International Museum Day has been celebrated worldwide since 1977. ICOM (International Council of Museums) is responsible for determining a theme each year.

The event offers museums and their professionals the opportunity to reach out to the public and society and make them aware of the changes that museums are developing, since as ICOM itself says, they are "an institution in the service of society and its development".

Evidence of the success of this celebration are the figures that ICOM provided last year, where 90% of Spanish museums participated in IMD 2011. The motto proposed this year by ICOM is: "Museums in a changing world. New challenges, new inspirations" they recognize that institutions adopt an interpretive approach and move in an increasingly fluid environment.

Each one strives to achieve objectives and attract new visitors, but the common need to prosper unites all these museums, large or small.

In this way, IMD 2012 focuses not only on the growth of museums and the construction of their future, but also on other issues such as climate change and new electronic media.

The first edition of MACA Play Ink was selected in the CERCLES cultural mediation call, promoted by the Consortium of Museums of the Valencian Community (CMCV). This recognition made it possible to shape a proposal that, from the outset, sought to position young people as protagonists of a creative process linked to contemporary issues and close to their lives.

In this first phase, the project explored the intersection between graphic art, music and sustainability, betting on an interdisciplinary approach that connected directly with the interests and languages of the participants. Through this dialogue between disciplines, young people were invited to reflect on urgent issues such as climate change, consumption habits and the need to imagine new forms of relationship with the planet. Graphics and sound became expressive tools for thinking about the common good, denouncing injustices and giving shape to alternative visions of the future.

The creative process was structured around technical workshops in screen printing, experimental graphics and typography, combined with active listening sessions and collective dynamics of debate and reflection. Music and rhythm served as a motor to generate images charged with energy, while manual work with inks, papers and screen printing screens provided a space for concentration, patience and discovery.

Beyond the visual result, this first edition became a space for encounter and mutual discovery. The participants not only acquired new artistic skills, but also learned to work as a team, to share ideas and to recognize the strength of their voices when expressed collectively. In many cases, it was also the first time they approached a museum as their own space, not as a distant place, but as a laboratory of experiences.

It was born as a selected project in the public call 'Lugar Común', from the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana, within its 'Culture on Equal Terms' program. Created and carried out by David Gil and Ester García from 'Daguten. Escuela Gráfica de Barrio', it has been developing since 2019.

Tirando del Hilo has always aimed to be an opportunity to awaken creativity in people with intellectual disabilities from the Terramar Occupational Center of APSA. The sessions aim to create a meeting space in the museum where participants have learned to enjoy art and have experimented with the various expressive possibilities offered by graphic arts.

And so the participants from the Terramar Occupational Center of APSA in Alicante, the "Equipo Seri", were able to design and create, projecting their ideas in each proposed project, and their results have been reflected in various designs such as the t-shirt for the Plataforma Festival and an exhibition in the D Space of MACA during the months of December 2019 and January 2020.

Reminiscences. Art and Culture Against Alzheimer's was born in 2012 as a pioneering project in the Valencian Community, with the idea of turning the MACA into a space where people with Alzheimer's and their companions could embark on a journey through art and culture, rediscovering their imagination and creative potential. The aim is to involve Alzheimer's patients and their companions in a journey through art and culture, rediscovering their imagination and creative potential.

The visits tour the permanent collections exhibition and are carefully designed for enjoyment and understanding, as well as to encourage reactions, reflections, conversations, or activities around art and artists, but also around the sensations and emotions they may provoke. Furthermore, this project documents the evolution and impact the program has on participants and a subsequent evaluation of its effectiveness.

The sessions are structured with a visit to the MACA that tours either the permanent collections exhibition: specific works, itineraries around a theme, artistic fields or trends, singular artists, etc., or tours the temporary exhibitions. The sessions are designed like the in-person ones for enjoyment and understanding, to encourage reactions, reflections, conversations, or activities around art and artists. Likewise, these sessions are accompanied by a creative activity where what has been worked on is recalled and activated, triggering reminiscence.

MACA is a living and dynamic museum, which is why the educational team has offered complementary activities since its inception to showcase the creative processes and references of contemporary art. Each year the museum renews its proposals for the different levels of formal education. These are projects related to the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. The ultimate goal of the different proposals is to promote the construction of a critical perspective, learn to observe the works, enjoy the information that can be useful for understanding and appreciating each piece, and have the necessary keys so that each student can face contemporary art without inhibitions.

Since its opening, the museum's educational team has committed to inclusive education. Throughout the year, multiple projects are developed for attention to diversity and social awareness, whose purpose has been and is to promote effective integration and real accessibility for all to art, culture, and the museum. To this end, the museum regularly organizes programs, projects, guided visits, and workshops for groups with physical, psychological, sensory, intellectual, or mental functional diversity, as well as for groups in situations of social vulnerability.

We are fully convinced that attention to all audiences should be a priority, and in that way we plan and organize educational activities in order to serve all people.

All projects are developed and directed by museum educator and mediator Ester García Guixot.

The museum's Mediation programming, aimed primarily at adult audiences, offers different proposals in various formats whose purpose is to facilitate deep and meaningful access to the contents of permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. From curiosity, reflection and exchange, we generate an active learning environment in which observation, dialogue and experimentation occupy a central place. 
 

Mediation is conceived as a bridge between artworks and people, a space where shared interpretations are constructed and critical participation is fostered. Therefore, we offer participatory activities and experiences that adapt to different ages, interests and concerns, understanding that each perspective brings unique value. With this approach, MACA becomes an inclusive and vibrant space where visitors not only enjoy artistic creation, but also reflect on its relevance and impact on contemporary society. 

A creative laboratory where we reflect on how artistic practices can influence learning and collaborate with teachers to design and implement innovative materials and activities

that connect the classroom with the museum.

To showcase contemporary art as a source of knowledge and creativity to develop didactic proposals and share pedagogical strategies.

To link the museum with curricula, promoting transversality when approaching knowledge.

Educational projects designed to extend the MACA beyond its physical space, bringing artworks and artistic knowledge directly to schools. These traveling projects promote different learning processes.

We work with teachers, artists and creative collectives to ensure that each project aligns with the objectives and specific needs of each school community, guaranteeing relevant, accessible and enriching activities.

How to participate?

The projects can be developed with a class group, a grade level, a cycle or as a school-wide project.

We propose different tours through the MACA's permanent collections aimed at the school community from their first steps in Early Childhood Education through the end of the cycle in Secondary Education or High School.

Each tour is tailored to current educational needs, adapting them to the MACA's permanent collections and establishing deep connections between artists, movements and trends, contributing to the cultural enrichment of the community. All tours are accompanied by an activity that complements what has been seen during the visit.