Sertão Negro: A Visionary Afro-Brazilian Art School Rooted in Ancestral Knowledge

Art, Land, and Ancestry: Reimagining Pedagogy in Brazil’s Cerrado

Far from Brazil’s major cultural metropolises, artist Dalton Paula and scholar Ceiça Ferreira have founded Sertão Negro, an art school nestled in the Cerrado biome near Goiânia. Since its inception in 2021, Sertão Negro has become a transformative space that interlaces Afro-Brazilian spiritual practices, contemporary art, and ecological awareness.

A Quilombist Philosophy of Learning

The school is guided by quilombist values, inspired by historical communities of escaped enslaved people in Brazil. Rooted in self-governance, collective healing, and cultural sovereignty, this philosophy shapes both curriculum and community engagement. Sertão Negro is as much a place of learning as it is of remembrance and resistance.

Reinvestment and Radical Support Structures

Paula reinvested his €100,000 Chanel Next Prize into expanding the school’s infrastructure, including artist studios and housing. His vision is further supported by the Soros Arts Fellowship, which backs a residency program offering full accommodation, meals, stipends, and travel for participating artists—a rarity in the Brazilian interior.

Embodied Practices and Inclusive Access

From ceramics and printmaking to Capoeira Angola and medicinal gardens, Sertão Negro invites artists to engage the body, spirit, and land. Programs are designed with a deep emphasis on inclusivity, welcoming Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and neurodivergent artists from Brazil and beyond.

Healing Through Land-Based Art

More than an art school, Sertão Negro is a living, growing project that transforms pedagogy into embodied, land-rooted practice. “It’s a dream of healing through art,” says Paula—one that reflects Brazil’s complex histories and the resilience of Black artistic legacies.

Sources

• The Art Newspaper – Sertão Negro: Planting Ancestral Knowledge in Brazil’s Savanna
• Open Society Foundations – Dalton Paula, Soros Arts Fellowship
• ArtReview – Artist Profile: Dalton Paula

SEO Keywords

Sertão Negro art school, Dalton Paula artist, Afro-Brazilian pedagogy, ecological art Brazil, quilombist education, Soros Arts Fellowship Brazil, Chanel Next Prize 2025, inclusive art residencies, Black contemporary artists South America