Guided tour and creative workshop mark International Museum Day in Tavira

As part of International Museum Day (18 May), the Tavira Municipal Museum is bringing forward the celebrations to a day earlier, which includes a guided tour dedicated to the city's "Tiled Facades", as well as the creative workshop "Câmara Escura".

In this context, as part of the “Tours through the History of Tavira” programme and National Tile Day (last 6th), a guided tour of Tavira’s tiled façades will take place on 17th May at 10:30 am, under the guidance of Ricardo Louro (senior technician at the Municipal Museum).

This guided tour promises to allow you to closely observe some of the tile patterns that cover the facades of Tavira houses.

At the turn of the 19th century, tiles gained new prominence in Portuguese architecture, becoming visible on façades richly decorated with ceramic patterns. This movement, which began in Lisbon and Porto, gradually spread to several cities and towns across the country.

Tavira follows this transformation with the proliferation of decorated facades on houses, generally consisting of a ground floor and first floor.

These buildings are often enriched not only with tiles, but also with other decorative ceramic elements, such as balusters and vases, which beautify the streets and enhance the city's built heritage.

Those interested in participating in this International Museum Day activity in Tavira, up to a maximum of 30 people, must register by May 15th, here .

Further information can be requested from the Tourism, Heritage and Museums Division, by telephone (281 320 545/568) or email ( [email protected] ).

Also on the 17th, between 2pm and 4pm, the Tavira Municipal Museum | Palácio da Galeria invites families with children between the ages of six and 12 to take part in the creative workshop “Câmara Escura”.

Inspired by the work of artist Lourdes de Castro, featured in the exhibition “Summer Rain”, this International Museum Day activity explores the world of shadows and light.

Shadow is the central concept in the work of this Portuguese artist who uses cut-out and projected shadows and shadow theaters as forms of artistic expression.

In this activity, participants have the opportunity to build their own “Dark Chamber”, a magic box that allows them to capture silhouettes of the world around them.

This mechanism, which represents the first major discovery that led to the development of photography, aims to provide an educational and fun experience for the whole family.

Those interested in participating, with a minimum of four people and a maximum of 10, must register, free of charge, by filling out the form, available here .

These activities are part of the International Museum Day celebration program, which includes several initiatives throughout the second half of May, namely:

May 24th | 5:30pm Chapel of Saint Roque Opening of the exhibition “Local Outpatient Support Service” Work by Ana Vidigal, Angela Ferreira, Nuno Nunes-Ferreira and Susana Mendes Silva

Curated by Hugo Dinis