Portuguese Popular Art Museum

Municipality of Pombal

The “Museu da Arte Popular Portuguesa” (Portuguese Popular Art Museum) is a cultural institution that promotes Portuguese popular culture and its history. Located in the historic centre of Pombal, it shows the work of artisans from various regions of Portugal, as well as decorative and domestic objects and furniture that portray the daily life of the Portuguese people. It features a collection of national handicrafts produced in various materials, consisting of more than three thousand objects from various regions of the country, which represent traditions, religious beliefs and popular imagination. The museum also has a section devoted to local know-how, where the ‘bracejo da Ilha’ (golden oats grass from Ilha) handicrafts are highlighted: a vegetable fibre which is very abundant in the region and which gives its name to the ‘Capacheiras da Ilha’ (Ilha’s mat makers), who produce utilitarian objects such as mats, baskets and carpets, as well as various decorative objects.

see location
Portuguese Popular Art Museum,Municipality of Pombal – Photo by SAMP

Carpet made with golden eats grass from Ilha

Created by 278 volunteers under the guidance of the artisans of the Cestinhos da Ilha Cooperative, the Carpete em Bracejo da Ilha was the piece selected by the Museu de Arte Popular Portuguesa de Pombal to present to the community of Folgarosa.

Museu de Arte Popular Portuguesa – Carpet made with golden eats grass from Ilha on exhibition in Pombal.

Carpet made with golden eats grass from Ilha

2011
350 cm
Interlaced vegetable fibreMuseu de Arte Popular Portuguesa

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Museu de Arte Popular Portuguesa – Carpet made with golden eats grass from Ilha on exhibition in Pombal.

Museum-Village Route map

The Museum in the Village Project has transcended geographical boundaries by bringing together museums and villages from 26 different municipalities in Portugal. The map highlights the three participating regions and reveals the route between the museum and the village, where Cultural Heritage acts as a bridge to bring together municipalities, celebrate traditions and enhance territorial cohesion.

We were left with a big backache, but it was a lovely experience! We painted the asphalt brown, put some cardboard squares and painted over them. (…) Besides being a carpet, there is another name… street art? I think that’s it! It embellished the road – the residents were dazzled, and the mayor had calendars made!

Belmira Guilherme
Community of Folgarosa, Municipality of Torres Vedras

There’s a little bit of me in there.

Maria de Jesus
Community of Folgarosa, Municipality of Torres Vedras

Museums belong to a big family… which is the community. (…) Museums have pieces that tell stories (…) they maintain the living memory of a group of people who built a community.

Ana Umbelino
Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Culture of the City Council of Torres Vedras

We learn and we like to learn. Also so we don’t stay at home all the time. There is more socialising between people. (…) It’s impressive. (…) That is a work of art for me. It must not have been easy to do that work (referring to the carpet presented by the paired museum).

Maria Alice Alberto
Community of Folgarosa, Municipality of Torres Vedras.

Exhibitions Credits

  • Cultural Promoter
    SAMP – Sociedade Artística Musical dos Pousos
  • Co-financier
    Iniciativa Portugal Inovação Social
    Programa Operacional Social e de Emprego (PO ISE)
    Portugal 2020
    Fundo Social Europeu (FSE)
  • Social investor
    Câmara Municipal de Leiria
    Partner
    Rede Cultura 2027
  • In collaboration with
    Município de Torres Vedras
    Município de Pombal
    Museu de Arte Popular Portuguesa de Pombal
    União de Freguesias de Maxial e Monte Redondo
    União de Freguesias de Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes
  • Museums Working Group for “Rede Cultura 2027”
    Alberto Guerreiro | Museu Raul da Bernarda
    Sónia Santos | Município de Ourém
    Bruno Silva | Rede de Museus e Galerias de Óbidos
    Dóris Santos | Museu Dr. Joaquim Manso
    Filipe Guimarães da Silva | Fundação Mário Soares e Maria Barroso
    Jorge Figueiredo | Município de Porto de Mós
    Luís Figueiredo | Museu Damião de Góis e das Vítimas da Inquisição
    Margarida Moleiro | Museu Municipal Carlos Reis
    Raquel Janeirinho | Rede Museológica do Concelho de Peniche
    Vânia Carvalho | Museu de Leiria
  • The 13 Villages
    Alcanadas (Batalha) | Louriceira de Cima (Arruda dos Vinhos) | Ateanha (Ansião) | Cabeças (Alvaiázere) | Cercal (Cadaval) | Columbeira (Bombarral) | Fanhais (Nazaré) | Freixianda (Ourém) | Folgarosa (Torres Vedras) | Mosteiro (Pedrógão Grande) | São Bento (Porto de Mós) | Fetelaria (Sobral de Monte Agraço) | Pena e Casal da Pena (Torres Novas) 

  • The 13 Museums
    Casa do Tempo (Castanheira de Pera) | Centro de Artes Caldas da Rainha | Centro de Estudos em Fotografia de Tomar | Rede de Museus e Galerias de Óbidos | Museu de Arte Popular Portuguesa (Pombal) | Museu da Lourinhã | Museu de Aguarela Roque Gameiro (Alcanena) | Museu de Leiria | Museu do Vidro (Marinha Grande) | Museu e Centro de Artes de Figueiró dos Vinhos | Museu Damião de Góis e das Vítimas da Inquisição (Alenquer) | Museu Raul da Bernarda (Alcobaça) | Rede Museológica do Concelho de Peniche


    The project also had the collaboration of museums from the 26 participating municipalities.
  • SAMP Contigo | Coordination

    Raquel Gomes
  • Museu na Aldeia | Coordination

    Gabriela da Rocha
    Sofia Neves
  • Museu na Aldeia | Teams of the project

    • Artistic team | SAMP
      Bruno Homem | Musician
      Filipa Cunha | Musician
      Inesa Markava | Artistic Performance Director
      Jesus Kristen | Musician
      Raquel Gomes | Community Artist
      Ruben Santos | Musician
      Sofia Neves | Actress
    • Technical team | SAMP
      Ana Figueiredo | Communication and Content Manager
      Cátia Gaio | Logistic and Financial Support
      Gabriela da Rocha | Museologist
      Henrique Chaves | Sociologist
      Lara Matos | Degree in Social Psychology
      Leonor Capricho | Graphic Designer
      Ismael Neves | Logistic and Financial Support
      Telma Pereira | Production
    • Texts
      Ana Figueiredo | SAMP
      Cidália Botas | Museu de Arte Popular de Pombal
      Gabriela da Rocha | SAMP
      Henrique Chaves | SAMP
      Sofia Neves | SAMP
    • Photography credits
      SAMP team
      Gil de Lemos
    • Graphic design and illustration
      Henrique Martinowski
      Leonor Capricho | SAMP
    • Museography and museology
      Cidália Botas | Museu de Arte Popular Portuguesa
      Gabriela da Rocha | SAMP
    • Exhibition set-up
      Cidália Botas | Museu de Arte Popular Portuguesa
      Gabriela da Rocha | SAMP
      Inês Soares e Lorenzo Scodeller | Novonovo
      Mafalda Matos | Novonovo
      Margarida Pereira | Novonovo
      Telma Pereira | SAMP
    • Equipment design
      Mafalda Matos | Novonovo
      Margarida Pereira | Novonovo
    • Laser Cutter | Technical support
      FabLab Porto de Mós
    • Specialised transportation of the artwork
      RNTrans – Grupo URBANOS
    • Insurance of the artwork
      LUSITANIA, Companhia de Seguros, SA
    • Acknowledgements
      Comunidade de Folgarosa
      Museu Municipal Leonel Trindade | Torres Vedras
      Cooperativa de Cestinhos da Ilha, C. R. L
      FabLab de Porto de Mós
      Politécnico de Leiria
      União das Freguesias de Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes
      ANAFS – Associação Nacional de Alistados das Formações Sanitárias

COLLABORATORS

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