The Museu do Pontal in Rio de Janeiro, an international reference for Brazilian folk art with over nine thousand works by 300 artists—the largest collection of its kind and recognized for its relevance by UNESCO—inaugurated its new headquarters in Barra da Tijuca on October 9, 2021. With this, the city gains a new and important art and culture facility. This inauguration is the result of a major collective collaboration involving over a thousand people and companies such as BNDES, Instituto Cultural Vale, and Itaú Cultural, among others, through the Federal Government's Culture Incentive Law. Furthermore, it was made possible through the special support of IBRAM (Brazilian Institute of Museums) and the City of Rio de Janeiro.
The 2,600-square-meter building, designed with sustainability in mind by Arquitetos Associados, sits on a 14,000-square-meter plot that is consolidated and flood-free, ensuring the safety of the Museu do Pontal's rare and unique collection. The site includes 10,000 square meters of green space with an open view of the mountain range known as the "Sleeping Giant," which stretches from Pedra da Gávea to Sugarloaf Mountain.
Lucas Van de Beuque and Angela Mascelani, the two directors of the Museu do Pontal, celebrate this milestone, thanking "everyone passionate about Brazil's folk art and culture for the preservation of the Museu do Pontal, demonstrating that we, as Brazilians, care about our heritage." They note that "throughout this journey, we clearly realized that it is only possible to resist through a strong and organized civil society. We hope that examples like ours, of societal mobilization, will be inspiring." They observe, "Thanks to the engagement of the people and companies that contributed so that this and future generations can value diversity and legitimize Brazilian cultural heritage, the dramatic scenario of the Museu do Pontal has been transformed, and today we are ready to inaugurate our new home."
