The Regional Secretariat for Education and Culture, through the Regional Directorate for Culture, will participate in the AR&PA - Iberian Cultural Heritage Biennial. This year's edition will be held in Loulé between October 11 and 13 and will be dedicated to the theme of "Sustainability" with the aim of increasing the reputation of the Azores Culture in the Iberian market.
The Regional Directorate for Culture participates in the event with an institutional stand under the theme “Azores Underwater Archaeological Cultural Heritage,” thus continuing the strategy of disseminating this rich heritage. It has been recently driven by the launch of the Azores Underwater Cultural Heritage Itinerary and the Good Practices Handbook on the Azores Underwater Archaeological Cultural Heritage. Both were published by the Regional Secretariat for Education and Culture, through the Regional Directorate for Culture, under the MARGULLAR project, an initiative co-financed by the INTERREG - MAC 2014-2020 programme.
In this regard, the participation in the AR&PA Biennial will disseminate the various underwater archaeological parks of the Azores in coordination with the museum institutions host their collections.
The Iberian Biennial of Cultural Heritage is the result of the merger of the Bienal de la Restauración y Gestión del Patrimonio AR&PA, which has been held in Madrid in Valladolid, Spain, since 1998, with the Heritage Fair, an event created in 2013 in Portugal.
This biennial is now held alternately between Portugal (odd years) and Spain (Valladolid, even years).
In 2017, the first year of this Iberian format, the city of Amarante hosted the event, with the participation of Spain, alongside Portuguese participants.
The AR&PA - Iberian Cultural Heritage Biennial is a meeting point and debate forum for professionals and institutions dedicated to Cultural Heritage.
The exhibition area, the diversity of scientific and professional activities, and the social programming give rise to a unique event of reference in Europe.
The AR&PA Biennial has as its objectives the promotion, recognition and visibility of Cultural Heritage, through the aggregation of the various agents active in this area.
Besides the many exhibitors to visit, the event features other activities such as workshops, debates, round tables, exhibitions, concerts and seminars as well as a complementary cultural programme aimed at the public in general, families and young people that includes heritage education activities.
This year, several public spaces in Loulé will host Biennial activities and various cultural itineraries.
The Regional Directorate for Culture informs that this and other events may be consulted in the Cultural Agenda of CulturAçores Portal at www.culturacores.azores.gov.pt.