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Museum artwork

Museum and Arts Centre of Figueiró dos Vinhos goes to Cercal

The Museum and Arts Centre of Figueiró dos Vinhos presented the sculpture “Camões”, by José Simões de Almeida Júnior. Just as the participants from the village of Cercal cultivated their land and prepared the soil, Luís Vaz de Camões, a Portuguese historical personality who marked the time of the Discoveries, also cultivated seeds that inspire us to this day.

The sculpture ‘Camões’ (1892) – by José Simões de Almeida Júnior – is between two periods in the History of Art: the rigour of French and Italian Classicism and the expression of Naturalism, combining the rigour of the classical composition with the naturalistic expression. It is an artwork with a historical theme, influenced by the context of the last decade of the Portuguese 19th century, defined by political vulnerability and serious economic and social crises. The idea of defending the Portuguese empire by historical right justifies the recovery of great historical personalities from the time of the Portuguese Discoveries – such as Camões – who complete the imagination of the affirmation of Nationalism at the end of the 19th century.

Camões by museunaaldeia on Sketchfab

Camões

José Simões de Almeida Júnior

1892

112 x 39 x 140 cm

Marble sculpture
Museu e Centro de Artes de Figueiró dos Vinhos

Museum and Arts Centre of Figueiró dos Vinhos

Municipality of Figueiró dos Vinhos

Considered one of the most beautiful spaces in Figueiró dos Vinhos, the Museum and Arts Centre was inaugurated in 2013 and is part of the artistic and cultural road map of the region. With the aim of being a reference within the scope of regional cultural tourism, the MCA features exhibitions and artworks that allow you to get to know various representatives of 20th century Portuguese art. Its collection also includes artwork by artists from Figueiró dos Vinhos, including the sculptors Simões de Almeida (uncle) and Simões de Almeida (nephew), and artists who had a strong relationship with the region, such as José Malhoa and Manuel Henrique Pinto. One of the examples that is part of the MCA collection is the marble sculpture depicting the poet Camões, by José Simões de Almeida Júnior.

The artwork that visited the Museum

Cercal goes to the Museum and Arts Centre of Figueiró dos Vinhos

The collective artwork ‘Cultivar a Amizade’ (Cultivating Friendship), created by the community of Cercal, is composed of small clay sculptures. Each piece represents, in a creative and collective way, a type of cultivation considered essential for the community: the friendship.

see artwork

Meetings and Sharing

The Community welcomes an artwork from the Museum, inviting it into the heart of their village. This object becomes a catalyst, inspiring museum professionals and the artistic team to engage participants in a collaborative process. Together, they establish connections between the museum artwork, its reflection, and its ties to local heritage. Using local elements such as objects, songs, stories, and traditions, participants craft their own artwork. The celebration reaches its peak with the inauguration of a temporary exhibition in the museum. An artistic performance fosters connections among communities and museum professionals, strengthening bonds between them. And so it was… Art as an invitation for encounters and connections.

E assim foi… Arte como um convite para encontros e partilhas.

Testimonials

When I am with you, I always think that I am developing the child inside me.


Carla Martins
Technician of the Municipal Museum of Cadaval, Municipality of Cadaval

I really liked seeing the tiny little pieces they made (…) Leonilde’s work represented her daughters, (…) All conviviality helps people to stick together. (…) We start to isolate ourselves at home and then the days become even greyer than they already are sometimes.


Neli Duarte
Participant of the Community of Cercal, Municipality of Cadaval

The isolation of the populations is very great and it got even worse with the pandemic, but the persistence of the entertainers was fundamental for social conviviality, resulting in an opening of their hearts and showing what was hidden there.


Amélia Silva
President of the Parish Council of Lamas and Cercal, Municipality of Cadaval

The day we actually welcomed this wonderful group to our Museum and Art Centre, you could tell that everyone was really feeling the project itself. And the presentation that they did, that moved both the people who participated and the people who were on the other side watching. And I also remember the words of the councillor, Dr Marta Bráz, who also conveyed the emotion and, in fact, was inside the project, but it was really the eyes themselves that saw and really felt the way people were motivated and were inside the project. And we really felt that it was a day of celebration. It was a day of celebration for everybody. Everyone who was there both watching and participating (…)


Paula Carmo Mendes
Museu e Centro de Artes de Figueiró dos Vinhos, Municipality of Figueiró dos Vinhos

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 do Cadaval
    Município de Figueiró dos Vinhos
    Museu e Centro de Artes de Figueiró dos Vinhos
    Junta de Freguesia de Lamas e Cercal
    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
    • SAMP | Technical team
      SAMP | Artistic team
      Bruno Homem | Musician
      Filipa Cunha | Musician
      Inesa Markava | Artistic Performance Director
      Jesus Kristen | Musician
      Raquel Gomes | Community Artist
      Ruben Santos | Musician
      Sofia Neves | Actress
    • SAMP | Technical team
      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
      Carla Tomás | Museu da Lourinhã
      Gabriela da Rocha | SAMP
      Henrique Chaves | SAMP
      Sofia Neves | SAMP
    • Photography credits
      SAMP Team
      Gil de Lemos
    • Museography and exhibition set-up
      Inês Soares e Lorenzo Scodeller | Novonovo
      Gabriela da Rocha | SAMP
      Miguel Serra | Museu e Centro de Artes
      Paula Mendes | Museu e Centro de Artes
      Telma Pereira | SAMP
    • Design gráfico | Graphic design
      Henrique Martinowski
      Leonor Capricho | SAMP
    • Exhibition equipment design
      Paolo Martini | Novonovo
      Artymanha | Welding service
      Nelson Cunha
    • Insurance of the artwork
      LUSITANIA, Companhia de Seguros, SA
    • Specialised transportation of the artwork
      RNTrans – Grupo URBANOS
    • Technical support | Ceramic kiln
      Filipe Aguiar | CENCAL Alcobaça
      Vera Fortes | CENCAL Alcobaça
    • Acknowledgements
      Comunidade de Cercal
      Município de Cadaval
      Museu e Centro de Artes de Figueiró dos Vinhos
      Junta de Freguesia de Lamas e Cercal
      Associação Cultural Recreativa Desportiva do Cercal
      Espaço Trabuca
      Museu Municipal do Cadaval
      Centro de Formação Profissional para a Indústria Cerâmica de Alcobaça (CENCAL)
      Politécnico de Leiria
      União das Freguesias de Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes
      ANAFS – Associação Nacional dos Alistados das Formações Sanitárias

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