Práticas e percursos do Projeto 'A Quinta como Museu'

construção de saberes e vínculos territoriais

Abstract

The National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), founded in 1818, is the oldest museum in Brazil and has historically been associated with the model of the traditional museum, structured around the relationship between building, collection, and public. In recent decades, transformations in the museum field — marked by the expansion of notions of heritage, the growing appreciation of social participation, and the centrality of communities — have challenged this model and encouraged new forms of institutional action. In this context, particularly after the fire in 2018 and the consequent closure of the building to visitors, the educational department of the National Museum began to develop strategies aimed at expanding the relationship between museum, territory, and community. This article discusses the Museum Education project “A Quinta como Museu: Educação Museal, Musealização e Território”, proposing to understand Quinta da Boa Vista as an expanded museum space. The study is grounded in references from museology, particularly the concepts of the integral museum and social museology, as well as discussions of Museum Education as a theoretical–political–practical field. Methodologically, the work is based on the analysis of educational activities developed by the project between 2023 and 2025, including guided visits through the park, training sessions with Basic Education teachers, and the production of educational resources, as well as the evaluation of participants’ reception of these activities through questionnaires and testimonials. The results indicate the strengthening of partnerships with schools in the surrounding territory and the appreciation of local narratives within the educational process. These experiences demonstrate that Museum Education can act as a triggering element in processes of musealization, promoting the articulation between material and natural heritage and community memories. It is concluded that initiatives such as “A Quinta como Museu” contribute to the democratization of access to scientific culture and to the strengthening of territorial bonds, reaffirming the role of Museum Education in fulfilling the social mission of contemporary museums.