This document is the political statement issued by the CGM (Club de Grabado de Montevideo, founded in 1953) at a time of great ideological polarization and social conflict in Uruguay. Among its goals, the CGM lists the need for unity between the visual arts and the public, including members and labor unions, schools, street exhibitions, talks, and contact with people in the interior of the country and abroad. The group stresses (as it did when it was founded in 1953) a focus on populations other than cultural and financial elites. The group takes the same approach in its permanent activities, underscoring its goal of providing teaching to all levels of society. Finally, under the sub-heading of “Su Manifiesto,” the publication adopts a more radical tone. This section includes statements such as “[culture for] everyone, not as a privilege for just one group,” which are followed by references to one of the most sensitive issues for intellectuals at that time: “we cannot remain on the fringes of the political, social, and cultural process in our country, or Latin America, or the world (…).”
[As complementary reading see, in the ICAA digital archive, the following texts published by the Club de Grabado de Montevideo: “Concurso de grabado para edición” (doc. no. 863481); “13 años de actividad de Club de Grabado de Montevideo” (doc. no. 1183571); “El arte correo en el Uruguay” (doc. no. 1191850); “Boletín N° 7 Club de Grabado de Montevideo” (doc. no. 1182833); “Club de Grabado compra su casa” (doc. no. 1192649); “Club de Grabado de Montevideo 22 Aniversario 1953 - Agosto 1975” (doc. no. 1183514); “Club de Grabado de Montevideo a la población de Montevideo” (doc. no. 1183124); “Cuando el Tercer Mundo se mira a sí mismo. II Bienal de La Habana” (doc. no. 1184459); “De los grabados de ayer a las ediciones actuales” (doc. no. 1191787); “Definiciones / Uno” (doc. no. 1189065); “Entrevista a Luis Mazzey” (doc. no. 1186991); “Entrevista a Óscar Ferrando” (doc. no. 1186747); “Entrevista a Óscar Ferrando [segunda parte]” (doc. no. 1186802); “Fundamentos a propósito de su 22 aniversario” (doc. no. 1182640); “Mini Grabado Internacional de Cadaqués. España” (doc. no. 1191135); “La necesidad de la imaginación” (doc. no. 1190793); “Los nuevos movimientos de las artes” (doc. no. 1182868); “Opiniones (I)” (doc. no. 1185411); “Palabras de clausura para un año de apertura” (doc. no. 1191167); “Referencias sobre identidad, cultura y arte en Latinoamérica” (doc. no. 1183641); “Reflexiones en torno a la supuesta crisis de las artes plásticas” (doc. no. 1185539); and “Sobre el papel de la crítica” (doc. no. 1187071)].
