Quality Policy

This Policy establishes guidelines for the operation of the permanent and temporary exhibitions and has been drafted on the basis of the Quality Policy and in compliance with the Mission, the Vision and Values of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG). It should accordingly be taken as a complementary document to be followed by all organizational units and employees involved in this work.

The FCG wishes its exhibitions to help bring art and culture to a wider public and for its publics to recognize not only the value of their visit, both as an aesthetic experience and in expanding their knowledge, but also the quality of the service and other facilities provided.

Aware of the demands and the diversity of its publics, the FCG has established the following strategic guidelines for its exhibitions:

• To share the wealth of the FCG’s art collection with a wide public by presenting the permanent exhibition of the works of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum;
• To promote innovative approaches to forms of artistic, cultural and scientific expression that set up a dialogue between the heritage of the past and contemporary creativity and which foster respect for cultural diversity;
• Establishing partnerships with national and international institutions, in order to loan and borrow works of art and to hold joint exhibitions, so as to ensure a varied and lively arts calendar;
• Developing educational outreach activities that exploit the potential of exhibitions to create new audiences, drawn from different age ranges and sectors of society;
• A commitment to the overall quality of exhibitions, as regards to their initial conception, the works presented, the form of display and the information provided, as well as the complementary services and facilities, to ensure that the FCG is acknowledged for its sustainable practices and a leading institution both in Portugal and abroad.

In order to achieve the aims described above, the FCG establishes the principles of daily conduct:

• Professional Pride
  All employees shall have the necessary skills for their work and strive to perform their duties to the high standards required and in accordance with the applicable rules of professional ethics, conciliating the interests of exhibition visitors with the internal procedures needed both to realize the conceptual ideas behind the exhibitions and for the security and preservation of the works displayed.
  All employees shall be aware that their attitude is important to the satisfaction of the different publics and to the success of the exhibitions.
• Team Spirit
  Management staff involved shall decide on the most appropriate procedures and means of communication for mobilizing the staff’s skills and efforts to assure the success of each exhibition. All members of staff shall help each other resolve all issues that arise from day to day activities.
• Compliance with Requirements
  Management staff involved shall identify and assure compliance with all requirements relating to the holding of exhibitions.
  In addition to the legal rules and regulations and other standards needed for different activities, including the safekeeping of works of art, members of staff shall comply with all requirements that the FCG may establish in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, highlighting the artists and partner institutions
• Environmental Protection
  Management staff involved shall implement procedures which help reduce the wasting of resources used in the set-up of exhibitions and to prevent pollution resulting from these uses with the aim of environmental protection.
  The materials to be used shall be chosen when possible on the basis of environmental criteria and materials shall be reused.
  All employees involved are required to comply with the applicable good practice in environmental management and to assure that waste from their work is properly separated and disposed of.
• Promotion of Occupational Health and Safety Prevention
  The management staff and all interested parties involved shall establish and implement procedures to minimize exposure of employees and of service providers to risks, at all stages of the organization of exhibitions.
  All employees and other persons involved are required to comply with the current procedures.
• Public Satisfaction
  Management staff organizing exhibitions shall implement procedures to assure that the different publics recognize the interest of the exhibition themes and the quality of the displays and complementary services, so that publics are satisfied and encouraged to maintain the interest in FCG´s activities. In order to identify potential opportunities for improvement, arrangements shall be put in place for pro-actively and systematically listening to publics and collecting their opinions, allowing for analysis of these findings.
• Continuous Improvement
  Management staff involved shall systematically share the knowledge and experience gained with each exhibition, and plan work and set goals which contribute to continuous improvement in the effectiveness and efficiency of the applicable quality management system, both from an internal perspective and from that of its different publics and other relevant interested parties, in according with sustainable development principles and other guidelines contained in this Quality Policy

Revision 2, the 8th of November 2019