The John Dos Passos Cultural Center was inaugurated on September 20th, 2004. The opening ceremony was presided by the President of the Regional Government of Madeira and counted with the presence of Lucy Dos Passos Coggin, Rodney Coggin and Lara Dos Passos Coggin, respectively the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the American writer, descendant of an emigrant from Ponta do Sol.
The original property, Villa Passos, is located in the heart of the town of Ponta do Sol and represents an ex libris of its built and historical heritage. It belonged to the family of Manoel Joaquim Dos Passos, born in 1812, John Dos Passos’ paternal grandfather, who emigrated to the United States in 1830. In 1996, the Regional Government of Madeira acquired the property from Maria Amália Pitta Telles, the last owner of Villa Passos, who at the time lived in Venezuela.
Villa Passos, built in the first half of the nineteenth century, was subject to a delicate process of restoration. However, the original features of the end of the 30s, when it underwent the ultimate changes by its last tenant, Dr Fortunato Pitta, Maria Amália Pitta Telles’ father, were maintained. This construction work resulted in the current John Dos Passos Cultural Center, with its multipurpose spaces. Cultural associations and other municipal entities are based in some of them.
Within the scope of seminars and conferences, the Center organizes, individually or in partnership with other public and/or private entities, an annual conference in the fields which were at the genesis of its foundation: John Dos Passos, Emigration and Culture. The Center also fosters lectures and workshops, whenever relevant.
As part of its wider project Digital Nomads Madeira, Startup Madeira created the Digital Nomad Village. With an established partnership, the Center hosts this project’s working space since February 1st, 2021.
As far as the activities organized by the Educational Services are concerned, the focus is on intergenerational encounters, cinema sessions and guided tours. Activities are held specifically for the municipality's children, with special emphasis on books, reading and the Dra. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library.
Spaces of the Cultural Center
The John Dos Passos Cultural Center comprises several spaces that host temporary exhibitions, a room with a permanent exhibition dedicated to John Dos Passos, two museum spaces, always available for visiting, a special collections room, the Dra. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, which counts with the American author’s extensive work, and an auditorium where cultural activities are carried out. Throughout the year, the Center promotes and hosts several activities related to music, dancing, theatre, cinema and also painting and photography exhibitions, privileging artists and collectors from Ponta do Sol, local or foreigners, who are thus able to disseminate their art to a wider public.
John Dos Passos
John Roderigo Dos Passos was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on January 14th, 1896. Having a grandfather from Ponta do Sol, he always showed interest and pride in his Madeiran roots and visited the island on 1905, 1921 and 1960. His last book, entitled The Portugal Story: Three Centuries of Exploration and Discovery, is precisely a tribute to his origins.
John Dos Passos Prize
In its first edition, the John Dos Passos Prize was initially sponsored in partnership with the Municipality of Ponta do Sol and the former Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs, through the John Dos Passos Library. It only had three editions that awarded prizes to, respectively: 1st Edition (2007) – Fiction Prose Category, the book O Acidente, by Mário Cabral; 2nd Edition (2009) – Historical or Literary Essay Category, the work História Contemporânea de Portugal. Do 25 de Abril à Actualidade, by António José Telo; 3rd Edition (2011) – Fiction Prose Category, the book Jerusalém, by Mia Couto.
It was resumed in 2019 by the Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Culture, through the Regional Directorate for Culture and the John Dos Passos Cultural Center, as it is considered that "it is important to disseminate John Dos Passos’ works and memory further and, at the same time, encourage literary production and historical and literary research. The institution of a literary award dedicated to the aforementioned author is an appropriate and effective means to do so".
Thus, in the Historical or Literary Essay Category, the 4th edition of the Prize (2019) was awarded to the work O Século dos Prodígios - A Ciência no Portugal da Expansão, by Onésimo Teotónio Almeida.
In 2021, the winner of the 5th Edition of the John Dos Passos Prize in the Literary Category – Fiction Prose (Novel or Short Story Anthology) was Oração a que faltam joelhos, by Jacinto Lucas Pires.
The winner of this year's edition, 2023, the 6th of the John Dos Passos Prize, dedicated to the Historical or Literary Essay Category, was Portugal na História - Uma Identidade (2022), by João Paulo Oliveira e Costa.
The 2025 edition, the 7th of the John Dos Passos Prize, will once again be dedicated to the Literary Category – Fiction Prose (Novel or Short Story Anthology).
Administrative Supervision:
Regional Directorate for Culture
Coordinator:
Bernardo de Vasconcelos
Address:
Rua do Príncipe D. Luís, n.º 3
9360-218 Ponta do Sol
Telephone:
(+351) 291 974 034
Website:
https://cultura.madeira.gov.pt/centro-cultural-john-dos-passos
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday from 9a.m. to 12.30p.m. and from 14p.m. to 17.30p.m.
Closed: Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
Weekly Suggestion: October 28th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos.October 28th | 09:00 pm. Simone, le Voyage du Siècle A movie by Olivier Dahan.
Weekly Suggestion: October 22th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John...
Weekly Suggestion: October 15th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos. October 11th | 09:00 pm. A Herdade A movie by Tiago Guedes. Cast Albano Jerónimo, Sandra Faleiro, Miguel Borges.
Weekly Suggestion: October 8th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos. October 4th | 09:00 pm. .MA MA A movie by Julio Medem. Cast Silvia Abascal , Àlex Brendemühl , Elena Carranza , Penélope...
Weekly Suggestion: October 1st, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: September 24th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: September 17th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos.September 13th | 09:00 pm..Juniper A movie by Matthew J. Saville.Cast Edith Poor , George Ferrier , Charlotte Rampling , Marton Csokas.
Weekly Suggestion: September 10th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: September 3th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: August 27th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John...
Weekly Suggestion: August 20th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
From August 20th to Setember 8th.John Dos Passos Cultural Center, in Vila da Ponta do Sol. Available to the public from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.Free entry.
Weekly Suggestion: August 13th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: August 6th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Weekly Suggestion: July 30th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: July 23th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Weekly Suggestion: July 16th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Weekly Suggestion: July 9th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
JAZZ em CAMINHOS - Ponta do SolFrom July 9th to 30th.John Dos Passos Cultural Center, in Vila da Ponta do Sol. Available to the public from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.Free...
Weekly Suggestion: June 25th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: June 25th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Weekly Suggestion: June 18th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: June 04th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in...
"Um Pequeno Advesso"15th and 16th june.@ John dos Passos Cultural Center, Ponta do Sol. 15th June | 6 p.m.16th June | 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Weekly Suggestion: June 04th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: May 28th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: May 21th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos.May 17th | 09:00 pm..L'ombra di Caravaggio A movie by MICHELE PLACIDO.Cast Riccardo Scamarcio, Louis Garrel, Isabelle Huppert.
Weekly Suggestion: May 14th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos Passos...
Weekly Suggestion: May 7th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Weekly Suggestion: April 30th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Cinema: Les Jeunes AmantsCinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos.April 26th | 09:00 pm..Les Jeunes AmantsA movie by CARINE TARDIEU.Cast Fanny Ardant, Melvil Poupaud, Cécile de France .2021 |...
Weekly Suggestion: April 23th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos. April 19th | 09:00 pm..EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (AKU WA SONZAI SHINAI)A movie by RYŪSUKE HAMAGUCHI.Cast Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka...
Weekly Suggestion: April 16th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos. April 12th | 09:00 pm. "Deux". A movie by Filippo Meneghetti . CAST Barbara Sukowa, Martine Chevallier, Léa...
“I will probably be the first director on this stage to say that I wish I had never made this film” – said Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian journalist who documented the russian invasion and directed...
Weekly Suggestion: April 9th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos.April 05th | 09:00 pm. Nunca Nada Aconteceu.A movie by Gonçalo Galvão Teles.CAST Rui Morisson, Miguel Amorim , Ana Moreira , Alba Baptista , Filipe Duarte ,...
Weekly Suggestion: April 2nd, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in...
Weekly Suggestion: March 26th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos. March 22th | 09:00 pm. .Sunset. A movie by LÁSZLÓ NEMES. CAST Juli Jakab, Vlad Ivanov, Marcin Czarnik, Evelin Dobos, Judit Bárdos. .2018 | M/12 | 1H42...
Weekly Suggestion: March 19th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in John dos...
Cinema @Centro Cultural John Dos Passos. March 15th | 09:00 pm. .Frankie. A movie by Ira Sachs. CAST Isabelle Huppert, Brendan Gleeson, Marisa Tomei, Jeremie Renier, Pascal...
Exhibition “Totems: Stories with color”CACI FunchalFrom March 13th to May 5thEntrance Hall of the John dos Passos Cultural Center
Weekly Suggestion: March 12th, 2024. EVERY TUESDAY. AN AUTHOR - A WORK. With Literary Tuesday project, we present titles available at the Dr. Carmo da Cunha Santos Library, in...