Titled “The educational service of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum: Cultural Mediation Strategies”, this dissertation aims to analyse the educational service of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum as a case study and investigate the cultural mediation strategies developed by this service in the creation of spaces for dialogue. From the conceptual framework and empirical research, which consisted in the observation of eight activities integrated in the Gulbenkian Descobrir program and the conduction of seven interviews with the cultural mediators of this service, we conclude that the educational service of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum establishes cultural mediation as it’s main course of action.
The growing transformations and restructuring that museums and educational services were subjected to since the second half of the 20th century, concerning the social, educational and representative role they currently undergo, have changed society’s perception of these institutions. They articulate their work with the community and the territory through cultural mediation strategies whose main goal is to create spaces for inclusive, participatory, dynamic and reflective dialogue.
Through the analysis of the case study, we understand that spaces for dialogue are created through cultural mediation strategies that result in a more significant museum experience for the public, which, in turn, enhances the construction of knowledge as well as the learning process. Likewise, the difficulties felt as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and what is perceived as the future and ideal of cultural mediation were also analysed.
