Manifesta 17 Coimbra 2028 will focus part of its priorities on Baixa, Alta and Rua da Sofia, seeking to link the contemporary art biennial with urban regeneration and local community involvement. The September 10 meeting brought together Coimbra City Council, the University of Coimbra, the Círculo de Artes Plásticas de Coimbra and the International Foundation Manifesta to consolidate the partnership and define the lines of work until 2028.
The meeting was attended by the mayor, Ana Abrunhosa, the vice-rector of the University of Coimbra, Delfim Leão, the directors of CAPC, Carlos Antunes and Desirée Pedro, and representatives of the International Foundation Manifesta, Emilia van Lynden, Caroline Stanners, Kathleen Gertrud Ferrier and Ton Tuinier. The meeting served to deepen the cooperation model between the four entities, the organizational structure of the project and the planning of the work.
The project includes community outreach work with residents, traders, cultural associations, social solidarity institutions and other entities in the municipality, in a logic of social participation. The organization intends to link cultural policy with urban regeneration, through the valorization of these areas and the connection between culture, knowledge, heritage, public space and civic participation, projecting Coimbra internationally and leaving a legacy after the event.
Manifesta is a nomadic European biennial created in the early 1990s and held every two years in different cities or regions. Coimbra will be the host of the 17th edition in 2028, with the support of the Portuguese Government, which recognizes the value of the event for the international affirmation of national culture and the strengthening of European networks of creation and cooperation.
