The Portimão and Loulé Museums are the only two in the Algarve to receive funding from the Museum Support Programme that is run by the Portuguese Museum Network - ProMuseus.
In the case of Portimão Museum, it was one of the recipients of the financial support of this programme due to its project “Coins of the Arade- Two thousand years of history”, for which it will receive 13,920 euros to aid in its implementation.
José Gameiro, scientific director of the Museum of Portimão, explained that this funding will allow the museum "to carry out a project that was up its sleeve since the opening of the Museum, ten years ago." The idea is to create a more interactive, friendlier and easier way for people to get in touch with currencies and their history. These are small pieces and this new system will allow these coins, which have around 2000 years of history, from the 1st century until now, to be seen from all angles in more detail through a touch screen.
José Gameiro added that it is about “bringing to light the hidden history of the Arade coins, which will be well-detailed and interpretable.” The 50 coins will be exposed to visitors, but when activated by touch, the visitor will trigger a projection of both sides of this coin, which will also have its size amplified, allowing it to be seen in more detail.
The project “Universal Accessibility Model- Loulé Islamic Baths Museum”, promoted by the Loulé Museum, will receive a budget of around 12,500 euros. Dahlia Paulo, Loulé's municipal director, explained that the model will show what the Islamic Baths looked like, a complex that was used between the 12th and 13th centuries, and what the 15th century building was later built on.
Both structures have been uncovered during successive archaeological excavation campaigns and will now be honoured with the creation of a museum hub.
“We will have a model that allows everyone, even the blind, to understand the various phases of the Islamic Baths and the Fifteenth Century Palace. It will be a tactile model that will be built and deconstructed as the story of that space is told”.
This equipment will be in the Interpretive Centre of the Islamic Baths, a space that is already part of the project and whose works should soon.
The Museum Support Program of the Portuguese Museum Network -ProMuseus approved financial support for only 45 projects across the country.
The final decision of the jury of the ProMuseus2019 Competition, approved by the Minister of Culture Graça Fonseca, specified a total amount of 640 thousand euros, to be attributed by the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage in 2019 and 2020.
More than 30% of the approved projects are from in Digital Transformation area, and 24% are in the Accessibility and Inclusion area. The vast majority of museums that submitted applications (over 70%) are under the supervision of municipalities.
