And so it was, and flew away is the result of a challenge posed to students from the Master’s in Curatorial Studies at the College of Arts of the University of Coimbra who, in an exercise in collaborative curation and collective thinking, drew on the works on the UmbigoLAB digital platform to create an in situ exhibition for the walls of the Millennium bcp Gallery at the National Museum of Contemporary Art – Museu do Chiado (MNAC) in Lisbon.

In the context of the exhibition, which itself is the result of a process that crosses education, mediation and contemporary creation, the seminar The Museum Is a School will take place on 1 March from 10am to 6pm, inspired by Luis Camnitzer’s innovative approach. In 2009, the Uruguayan artist, educator and theorist devised the site-specific installation The Museum is a school; The Artist learns to communicate; The Public learns to make connections, a response to the statement “This is a museum, not a school!” made by the director of the museum with which he was collaborating, after suggesting the creation of a “teaching station” in the institution’s exhibition spaces.

In this sense, the cycle of talks and activities at MNAC materialises the project of this station, echoing an invitation to reflect on the role of museums as dynamic spaces for learning, experimentation and exchange, based on dialogues between partner institutions, students, artists and the public.

The day begins with a performance by Catarina Domingues at 10am, followed by a guided tour of the exhibition And so it was, and flew away by Ana Rito and students and a talk entitled A face oculta do interior with Maria de Aires Silveira.

The afternoon, from 2:30pm to 5pm, features a round table discussion with Emília Ferreira, director of MNAC; Ambassador António Monteiro and Fátima Dias, representatives of the Millennium bcp Foundation; Elsa Garcia and António Néu, heads of Umbigo magazine and the UmbigoLAB platform; Ana Rito and José Maçãs de Carvalho, from the Master’s in Curatorial Studies, CAUC; Hilda Frias, part of MNAC’s Education Service; Ana Guimarães, Regina Sousa and António Rasteiro, members of the museum’s production team; student curators and artists exhibiting in And so it was, and flew away. At 5:30pm, the seminar closes with the launch of the exhibition publication. Throughout the day, the ongoing performance and book Escandecida by Catarina Domingues will take place. Participation is free.

The Museum Is a School
Programme

10am – 12:30pm
Start of performance by Catarina Domingues
Guided tour of the exhibition And so it was, and flew away by Ana Rito and students (Master’s in Curatorial Studies, CAUC)
Talk A face oculta do interior, Aurélia de Sousa with Maria de Aires Silveira (MNAC)

2:30pm – 5pm
Round table with Emília Ferreira, MNAC Director; Ambassador António Monteiro and Fátima Dias – Millennium bcp Foundation; Elsa Garcia and António Néu – UmbigoLAB; Ana Rito and José Maçãs de Carvalho – Master’s in Curatorial Studies, CAUC; Hilda Frias, MNAC Education Service; Students of the Master’s in Curatorial Studies – CAUC; Artists in the exhibition; Ana Guimarães, Regina Sousa and António Rasteiro (MNAC production team).

5:30pm
Launch of the exhibition And so it was, and flew away publication

10am – 5:30pm
Ongoing performance and book Escandecida by Catarina Domingues

Artists in the exhibition
Ana Frois, Andreia Santana, Aurélia de Sousa, Carla Cabanas, Carla Rebelo, Carolina Serrano, Catarina Domingues, César Barreiros, Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, Eunice Gonçalves Duarte, Fernão Cruz, Francisco Trêpa, Henrique Pavão, Horácio Frutuoso, Inês Brites, João Cristino da Silva, João Onofre, Joaquim Valente, José de Almada Negreiros, José de Oliveira Ferreira, José Simões de Almeida, Veloso Salgado.