Actions in 2003-2006

Besides the articulation of partners, the mapping of museums and a growing awareness of the role of museums in cultural development, other relevant procedures carried out within the framework of the National Museums Policy are highlighted in policy’s Management Review for the period 2003-2006. They refer to visitor research (the observatory of museums and cultural center carried out a pilot project on visitor and visits profile in Brazilian museums. This is pioneering initiative Brazil as far as the scale and scope of the project is concerned.

Acclaimed events in the cultural agenda

A number of dates and events have become part of the country’ yearly cultural agenda. The International Museum Day (18 May) and the National Day of the Museologist (18 December) are treated as important political landmarks in the national cultural arena. In 2006, Brazil also celebrated the National Year of Museums.

The Museums Week (Semana dos Museus) has become the most important event in the museum world. In 2003, 270 events took place during the Week of Museums. In 2006, the number of events and activities came to 1.200. Another large scale event is the National Forum of Museums (Fórum Nacional de Museus, FNM).

Public tenders

Public tenders have two important functions. One is the democratization in the distribution of resources to museums and the other concerns the importance of creating partnerships between public and private initiatives. In 2004 and 2005 the Ministry of Culture offered a number of tenders to the public via the former Department of Museums (DEMU). One tender concerned museums managed by IPHAN, to acquire equipment and collections at a price of 2 million reais (aprox. 1 million euros or more at the time).

Other tenders were partnership with the State companies Petrobrás, the National Bank of Social Development (BNDES) and the Federal Savings Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal/Caixa Cultural). Together, they funded 180 projects related to the care of collections and communication of collections worth almost 30 million reais (more than 10 million euros). A major goal was to reach smaller museums and museums outside the larger centres. 42% of investments were spent in museums in the countryside, and 58% in museums in state capitals. Prior to the tender policy, the South-eastern region (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo) received 80% of the investments made by the Ministry of Culture. In 2004, the percentage went down to 47%.

Building Capacity

The former DEMU coordinates a national building capacity program based on partnerships especially with local authorities and universities. The program was launched with a pilot in 2004 in Salvador (Bahia) and later carried out on a national scale. It includes short courses and workshops on different themes, such as memory and citizenship, museological plan (business plan), museum education and conservation, as well as the organization of local/regional forums and seminars. Until September 2006, the program had organized 175 workshops, 33 forums and seminars in 18 states. There were 10.800 participants. The courses were well received, evaluation being 4,30 in a range of 1 to 5.

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