Speakers
AIDA ALVES
Director of the Lúcio Craveiro da Silva Library since 2007. Aida Alves holds an Advanced Studies Diploma in “Research Methods in Library Science” from the University of Salamanca’s Doctoral Programme (2004), a Postgraduate Diploma in Documentary Sciences from the Faculdade de Letras of the University of Porto (1999) and a degree in Portuguese (Teaching) from the University of Minho (1996). She is a member of the Working Groups of the Braga Library Network, the Public Reading Library Network of the Cávado Intermunicipal Community and the CAMINHO Library Network of the University of Minho.
ALESSANDRO BOLLO
President of Officina della Scrittura in Turin. Consultant and trainer in management and cultural policies. Former Director of the Polo del ‘900 Foundation, also in Turin, Senior Project Manager at Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, co-founder and Head of Research and Consultancy at the Fitzcarraldo Foundation. Lecturer in different University courses and Masters on a national and international level he is an expert in the field of cultural management, audience and digital engagement and evaluation of cultural policies and programs.
AMÉRICO RODRIGUES
Director-General for the Arts since 2019. Américo Rodrigues holds a Master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Aveiro and a degree in Portuguese Language and Culture from the University of Beira Interior. He was born in Guarda, where he worked as a mediator and cultural programmer at the Guarda Youth Culture House / FAOJ (1979-1989) and at Guarda City Council (1989-2005). He was director of the Guarda Municipal Theatre (2005-2013) and coordinator of the Eduardo Lourenço Municipal Library (2015-2018). Américo Rodrigues is the author of several works of theatre, poetry, chronicles, essays and children’s literature. In 2011 he was awarded the Medal of Cultural Merit by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.
BRUNO DUARTE EIRAS
Deputy Director-General of Books, Archives and Libraries. Bruno Duarte Eiras holds a postgraduate degree in Documentary Sciences (Library and Documentation) from the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa and a degree in History from the Faculdade de Letras of the University of Lisbon. He was Coordinator of the Oeiras Municipal Library Network (2003-2017) and was part of the group of 30 Ibero-American librarians selected for the INELI (International Network of Emerging Library Innovators) training programme. He was Treasurer and Vice-President of the National Board of the Portuguese Association of Librarians, Archivists, Information and Documentation Professionals (BAD) (2010-2020) and Director of Library Services at the Directorate-General for Books, Archives and Libraries (2017-2020).
CATARINA VAZ PINTO
Independent consultant in Arts and Culture (2001-2005, 2021-). Catarina Vaz Pinto holds a postgraduate degree in European Studies and a law degree. She was Councillor for Culture at Lisbon City Council (2009-2021), Executive Coordinator of the Gulbenkian Creativity and Artistic Creation Programme / Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2003-2007) and Executive Director of the Postgraduate Programme in “Cultural Management in Cities” / INDEG-Iscte (2001-2004). She was Secretary of State for Culture (1997-2000) and co-founder of the “Fórum Dança Cultural” Association, of which she was Executive Director (1991-1995).
CLARA FRAYÃO CAMACHO
Museologist, Clara Frayão Camacho is a senior officer at the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and the National Plan for the Arts. She holds a PhD in History, a Master’s degree in Museology and Heritage, a Postgraduate Diploma in Museology and a degree in History. She was Coordinator of the Portuguese Museums Network (2000-2005), Deputy Director of the Portuguese Institute of Museums / Institute of Museums and Conservation (2005-2009) and Coordinator of the Museums in the Future Project Group (2019-2020), under the Minister of Culture. She has taught Museology on postgraduate and master’s courses at various universities, has written articles on Museology topics and has participated in international working groups and institutional representation in European and Ibero-American organisations.
DÁLIA PAULO
Municipal Director of Administration, Planning and Administrative Modernisation at Loulé City Council. Dália Paulo completed the curricular part of her PhD in Museology, holds a Master’s degree in Portuguese Art History from the University of the Algarve and a degree in History, Archaeology Variant, from the University of Coimbra. She is President of the General Assembly of “Acesso Cultura”. She was Regional Director of Culture for the Algarve, Director of the Faro Municipal Museum, mentor and Director of MUSEAL magazine. She was one of the ideologues and founders of the Algarve Museums Network and the AZUL Network of Algarve Theatres. She is a guest lecturer at the Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais at the University of the Algarve.
DAVID FELISMINO
Deputy Director of the Museum of Lisbon (EGEAC) and Coordinator of the Museum Education Service since 2020; President of ICOM Portugal since 2023. David Felismino holds a postgraduate degree in Entrepreneurship and Cultural Studies, in the Heritage and Cultural Projects variant from Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa and a degree in History from the FCSH-NOVA, Lisbon. He has been a researcher and curator at the Institute of Social Sciences, Casa Fronteira e Alorna, the Geological Museum, the National Museum of Natural History and Science and the Health Museum. Author of books, catalogues and articles, and curator of several exhibitions, his main scientific fields and interests are museums and the history of collections, cultural management and cultural mediation.
FÁTIMA FARIA ROQUE
Director of the Museums, Monuments and Palaces Department of the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) since September 2022. Fátima Faria Roque holds a PhD in Portuguese Studies / Literature from the FCSH-NOVA, Lisbon, a postgraduate degree in Contemporary Portuguese Culture from Instituto Camões and a degree in Social Communication from the FCSH-NOVA. At the DGPC, she has worked as: advisor to the Directorate for Museums (2018-2019); Strategic Communication for the National Museum of Contemporary Art-Museu do Chiado (2020); advisor on collection management and exhibition production for the State Contemporary Art Collection (CACE). She is the DGPC’s representative on the Ibermuseums Programme.
FLORA MARAVALHAS
PhD student in Public Administration with a specialisation in Public Policy at the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas of the University of Lisbon, Flora Maravalhas holds a Master’s degree in Public Management and a degree in Literature. She worked for more than 10 years as a cultural analyst at the Brazilian Institute of Museums, where she held various positions. She is currently working at the National Plan for the Arts with the group responsible for formulating the Social Impact Commitment of Cultural Organisations, the subject of her PhD.
HUGO SEABRA
Project Manager at the Gulbenkian Equity Programme. Hugo Seabra joined the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2005 and since then has managed numerous grants and organised conferences and capacity-building and networking events. Over the years he has represented the Gulbenkian Foundation in the most important international networks of foundations centred on the theme of migration. He currently manages the PARTIS & Art for Change initiative, a collaboration between the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the “la Caixa” Foundation that aims to build capacity, create networks and award funding to projects in the field of participatory arts in Portugal.
INÊS BETTENCOURT DA CÂMARA
Co-founder and managing director of Mapa das Ideias since 1999, a company dedicated to cultural mediation in the areas of heritage, culture, arts and science. Inês Bettencourt da Câmara recently took on the scientific and editorial coordination of the People & Planet diagnostic study on the impact of climate change, which involved 3,500 young people from eight European countries. She has been a lecturer at the Instituto Politécnico of Tomar since 2000 and President of Culture Action Europe since 2021. Inês is also co-founder and President of “A Reserva”, which promotes co-operation and experimentation in the cultural sector. In this context, she coordinated the implementation of the “Oeiras Educa Mais” municipal programme, taking over the Observatory since 2018. She is involved in various research and training projects.
Director of the Museum of Lisbon
Museologist and Director of the Museum of Lisbon since 2015. Joana Sousa Monteiro was an advisor to Lisbon City Council’s Culture Department on museums and heritage (2010-2015) and Deputy Coordinator of the Portuguese Museum Network at the Portuguese Museum Institute (2000-2010). She was previously na officer at the Institute of Contemporary Art and a collaborator at the National Museum of Contemporary Art. She holds a postgraduate degree in Cultural and Creative Management and Entrepreneurship (Iscte), a postgraduate degree in Museology (Universidade Lusófona), and a degree in History/Art History (FCSH Nova). She was a board member of the Portuguese National Commission of the International Council of Museums – ICOM Portugal (2014-2016) and president of ICOM’s International Committee of City Museums – CAMOC (2016-2022).
JOSÉ ALBERTO RIBEIRO
Director of the Ajuda National Palace since 2013 and of the Royal Treasury Museum since 2022, coordinating the State Protocol at the Ajuda National Palace. José Alberto Ribeiro holds a Master’s degree in Art History, Conservation and Restoration from the Faculdade de Letras of the University of Lisbon, a postgraduate degree in Entrepreneurship and Cultural Management from Iscte Business School and a degree in Art History from the Faculdade de Letras of the University of Lisbon where he was a guest assistant between 2002 and 2009. He was Director of the Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum. He is the author of “Rainha Dona Amélia, uma Biografia” and co-commissioner of several exhibitions. In published studies and exhibition catalogues, he has focused his research on the fields of Museology and Portuguese art from the 19th-20th centuries, with particular attention to the members of the Portuguese Royal House and their cultural and artistic practices.
JOSÉ SOARES NEVES
Director of the Portuguese Observatory of Cultural Activities (OPAC) since its creation in December 2018. José Soares Neves holds a PhD in Sociology of Communication, Culture and Education (2012, Iscte). He is an integrated researcher, deputy director and co-coordinator of the Communication and Culture Research Group at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-Iscte). He is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Cultural Audiences, Consumptions and Fruitions, and Public Policies of Culture, at the Department of Sociology / School of Sociology and Public Policies (Iscte).
KAREN MAGUIRE
Karen Maguire is a Head of Division managing the OECD’s Local Employment and Economic Development (LEED) Programme. The Programme provides data, policy analysis and capacity building to national and subnational governments in the areas of local economic development, local actions for employment and skills, social inclusion, the social economy and culture, among other topics. Recent work by LEED on culture and global events includes thematic reports (ex. Culture Fix: Creative People, Places and Industries), place-specific reports on culture and creative sectors (ex. Colombia, Glasgow) as well as practical guides, for impact measurement of global events (Guide 1 and Guide 2) or the role of museums OECD-ICOM Guide for Local Governments, Communities and Museums.
LÍGIA AFONSO
Technical and Scientific Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Arts and Culture Management, Cities and Creativity at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria. Lecturer at the School of Arts and Design (ESAD.CR-IPL), Researcher at LIDA-ESAD.CR and IHA NOVA, PhD in Art History (FCSH-UNL/FAU-USP), honourable mention in the APHA / Millennium José-Augusto França Prize 2019. She was assistant curator of the 29th São Paulo Biennial; co-curator of the Curatorial Laboratory – Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture; assistant curator of the Coimbra Biennial of Contemporary Art 2019 and co-curator of Leiria’s application to become European Capital of Culture. She is the jury and curator of the Amadeo de Souza Cardoso Prize 2023 and is preparing the first exhibition of BAC – Banco de Arte Contemporânea (AMJP/EGEAC).
MANUEL GAMA
Researcher at the Centre for Communication and Society Studies at the University of Minho. Manuel Gama coordinates the Citizen Laboratory 2CN-CLab and the Cultural Policies axis of the Observatory of Science, Communication and Culture Policies. He holds a PhD in Cultural Studies / Sociology of Culture from the University of Minho, a Master’s in Art Education and a degree in Artistic and Cultural Management from the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo. Between 2015 and 2019 he completed a post-doctoral internship in Communication Sciences at the University of Minho, the University of Santiago de Compostela and the University of São Paulo. His professional career began in 1994, first as an actor and then as a director and cultural manager. He was a secondary school teacher between 1998 and 2009 and has been a lecturer in higher education since 2010.
MARIA AMÉLIA FERNANDES
Member of the team of the National Plan for the Arts. Maria Amélia Fernandes has a Master’s degree in Art, Heritage and Restoration from the Faculdade de Letras of the University of Lisbon and a degree in History. She has worked in public administration in the fields of cultural heritage, museums, the arts and education. She has held management positions in the organisations responsible for national museums (the Portuguese Institute of Museums and its successor organisations, up to the current Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage), as head of the Dissemination and Training Division and Director of the Department of Movable Heritage. She was an advisor to the board of the Directorate-General for the Arts.
MARIA DE ASSIS SWINNERTON
Chair of the Advisory Board of the National Plan for the Arts and Deputy Director of the Gulbenkian Foundation’s Culture Programme. Between 2017 and 2022 Maria de Assis coordinated the “DESCOLA project – Creative learning for teachers and students”, an instrument of the Lisbon City Council’s cultural policies, and was director of “Descobrir” – Gulbenkian Education Programme for Culture and Science from 2012 to 2017. For the last 10 years, she has dedicated herself to developing experimental projects based on collaboration between artists, teachers and mediators with the aim of stimulating new learning tools and methodologies to be applied in formal and non-formal education contexts.
MARIA JOÃO LIMA
Member of the research team at the Portuguese Observatory of Cultural Activities – OPAC. Maria João Lima holds a PhD in Sociology from Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, a Master’s degree in Musical Sciences (Ethnomusicology) from the FCSH-NOVA, Lisbon, and a degree in Musical Sciences from the same faculty. She was a researcher at INET-MD – “Instituto de Etnomusicologia Música e Dança” (1995 to 2000) and OAC – Observatory of Cultural Ativities (2001 to 2013). She has participated in various research projects and publications on cultural practices, cultural audiences and cultural policies.
MARTA MARTINS
Cultural manager, since 2010 she has been executive director of Artemrede, where she has worked in strategic planning, cultural management and programming, design and coordination of inter-municipal and intersectoral projects at European and national level. Marta Martins holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies (FCH-UCP), a postgraduate qualification in Cultural Management in Cities (INDEG-ISCTE) and a degree in Law (FDUL). As a speaker, she has taken part in various conferences and seminars in the field of cultural policy and management. Co-founder of “manamiga”, a feminist education project.
PATRÍCIA SILVA SANTOS
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the D. Maria II National Theatre. Patrícia Silva Santos holds a PhD in Sociology from Iscte-IUL. Since 2004 she has been coordinating, developing and evaluating projects in the social, educational and cultural fields in non-governmental organisations (Contact CRJ – Brazil, CIDAC, Atelier 3). Since 2011 she has been part of research projects in Sociology at CIES-Iscte, as well as evaluation teams, in formal (Higher Education Assessment and Accreditation Agency) and non-formal (A3S Association) contexts.
PAULO PIRES DO VALE
Commissioner of the National Plan for the Arts. Lecturer, essayist and curator. Paulo Pires do Vale was President of AICA – Portugal (2015-2018). He is a member of the Commission of Experts on Culture of the Organisation of Ibero-American States (OEI). He holds a Master’s degree and a degree in Philosophy from the FCSH-NOVA, Lisbon. He has been a professor at FCSH-NOVA, as well as at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, the Department of Architecture at the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa and the Escola Superior de Educadores de Infância Maria Ulrich, where he coordinated the postgraduate course in Artistic Practices and Pedagogical Processes. He wrote Tudo é outra coisa. O desejo na Fenomenologia do Espírito de Hegel (Colibri, 2006) and essays for books, magazines and exhibition catalogues in Portugal and abroad.
PEDRO CUNHA
Director-General of Education, since March 2023. Pedro Cunha studied cognitive and educational psychology and has devoted the last 25 years to action research focussed on human development and learning. He has worked in schools and local authorities and was Programme Director at the Aga Khan Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He was Deputy Director-General of Education between 2010 and 2017.
RAQUEL CAMPOS FRANCO
Assistant Professor at Católica Porto Business School and founder of the “de-fora-a-fora” project. Raquel Campos Franco has a PhD in Management from the University of Bath, UK. She is passionate about the non-profit sector, to which she has dedicated a large part of her research and consultancy activity, having coordinated several teams. Examples include the studies Tendências e Desafios para as Fundações Portuguesas (2022) and O Impacto Social das Fundações Portuguesas for the Portuguese Foundation Centre (2021), Diagnóstico das ONG em Portugal, for the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2015), the Portuguese chapter of the EUFORI project – European Foundations for Research and Innovation, for the European Commission (2015).
RITA JERÓNIMO
Deputy Director-General of Cultural Heritage for the area of Museums, Palaces and Monuments. Rita Jerónimo has a degree in Social Anthropology and a Master’s in Anthropology, specialising in Heritage and Identities. She completed the teaching part of her PhD in Anthropology: Policies and Images of Culture and Museology. She was a member of the cabinet of the Minister of Culture Graça Fonseca, as well as the Cultural Heritage Department of Odivelas Municipality and was seconded to the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Directorate for Culture. As a lecturer, she has taken part in sessions and courses on intangible cultural heritage and is the author of scientific articles in the fields of anthropology and cultural heritage.
SARA BARRIGA BRIGHENTI
Deputy Commissioner of the National Plan for the Arts. Between 2014 and 2019 Sara Brighenti directed the Money Museum in Lisbon, managing the installation project, exhibitions and public programmes. She holds a Master’s degree in Visual Arts, a postgraduate degree in Museology and Heritage, Pedagogy and Leadership, and has specialised in artistic and cultural education. She was the promoter and co-author of the Porto Santo Charter on Culture and the Promotion of Democracy (2021), co-author of the Museums in the Future Report (2020) and coordinator of the UNESCO White Paper on cooperation between culture and arts education (2023).
SOFIA COSTA MACEDO
Invited Assistant Professor at Iscte and Integrated Researcher at the Portuguese Observatory for Cultural Activities (OPAC-CIES) with research into strategic planning in culture and heritage. Sofia Costa Macedo is an archaeologist and holds a PhD in Modern and Contemporary History from Iscte. Her areas of work include the associative movement, participatory governance and social transformation at the crossroads of cultural heritage. Since 2003, she has been involved with heritage associations, and is currently a member of the governing bodies of the Portuguese Association of Industrial Archaeology and Patripove – Association for the Defence and Consolidation of the Poveiro Heritage. She is also a member of the Administration Committee of ICOMOS-Portugal.
SONIA BLASCO
Head of the Museums and Movable Property Protection Service of the Government of Catalonia. Sonia Blasco holds a Master’s degree in Museology and Heritage Management, a Master’s degree in Marketing Management and a degree in Geography and History, she has worked in various museums and institutions linked to heritage management. Since 2018 she has been part of the team at the Museums Service of the Government of Catalonia. From there, she works to implement the Catalan government’s museological policies, coordinates the Museums System and supports Catalan museums in implementing their projects, particularly within the framework of the Museums 2030 Strategic Plan.