passions", emphasizes her daughter Cláudia, who combines her partnership in the enterprise with her profession as a veterinarian. Her mother gives the final touch: "We still have a long way to go and other news is coming very soon. For now, it's a surprise".

Opened as a residence in 1928, the mansion that now houses Espaço HPM has its origins closely linked to the trajectory of its first occupant: Luiz Alves de Castro, owner of Clube dos Caçadores (1914-1938), located on Andrade Neves Street and praised by chroniclers as the most famous cabaret-casino in Porto Alegre. A controversial figure, 'Captain Lulu' flaunted the fortune he had amassed in roulette and card games with the property, as well as his ongoing search for social legitimacy - the fact that it was built on land close to the headquarters of the main instances of power in Rio Grande do Sul says a lot about this.

The German-born engineer Alfred Haessler designed four floors with a basement, an internal courtyard, several rooms, a garage and a French water heating system, as well as marble, tiles, statues and other decorative items, specially ordered from Europe. But Lulu did not have much time to enjoy such refinement. With the Revolution of 1930 (which made the governor of Rio Grande do Sul Getúlio Vargas president of the Republic), he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he became a partner in the Urca Casino and owner of several similar businesses.

With the federal decree that banned gambling once and for all in 1946, he dismantled his assets in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul and the mansion next to Praça da Matriz - until then rented to third parties - changed hands until it was acquired in 1949 by Ilita Patrício's future father-in-law. Today, one of the few remaining private addresses around Praça da Matriz, the building is listed as being of historical interest by the city and included in the Monumenta program, aimed at restoring the façade, roof and electrical structure.

* Marcello Campos has degrees in Journalism, Advertising & Propaganda (both from PUCRS) and Fine Arts (UFRGS). He has published six books, including biographies of Lupicínio Rodrigues, the Norberto Baldauf Melodical Group and the waiter-lawyer Dinarte Valentini (Bar do Beto). For almost two decades, he has dedicated himself to recovering facts, places and characters from Porto Alegre. Contact: [email protected].