The Gulbenkian Art Library and the António Arroio School of Arts established a partnership in January this year with the aim of developing an educational project involving students from the Project and Technologies class within the Product Design course.

This project consisted of the design and creation of display devices intended to exhibit four artist’s books from the Artist Books and Independent Editions collection held by the library. Their final proposals will be publicly presented in the Reading Room of the Art Library on 31st May, from 14:30 to 18:00.

The work began with a visit by Year 11, Class A students to our facilities, during which they had the opportunity to learn more about the Art Library and its collection, especially the Artist’s Books and the four books selected for the project. The selection was made jointly by the teachers responsible for the subject and the librarian responsible for the development of the collection, based on the following criteria: the formal and conceptual characteristics of the works, their authorship by women artists, and the fact that they had not yet been publicly exhibited.

The selected books were Alice no País dos Pesadelos (2023) by Valérie Agostinho, Chão natural (2022) by Irene Buarque, Livro de Tália (2016) by Carla Rebelo, and Mensagem da Ilha (2024) by Sara Maia – not only because they met the pre-established criteria, but also because they share complex and specific exhibition challenges due to their forms and materials.

The process was accompanied on the library’s side by Ana Barata. At the school, guidance was provided by Project and Technologies teachers Frederico Moncada, Luís Giestas, and Tânia Andrade. The students involved were: Beatriz Francisco, Beatriz Ungureanu, Beatriz Marcelino, Benedita Coutinho, Diogo Pinto, Francisca Koenders, Iara Roxo, Íris Oliveira, Isaac Santos, Maria Oliveira, Maria Ferreira, Margarida Picos, Matheus Cruz, Mariana Caeiro, Mariana Monteiro, Raquel Leal, and Rita Cavaco.