The Portuguese Association of Museology came yesterday to the Algarve to deliver, in person and in person, thes APOM Awards to the Museums of Faro and Portimão and the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve (DRCAlg), in what was a acknowledgment of these three entities in the Algarve, but also a reunion of friends, with “a human and personal side”.
The APOM Awards in 2020 had already been “given” last December, in a ceremony that, due to the pandemic, took place online.
On that day, it became known that the Municipal Museum of Faro he had been awarded the Museology Work Award, by the “The Mosaic of the Ocean: a timeless treasure from Ossónoba” and that the Museum of Portimão received an Honorable Mention for the Innovation and Creativity Award, for the “Recreation of the unloading of sardines at the wharf of Portimão”, which took place in August 2019.
DRCAlg was also distinguished, like its counterparts throughout the country, with the Institution Prize, for its support to museums and museological activity.
Now that the discontinuation is underway, those responsible for the association are making "a tour of museology in Portugal", to hand over their diplomas to the winners.
"The APOM awards party was a party not only to show quality, but also a meeting between colleagues, where the personal and human side is important," said João Neto, the president of APOM, in statements to Sul Informação, on the sidelines of the awards ceremony to the Museum of Faro.
"We, at the APOM board, thought that, since museums are made by people and teams, not just the pieces, that human side could not be left out," he added.
Thus, APOM is "making an effort so that all the institutions that won the award have this personal and human moment, of professional and team recognition", he said.
«It is with great pleasure that we are making this Return to Portugal of Museology, because that is exactly what it is about», he summed up.
Yesterday, Thursday, June 10th, the day chosen by APOM to come to the Algarve to deliver the diplomas to the winners, João Neto started by going to Portimão, in the morning, where he handed the prize to the Museum team, led by José Gameiro and Isabel Soares, and Isilda Gomes, president of the Chamber.
Awarding of the APOM Award at the Museum of Portimão – Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
In the afternoon, João Neto was at the Municipal Museum of Faro, where he delivered the diplomas to Marco Lopes, director of this museum space, and Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Farense Chamber, as well as Adriana Nogueira, regional director of Culture in the Algarve.
On the sidelines of the session, Marco Lopes confessed to the Sul Informação who sees this award as recognition of the hard work of the Museum of Faro related to the Roman mosaic of the Deus Oceano, the first National Treasure of the Algarve.
"We feel this, because this is an award that culminates a long process, which began with the renovation of the room, under very difficult circumstances, from the point of view of the municipal treasury", said the director of the Faro museum.
At the time, given the municipality's limited financial availability, the solution was patronage, as Rogério Bacalhau recalled during the ceremony.
“This renovation was not a whim. It was essential. In this museology, it is important that iconic pieces, such as the mosaic of the Ocean God, contain a story. And an exhibition is telling a story, from beginning to end, so that people understand it», framed Marco Lopes.
Before the renovation, “this story was not very noticeable. There was a piece that dominated a room, but it was not possible to understand its relationship, for example, with the Roman city of Ossónoba».
In this way, and «with the scientific support of Professor João Pedro Bernardes, from the University of Algarve, we made a set of contents that tell the relationship of the mosaic, as a cosmopolitan piece, with the Mediterranean, with North Africa – where they have come from , most likely, the artisans of the play – and with Milreu».
In short, the process «was long» and «involved the renovation of the room, which was a hard work, went through the study that culminated in the recognition as National Treasure and ended with the catalog, which received this museology award».
Adriana Nogueira, who received the diploma on behalf of “her” Regional Directorate of Culture, does not hide that this award “satisfies her” and is “happy” for the recognition of the work that the technicians of these entities carry out.
«We have, at DRCalg, museologists, namely Dr. Rui Parreira, who was one of the first in the country, but not only. We belong to the Algarve Museum Network, on an equal footing with all the other elements and we are in the various working groups», he summed up.
João Neto, on the other hand, did not hide that his management insisted on taking the APOM awards "beyond the streets of Lisbon and Porto", making them reach different regions.
“What we want to show with the APOM awards, mainly with the increase in the categories, which are now around 30, is exactly the quality that our country makes, creates and produces in the area of museology,” he said.
The national museology, he believes, «has excellent professionals and we have an excellent heritage, which deserves to be divulged, seen and enjoyed. This knowledge needs to be shared».
«When things are very good, we are not the ones to be congratulated. It's the teams, but also you journalists. Because when you do an excellent job, you are producing knowledge and creating conditions for our cultural identity to be seen and to last. And we are very grateful for that», concluded the president of APOM.
Awarding of the APOM Award at the Museum of Faro - Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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