Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Housed in a fishing community with more than 5.000 years, Sesimbra Maritime Museum created a “House of Memories”, safeguarding the material and immaterial traces of its historical and cultural identity. Opened in May 2016, its collection consists of ethnographic objects, films, documents, and oral and multimedia records, collected over more than four decades, whose relevance goes beyond chronological and functional barriers, reflecting experience and stories of the community daily life. With the mission of promoting this dialogue, projects and actions were implemented aiming to create ties with different publics, fighting exclusion and isolation, especially of the elderly and disabled. Thus, and in addition to the regular programming of the educational service and guided tours, the informal talks called “Sesimbra, Memory, Identity”, the gathering of life testimonies around the collections and their donors, “One piece, one story”, the “Museum outdoors” initiative, in partnership with the municipality’s Private Social Solidarity Institutions, the traditional recipe cooking workshops, or the support of popular traditions, such as the “Streets Ornamented in the Popular Saints Festivities”, have played a major role for its confirmation as an inclusive museum. At this level, we consider the museum work , which was distinguished in 2017 by the Portuguese Association of Museology, with the Honorable Mention Award for The Best Museum of the Year, and the Best Educational Service and Cultural Extension Award.