For the second consecutive year, the Angra do Heroísmo Museum was distinguished by the Portuguese Association of Museums (APOM) among two hundred candidates for the prizes awarded by this institution to promote the best that is done in Portugal in the area of museology.
After receiving the Prize for Best Educational Services in 2013, the Angra do Heroísmo Museum received this year an Honourable Mention in the Journalistic Work/Media category for the column titled "Museu Aberto" (Open Museum), published on the Sunday edition of Diário Insular newspaper from 2006 to November 2014.
Over the course of 169 editions, the "Museu Aberto" column contributed to the dissemination of pieces representing the diversity and richness of the art collection of the Angra do Heroísmo Museum. The pieces were photographed by António Araújo and each one was accompanied by a short descriptive text depicting its artistic, historical, cultural and affective value.
The initiative was intended to bring Terceira islanders closer to the museum by providing them with information designed to raise their interest for a deeper knowledge on their history, with visits to the museum. A total of three exhibitions were organised under this project.
Two exhibitions took place outside the museum, bringing to the streets of Angra do Heroísmo large-scale reproductions of some pieces featured on Diário Insular newspaper. In turn, the third exhibition, open to the public at Dacosta Room in 2011, consisted of a video presentation of six emblematic pieces belonging to the art collection of Angra do Heroísmo Museum. The latter was presented by RTP Açores in 2012.
The APOM prizes aim to encourage and distinguish the imagination and creativity of Portuguese museum curators and their effective contribution to improving the quality of museums in Portugal. A total of 26 prizes were awarded in 26 categories.