International Museum Day
18 May 2022
The International Museum Day, celebrated annually on 18 May, was created in 1977 by the International Council of Museums – ICOM with the aim of promoting reflection on the role of museums in society. For 2022, ICOM proposes the theme ‘The Power of Museums’ aiming to explore the potential of museums to bring about positive change in their communities and to build a better future.
In this context, the Mértola Museum will be developing the following activities:
– Exhibition ‘Illustrated Surfaces: Islamic Ceramics of Mértola and Textile Design’ in the Islamic Art Centre, to be inaugurated on the 18th at 10 a.m. The exhibition is the result of a partnership between the Museum and Associação Via Criativa, and presents works of 2nd Year students of the Degree in Fashion Design of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, in the subject Fashion Materials II. Professor Alexandra Cabral challenged her students to explore textile technologies to obtain drawings on the textile surface from the study of ceramic pieces present in the Museum’s catalogue. The Exhibition will be open until 4 September.
– Exhibition ‘Mértola is Fashionable’, at St. Sebastian Chapel Museum, to be inaugurated on 18 May at 3 p.m. The exhibition is the result of a partnership with the Mértola School Grouping and Associação Via Criativa, and presents works by 9th grade students. Teacher Nádia Torres and her students developed works that combine decorative techniques applied to surfaces with motifs inspired by the rich heritage of Mértola. The Exhibition will be open until 30 June.
– Talk… Islamic Art – 20 Years. The Islamic Art Museum was inaugurated on 21 December 2001 and is the result of decades of intense work on the research, preservation and valuation of Islamic period archaeological remains in Mértola. On 18 May, at 4 p.m., we intend to bring together some of the great driving forces behind the project for this Museum, namely Cláudio Torres, Santiago Macias, José Alberto Alegria and João Paulo Ramôa, for an informal chat to discuss aspects related to the development of the architectural and museological project, and also to sow seeds for the future.
We invite you to take part in these activities which are also part of the 11th Mértola Islamic Festival, taking place from 19 to 22 May. Come and visit us!
National programme for the International Museum Day at: http://w3.patrimoniocultural.pt/museus2022/digital/