Foment Mataroní

Foment Mataroní is a non-profit cultural association based in Mataró, in the Maresme comarca of Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 1904, it has played an important role in the city's cultural life since the late nineteenth century and remains active today. Its headquarters, at Carrer Nou number 11 in the historic centre of Mataró, is a listed building that forms part of the Inventory of the Architectural Heritage of Catalonia. The interior has been completely renovated, in part because it houses a cinema, while the façade of the old seventeenth-century house, two gargoyles and a voussoir portal dated 1638 are preserved. The entity organises a wide range of monographic courses, including cooking, dance, languages, theatre, photography, computing, travel languages and food-handler training, as well as courses for unemployed people. It also runs a stable programme of activities: exhibitions, concerts, chamber concerts, zarzuela, theatre, dance, choral singing and cinema. It is a Centre Tutor of the Catalan Employment Service and provides occupational training subsidised by the Department of Work of the Generalitat de Catalunya. It also has a theatre hall where the theatre group El Tramvia often performs. Foment Mataroní is governed by a board elected by the general assembly of members. At the assembly held on 25 June 2019, the board was elected with Ramon Salicrú i Puig as president, Antoni Vilà Alsina as vice-president, Albert Roy Recoder as treasurer, Joaquim Buquet Barbena as secretary, and Manuel Vilatersana Pegueroles, Josep Cordón Fernández, Jaume Calsapeu i Cantó and Oriol Ruiz Poz as members. The association's history is closely linked to the Teatre Principal de Mataró, built in 1832 by master builder Miquel Umbert at the behest of the Hospital de Mataró, which held the monopoly on theatrical performances and recreational events in the city. On 10 March 1910, the Board of Patrons of the Hospital de Sant Jaume i Santa Magdalena leased the Teatre Principal to Foment Mataroní, which had been constituted six years earlier. In 1913 the arrangement was formalised further. Today the entity continues to promote culture in Mataró from its historic seat.

The origins of Foment Mataroní are intertwined with the Teatre Principal de Mataró. That theatre was built in 1832 by master builder Miquel Umbert at the initiative of the Hospital de Mataró, which held the monopoly on theatrical performances and all kinds of recreational events in the city. It occupied two properties owned by the hospital at Carrer Bonaire, 2 and 4. The hospital board arranged agreements with Antoni Gualba and Joaquima Subirà that allowed access to the theatre through their property at Carrer Nou, 11. Foment Mataroní was constituted as an entity six years before 1910, that is, in 1904, according to the Wikipedia entry. On 10 March 1910, the Board of Patrons of the Hospital de Sant Jaume i Santa Magdalena leased the Teatre Principal to Foment Mataroní. In 1913 the relationship was further formalised. Since then, the entity has been a fixture in Mataró's cultural life, organising courses, exhibitions, concerts, theatre, dance, choral singing and cinema. Its headquarters at Carrer Nou, 11, is a building included in the Inventory of the Architectural Heritage of Catalonia. The interior has been completely renovated because it operates as a cinema, but the façade of the old house, built in the seventeenth century, is preserved, along with two gargoyles and a voussoir portal from 1638. The restoration of the house was carried out before the elaboration of the Heritage Catalogue, which limits protection to the gargoyles and the lower part of the façade. Over the decades, Foment Mataroní has adapted its offer. It runs monographic courses on dance, computing, languages for travel and photography, among others. It organises exhibitions and is responsible for occupational training subsidised by the Department of Work of the Generalitat de Catalunya, making it a Centre Tutor of the Catalan Employment Service. It also has a theatre hall where the Grup de Teatre el Tramvia often performs. The entity is governed by a board elected by the general assembly of members; the board elected on 25 June 2019 is led by president Ramon Salicrú i Puig.

• 2019

  On 25 June, a new board of directors was elected, with Ramon Salicrú i Puig as president.

• 1913

  The arrangement between the hospital and Foment Mataroní was further formalised.

• 1910

  On 10 March, the Board of Patrons of the Hospital de Sant Jaume i Santa Magdalena leased the Teatre Principal to Foment Mataroní.

• 1904

  Foment Mataroní constituted as an entity.

• 1832

  Teatre Principal de Mataró built by master builder Miquel Umbert at the initiative of the Hospital de Mataró.

A century-old, non-profit cultural centre in the historic heart of Mataró, dedicated to serving the city's cultural life through education, performance and community activities.

• Monographic courses

  Courses in cooking, dance, languages, theatre, photography, computing, travel languages, food handler training, and courses for unemployed people.

• Occupational training

  Subsidised by the Department of Work of the Generalitat de Catalunya; Foment Mataroní is a Centre Tutor of the Catalan Employment Service.

• Exhibitions

  Regular exhibitions as part of the stable programme.

• Concerts and chamber concerts

  Concerts and chamber concerts in the stable programme.

• Zarzuela

  Performances of Spanish lyric-dramatic genre.

• Theatre

  Theatre productions, often by Grup de Teatre el Tramvia in the theatre hall.

• Dance

  Dance activities in the stable programme.

• Choral singing

  Choral singing activities.

• Cinema

  Cinema screenings; the building houses a cinema.

1. 1El Foment Mataroní - Foment Mataronímatarofoment.org
2. 2Foment Mataroní - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Foment Mataroní - Viquipèdiaca.wikipedia.org