The Sitges Museums present issue 1 of the Arts Laboratory, with a program until March committed to accessibility, feminism and cultural participation

The Sitges Museums present the first issue of the Arts Laboratory, continuing the path begun in late 2025 with the publication of issue 0 and consolidating this project as the conceptual and programmatic umbrella that articulates the institution's cultural activity. The Arts Laboratory thus becomes the stable framework from which a coherent, open, and contemporary cultural program is conceived, organized, and developed.

This new framework reinforces the museum as a space for creation, research, participation, and social transformation, and unfolds with the quarterly program for January, February, and March 2026. Under the umbrella of the Arts Laboratory, the agenda integrates exhibitions, activities, and outreach projects with a diverse and cross-cutting perspective, reaffirming the commitment to active dialogue with the community.

The Arts Laboratory is structured around the core principles that define the DNA of the Sitges Museums: the critical reinterpretation of heritage, openness to new narratives, and a commitment to making museums vibrant, inclusive, and socially relevant spaces. This first edition focuses on a program aimed at all audiences, combining exhibitions, family activities, workshops, guided tours, book clubs, lectures, and initiatives that connect art with education, science, well-being, and research.

One of the highlights of the quarter will be the presentation of the Sitges Museums Accessibility Plan, which will take place on February 25th at the Maricel Museum. The presentation will be given by Andrea Granell, PhD in Psychology and Master in Cultural Production and Communication, specializing in accessibility assessment studies and projects in museums. The plan, funded by the Government of Catalonia, is the result of a collaborative process with the community, professionals, and diverse groups, and lays the groundwork for guaranteeing universal accessibility—physical, sensory, cognitive, and emotional—to museum facilities and their cultural programming.

Regarding exhibitions, the quarter is marked by the retrospective "Artur Carbonell: Beyond the Mask," open until March 22nd in the Sala Barcos of the Maricel Palace and the Maricel Museum. This is the most comprehensive exhibition ever dedicated to the Sitges-born artist, with more than 170 pieces—paintings, drawings, set designs, posters, and documents—that allow visitors to rediscover a key figure of Catalan modernism and 20th-century avant-garde theater.

The quarter's exhibition program also includes the exhibition "The First Steps Towards Democracy (1976-1978)." Fifty years since the revival of Carnival in the streets, as part of the Memory Network project of the Local Museums Network of the Barcelona Provincial Council. This exhibition, which can be visited during March at the El Retiro Recreational Society and in April at the Prado Suburense Casino, focuses on democratic memory and the recovery of public space as a space for freedom and collective expression, using the return of Carnival to the streets of Sitges as a symbol of social transformation.

In addition, the Rocamora Room of the Maricel Museum will host the small-format exhibition New Acquisitions for New Narratives 2025.1, which highlights recent additions to the Sitges Museums' collection and reaffirms the institution's commitment to expanding heritage narratives from an inclusive perspective. The exhibition gives visibility to historically underrepresented artists and perspectives, with special attention to gender, diversity of abilities, and non-traditional formats, reclaiming the fundamental role of women in the history of Catalan art. The exhibition is presented as a window onto new narratives that enrich and complete the museum's discourse.

The Arts Laboratory's programming also places special emphasis on the feminist perspective and on highlighting the role of women in historically male-dominated fields, such as science. In this context, on February 21st, Lutravioleta will present the family activity "Scientific Stations Adapted to the Museums of Sitges" on the terraces of the Palau de Maricel. This proposal is part of the commemoration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which is celebrated annually on February 11, and aims to bring scientific thinking closer to children from an inclusive and accessible perspective, fostering scientific vocations and breaking down gender stereotypes from childhood.

The quarter's program includes book clubs dedicated to the work of Santiago Rusiñol, such as Don José Falces the Woman and La mujer del señor Josep Falces the Man (February 19), as well as A la sombra del rebozuelo by Juan Carlos Rodríguez (March 19). These offerings are complemented by family workshops on contemporary art, such as A Mask Discovering Jacques Villeglé (February 7) and The Wheel Discovering Peter Stämpfli (March 7). The program also includes guided tours with a gender perspective, such as the guided tour of the Cau Ferrat Museum and the Maricel Museum from a woman's point of view (March 8); activities adapted for deaf people, such as the guided tour of the exhibition Artur Carbonell. Beyond the Mask (March 21); and spaces for mediation and participation, such as the Gaze Club, with sessions on February 20 and March 20, coordinated by Esther Fuertes and Montserrat Morales. The program also includes research and discussion sessions, such as the lecture "Amateur Theatre," by Jordi Milán, director of the theatre company La Cubana (February 5), and a new edition of Vincles, titled "Elisea Lluch vs. Amèlia Riera: Two Artists, Two Centuries" (March 12), with Elina Norandi and Pere Pedrals. Activities connecting art and well-being are also featured, such as the "Myths and Art: Deities and Sea Creatures in Greek Mythology" Chill Out session (March 21), with Mireia Rosich, and the "Calm Space" at the Mirador, also on March 21.

The program is rounded out with various research and heritage outreach initiatives, such as the "Piece of the Month" sessions dedicated to the furniture box at Cau Ferrat (January 30), with Mònica Piera; and to the fruit bowl in the Glass Collection – Alfons Macaya Depository (February 27), with Marta Golobardes. and the Masonic Handkerchief (March 27), with Montserrat Bargalló. In addition, there is the lecture "Artur Carbonell at the Planas Robert Archive," given by Patrícia Buckley of the FeMemoria Association (February 26). Finally, the program includes LGBTQ+ themed tours, such as the Lorca Route in Sitges and a visit to the exhibition "Artur Carbonell: Beyond the Mask from an LGBTQ+ Perspective," in collaboration with the Ram del Agua Association and Colors Sitges Link, scheduled for March 7.

Furthermore, the Arts Laboratory is also consolidating its regular program of guided tours to the main facilities of the Sitges Museums: the Maricel Palace, the Cau Ferrat Museum, the Maricel Museum, and the Stämpfli-Art Contemporani Foundation. This program is complemented by open days, held on the first Wednesday of each month, and other initiatives aimed at facilitating free access and direct contact between the public and the heritage collection. Through this range of activities, the Sitges Museums reinforce their commitment to making museums accessible to all audiences, fostering an open, inclusive, and participatory cultural experience that encourages both discovery and engagement.

With the Arts Laboratory, the Sitges Museums consolidate their role as a cultural institution committed to the present, open to diverse perspectives, and connected to contemporary social challenges, transforming the museum into a space for encounter, experimentation, and critical thinking at the service of the community.