The Art Laboratory of the Sitges Museums is full of activities open to the public in May

This May, the Sitges Museums are promoting a new programming of the Arts Laboratory, with an agenda that reinforces the role of museums as living, participatory spaces connected to the public. The program combines reflection, education, experience and well-being with activities aimed at diverse audiences, and is complemented by a wide range of guided tours and open days.

The program starts on May 8 with the conference Narrar, cuidar, hacer: notas sobre la relación entre patrimonio y cambio climático en Sitges, given by researcher Giusy Pappalardo (UAB). The session proposes an innovative look at heritage as an active agent in the face of current socio-environmental challenges, linking memory, territory and sustainability.

The educational aspect will continue on May 9 with the Rusiñol and theatre family workshop, which invites children and families to get closer to Santiago Rusiñol's creative universe through the creation of a small stage and theatrical performance.

Central weekend with International Museum Day

The highlight of the month will be the weekend of May 16 and 17, coinciding with International Museum Day (IMD). On Saturday, the Maricel Museum will host a guided tour of the exhibition Absences and Presences. Charles Deering's Artists in the Banc Sabadell Art Collection, which recovers and puts into dialogue key artists of Catalan and Spanish art from the early 20th century —such as Ramon Casas, Santiago Rusiñol, Joaquim Mir, Anglada-Camarasa or Josep Maria Sert— linked to the Charles Deering collection. The day will culminate with one of the most unique proposals of the program: a night tour of the Maricel Palace with a performance by the Sitges Canta Choir, which will turn the heritage into a sensory experience.

On Sunday, the Sitges Museums and the Stämpfli Foundation – Contemporary Art will hold an open day, with free access to the collections. The program will be completed with a guided tour of the Palau de Maricel with virtual recreation, which incorporates immersive technology to offer a new way of discovering the space.

Guided tours and open houses throughout the month

Throughout the month of May, the Sitges Museums are reinforcing their usual offer with different guided tours. Highlights include visits to the Cau Ferrat Museum and the Maricel Museum (May 2), as well as regular visits to the Palau de Maricel, scheduled for May 3, 10, 24 and 31, with sessions in several languages.

There is also a guided tour of the exhibition Absences and Presences. Charles Deering's Artists in the Banc Sabadell Art Collection aimed at cultural entities (May 22), and a guided tour of the Stämpfli Foundation – Contemporary Art (May 23), which allows you to delve deeper into the trends of international contemporary art.

As for the open days, in addition to the DIM activities, the museums also offer free access days, such as the one on May 6 at the Cau Ferrat Museum and the Maricel Museum, and the day on May 2 at the exhibition Absences and Presences. The artists of Charles Deering in the Banc Sabadell Art Collection, facilitating access to heritage for all audiences.

Culture, well-being and collections

The calendar will continue on May 25 with the closing of the Arts in Health project, developed jointly with the Sitges CAP. The initiative highlights the potential of culture as a tool for emotional well-being and social cohesion.

The month will close on May 29 with a new session of the Piece of the Month, dedicated to a bullfighter's costume from the Santiago Rusiñol collection, which will allow us to delve deeper into a unique piece from a historical and artistic perspective, led by Alejandro Fernández Ortiz, a Culture technician and graduate in Humanities from the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona.

With this program, the Laboratorio de les Arts consolidates itself as a key tool for bringing museums closer to citizens, generating new stories and strengthening the link between culture and society.