Carmen Amoraga, Culture and Heritage CEO, Manuel Muñoz, president of the Saint Charles Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Mª Vicenta Mestre, principal of the Universitat de València, Román de la Calle, scholar from the Academy, and Aurora Valero, the Academy’s general secretary, have presented the event.

Mª Vicenta Mestre appreciated “this distinction by the Saint Charles Royal Academy of Fine Arts and thanks to the vice-principal for Culture and his team for their daily work to make of La Nau an open space for knowledge.” “We receive the distinction from a very close institution that has shared space, time and approach with the Universitat de València. The medal reassures our commitment with you and the Valencian society, to which we are dedicated” has assured Mestre.

The laudation has been made by Ramón de la Calle, who remembered “the shared history and vivid memory between both institutions, and so tasks and arrangements must be continued and reinforced.” De la Calle has reminded that some shared objectives between the University and the Academy are “promoting and spreading knowledge.” Thus, he has highlighted “the shift that La Nau has made in the last 20 years, turning into a reference, excellence, quality and efficiency centre.”  

Thus, Antonio Ariño, vice-principal for Culture and Sports, Josep Montesinos, dean of the Faculty of Geography and History, Cristóbal Soria, manager of the University’s General Foundation, and many members from La Nau team have been present in the ceremony.

The general board of La Nau unanimously passed the distinction of the cultural project of La Nau “since their purposes have high prestige and so they are appreciated as remarkable, plural, freedom and exchange of knowledge in arts, sciences and humanities. This way, the building of the former University-General Study –in which the Royal Academy was founded in 1768– is conformed as a significant cultural area for Valencians.”

La Nau, University’s emblem of cultural policy​

Since founded and through the centuries, universities have contributed to the progress of societies as cultural areas and have been focal points for the dissemination of knowledge, culture and science.

La Nau Cultural Centre is the first emblem of cultural policy in the Universitat de València and it has turned into a more specific cultural area with a solid cultural programme for people. Cultural and citizen organisations and institutions along with La Nau promote many types of activities, looking for alternative and emergent models.  

In the last few years, the institution’s cultural task has been awarded by different entities. In 2013, Turia billboard gave the Vice-Principal for Culture the Award for Best Cultural Contribution of Valencia.

In 2014, La Nau received an award from Tendencias magazine and the Ordre des Palmes académiques from the French Ministry of Culture due to its support to the French culture through Antonio Ariño, vice-principal for Culture and Equality.

Apart from the award to La Nau’s project, some other cultural projects of the University have been awarded. Some of them are publications, images and catalogues in the Awards if Valencian Association of Designers and cultural project such as Assaig, Theater Group of the Universitat de València, Award Avetid (Associació d’Empreses d’Arts Escèniques del País Valencià) and Escena Erasmus (Premi Carlemany de la Joventut del Parlament Europeu i Menció d’Honor de la Lliga Europea de las Federacions d’Empreses d’Arts Escèniques Pearle Live Performance Europe).

In 1999, on the 5th centenary, the Universitat de València opened its historical headquarters again. La Nau building then became a cultural, university and open space for Valencian people after a great makeover. The building was renovated and was conceived for the 21st century as a current cultural space with an own personality. Today, after 19 years, La Nau Cultural Centre has become the most unique space of the University, with a stable cultural programme for people.