Having taken up his duties on April 1st, 2021, António Ponte marks, this Monday, his third anniversary as the Director of Soares dos Reis National Museum.
“It has been a term marked by a profound restructuring of the institution, with the highlight being the full re-opening of the Museum, with the inauguration of the renovated long-term exhibition, which took place on April 13th of last year”, underlines António Ponte.
The Soares dos Reis National Museum is a cultural and artistic institution of reference, owner of a collection of international dimensions, thus, the action of the last triennium has been conducted towards “affirming the Museum as a place for the construction of meanings from its collections, a place of belonging and identity promoting reflection, creativity, and contemporary critical thinking.”
On the other hand, António Ponte adds “an intense and qualified program of temporary exhibitions has been promoted, along with a renewal in education services and work that solidifies the Museum’s approach to external communities”. The programs ‘Other Places’, ‘Art & Health’, and ‘Neighbours’ consolidate the strategic vision of opening the Museum to networks of community proximity.
Alongside these processes, the continuation of the internal procedures renewal, training and team reinforcement has been ensured, always aiming to provide an increasingly consolidated quality service to the Museum’s audiences.
It is worth noting that the Soares dos Reis National Museum ended the year 2023 with a total of visitors exceeding 74,500 entries, which represents a record attendance for the past five years.