Franklin Cascaes
Franklin Joaquim Cascaes (Florianópolis, October 16, 1908 - Florianópolis, March 15, 1983) was a researcher of Azorean culture, folklorist, ceramist, anthropologist, printmaker and Brazilian writer. Born on Itaguaçu beach, on the mainland of Florianópolis, he dedicated his life to the study of Azorean culture on the Island of Santa Catarina and the region, including folklore and cultural aspects, legends and superstitions. In the 1930s, Franklin began attending high school Industrialist from Florianópolis on the night shift, where he worked as a master's assistant in the modeling workshop. A few years later, he was invited to teach drawing classes at the same institution, which marked the beginning of his career as a teacher. This career, in fact, lasted for almost thirty years.
Around 1946, he began to fulfill an old desire: to travel the Island of Santa Catarina in search of traces of Azorean culture. He filled hundreds of notebooks with stories, prayers, habits and traditional customs, always trying to respect the islander's way of speaking. Later, he dedicated himself to creating pieces of art that portrayed fantastic stories and characters, such as the famous witches. Such commitment, however, was not seen favorably by everyone. For a large part of academia, for example, Franklin Cascaes lacked scientific rigor, which seemed to invalidate all of his work. His work only became recognized around the 1970s, after his guardianship by the University Museum was legalized. Two of the main factors contributing to this recognition were the appreciation of anthropological studies within the human sciences and a sudden concern with local culture, due to the urbanization process in Florianópolis. Franklin Cascaes passed away on March 15, 1983, leaving his entire production to the University Museum. Today, this collection is named after Franklin's wife, Elizabeth Pavan Cascaes, and has a vast library, audiovisual productions, works of art, handwritten or typed texts, correspondence, copies of newspapers, among others.
