The Municipal Museum of Loulé and also the groups of Friends of the Museum of Portimão and the Museum of Costume of São Brás de Alportel received four of the APOM-Associação Portuguesa de Museologia awards, during the award ceremony that took place on Friday, the 26th. , at the Air Museum, in Sintra.
Thus, the work carried out in the Islamic Baths and Manor House of Barreto earned the Municipal Museum of Loulé a double distinction – the prize for “Museography Project” and the prize for “Safety, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage”.
For its part, the Group of Friends of the Museum of Portimão was distinguished with the "Institution" prize, while the Friends of the Museum of Costume of São Brás de Alportel were awarded in the category of "Education and Cultural Mediation Project".
The Loulé Museum explains that the “Museography Project” prize is intended to reward museography projects, in temporary and permanent exhibitions, while the “Safeguard, Conservation and Restoration in Cultural Heritage” prize distinguishes projects in the areas of safeguarding, conservation and restoration of material heritage – built heritage and assets.
At the award ceremony, Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé, highlighted the importance of these distinctions, underlining that it is a first step for the Cultural Quarter to be developed throughout the area of the historic center of the city of Loulé.
Built in the XNUMXth century, next to one of the entrances to the medieval Islamic city of al-'Ulyà, the Hammam it is divided into five distinct spaces: cold room, warm room, hot room, furnace compartment and vestibule, the latter two not being visible in the museum area. Later, in the XNUMXth century, the Manor House of the Barreto family would be built here, which is part of the museum building.
The musealization of the space of the Islamic Baths allowed (re)cognizing in this place a diachrony of occupation of the city of Loulé, since architectural structures of heritage value from two relevant periods cohabit here in a single space.
The Municipality of Loulé recalls that «the process for the classification of the Islamic Baths of Loulé as a National Monument is in its final phase».
For its part, the Group of Friends of the Museum of Portimão (GAMP) explains that the “Institution” prize is awarded by APOM, within the scope of its mission to promote knowledge of museology and scientific and technical domains, to bodies, public or private institutions that support museums and museological activities.
In the case of GAMP, APOM highlighted the relevant participation and civic interaction, as well as the continued relationship, partnership and voluntary collaboration of its members, in a museological policy of greater cultural proximity, more involving and solidary, for the safeguarding and enhancement of the cultural heritage and nature and the dissemination of the Museum of Portimão.
Throughout 2022, the partnership between GAMP and the Museum of Portimão was developed in eight initiatives and areas of work: A day in Prehistory, at the Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar, exhibition «Stroll through the Underwater History of the Arade River», tours cultural and museological events, 22nd Portimão Photographic Race, gatherings, French Cinema cycle, volunteer actions and solidarity concert «Do Cante ao Canto».
«This award reflects the recognition of the performance of the Group of Friends of the Museum of Portimão in its basic programmatic mission», while at the same time reflecting the way in which GAMP «sought to innovate in favor of the dimension and diversification of the Museum and its museological functions ».
«The work of the Friends of the Museum in the Educational and Mediation area is of great importance for the daily operation of the Museu do Traje de São Brás de Alportel, cultural valence of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia. In this way, not only the daily welcome to the visitor, but also the accompaniment and mediation in the exhibitions, in the ateliers, in the sensory garden and often in the technical areas, is attributed to the Friends of the Museum and their extraordinary team».
This explains the Honorable Mention attributed by APOM to the Friends of the Museum in the category of “Education and Cultural Mediation Project”.
«Social Museology has these specificities: the active community participates daily in the life of its Museum, giving part of its time, its knowledge, its life, in favor of the Community», explains the museological structure of São Brás de Alportel.
In addition to these awards for institutions in the Algarve, the Algarve region led to yet another award, but for the National Railway Museum, for the exhibition “1922-2022. Lakes | The Last Stop Exhibition for the Centenary of the Train's Arrival in Lagos“, which was on display at the Cultural Center of that city. This show received an Honorable Mention in the «Partnership» category.
The 2023 Museum of the Year Award was awarded by APOM to the Iberian Museum of Archeology and Art of Abrantes (MIAA), in the district of Santarém.
The awards, in 25 categories, were announced at the ceremony held at the Museu do Ar, in Pero Pinheiro, Sintra, by APOM, with the presence of dozens of professionals from the museum and museology sector, namely the president of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Emma Nardi.
The Associação Portuguesa de Museologia (APOM) was founded in 1965 with the aim of serving the community of Portuguese museum professionals. It was the first professional organization linked to Museums to be founded in Portugal.
Every year, and since 1997, this Association promotes the award ceremony of the APOM Awards, designed to distinguish museums, projects, professionals and activities carried out in the sector.
The purpose of these awards is to encourage and reward the imagination and creativity of Portuguese museologists and their effective contribution to improving the quality of museums in Portugal, as well as being a way of giving visibility to what is best done in the field of museology.
Click here to see the complete list of awardees
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