MALAGA.- Museo Picasso M醠aga and the “la Caixa” Foundation have renewed their long-running partnership, reinforcing a shared commitment to making art and culture more accessible to people with disabilities and communities facing social vulnerability.
Under the new agreement, the foundation will contribute €50,000 to support the museum’s Social Participation Program, along with a range of educational, cultural and inclusion-focused initiatives connected to its exhibitions and public programming.
The renewed collaboration was presented by Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, president of the museum’s Executive Council and second vice president of the Board of Trustees of the Fundaci髇 Museo Picasso M醠aga; Miguel L髉ez-Remiro, artistic director of Museo Picasso M醠aga; Juan Carlos Barroso, regional representative of the “la Caixa” Foundation in Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla; and Carmen Gonz醠ez, CaixaBank’s commercial director for M醠aga, C髍doba, Almer韆, Ceuta and Melilla.
The partnership forms part of Museo Picasso M醠aga’s broader strategy to remove barriers to cultural participation and to ensure that the museum can be experienced by a wider and more diverse public.
At the center of the agreement is the continuation of Picasso Total, the museum’s Social Participation Program. The initiative uses art as a tool to support the personal, emotional and social development of people with disabilities, as well as individuals and communities experiencing vulnerable circumstances.
Rather than treating accessibility as a separate area of the museum’s work, the program connects participants directly with its exhibitions and artistic activities. It is closely linked to the permanent exhibition Pablo Picasso: Structures of Invention. The Unity of a Work, which offers visitors an opportunity to explore the development, experimentation and continuity found throughout Picasso’s career.
Through guided activities, workshops and group experiences, the program seeks to create spaces where participants can engage with art on their own terms, express ideas and emotions, and build connections with others.
Among its main initiatives are Mira m醩, the Accessibility Conference and the Art and Social Participation Seminar. Together, these projects encourage critical thinking and discussion while examining how museums and cultural institutions can contribute to inclusion, well-being and positive social change.
The agreement will also support the continued development of M醩MuseoPicasso, an online research platform that gathers and catalogs projects from across Spain in which art is used to promote participation and social inclusion.
The website serves as a resource for museum professionals, educators, institutions and researchers, allowing users to compare projects according to factors such as geographical area, participating communities and the artistic methods used.
“The renewal of this collaboration allows us to consolidate one of the fundamental pillars of Museo Picasso M醠aga’s educational and social work,” L髉ez-Remiro said.
“Thanks to the support of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, we can continue developing accessibility, participation and inclusion programs that bring the museum closer to people and communities for whom cultural experiences can serve as a tool for personal and social development.”
Barroso said the partnership reflects the foundation’s belief that culture can help address inequality and create new opportunities.
“Culture plays a fundamental role in building a society with greater opportunities and fewer inequalities,” he said. “Renewing our collaboration with Museo Picasso M醠aga reaffirms the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation’s commitment to culture that is accessible to everyone and capable of becoming a tool for well-being, inclusion and social cohesion.”
The “la Caixa” Foundation supports social, educational and cultural programs, as well as research initiatives aimed at improving quality of life and responding to the needs of vulnerable communities.
Museo Picasso M醠aga, meanwhile, has spent nearly two decades developing art and participation programs for people facing social exclusion or other barriers to cultural access. Accessibility and social inclusion are now established parts of the museum’s educational mission, with activities adapted to the needs and experiences of different audiences.
By renewing the agreement, the two institutions are extending a collaboration that views the museum not only as a place to preserve and display art, but also as a space for dialogue, participation and social connection.
