From October 28 to November 3, an exchange trip took place between IESA arts&culture and the Lisbon University Institute ISCTE-IUL. 1st-year students in the Master in Cultural Production had the chance to discover, over a week, the cultural specificities of Portugal and its artistic potential.
We were welcomed by Mr. Luis Afonso, PhD in art history and director of the Art Market Master at the University of Lisbon, for a presentation of Portugal’s cultural and artistic landscape and a comparative study with France. The cultural visits and meetings with professionals were also very rich. Students were able to discover the modern and contemporary art collection of the Berardo Foundation and talk for more than an hour with its directors, Mr. Pedro Lapa and Mr. Pedro Bernardes. One of the highlights of the week was also the visit to the studio of the artist Joana Vasconcelos in the docklands district along the Tagus. During this visit, students were able to see up close the meticulous work of dozens of art craftspeople, each of whom contributes with precision and virtuosity to creating the artist’s famous monumental works!
A presentation and guided tour of the Macao Scientific and Cultural Centre by its president, Mr. Luis Filipe Barreto, offered a look at the shared history between Portugal and its Chinese enclave of Macao, as well as the wonderful collections of Chinese ceramics and porcelain. This center is a wonderful space dedicated to cultural exchange through exhibitions, conferences, and artistic and scientific residencies. A place where Asian and European cultures meet in the heart of the Lisbon city. An excursion was also arranged to the town of Sintra, where students were able to stroll through 85 hectares of historic parks and gardens.
As part of this exchange, the Portuguese students in ISCTE’s Cultural Management Master will in turn be hosted in Paris from November 12 to 16: IESA arts&culture is putting together a dense and diverse cultural program for them, exploring the cultural industries, contemporary creation, and French heritage, coupled with meetings with professionals: museum directors, heritage curators, theater directors…
