Image: São Paulo Museum of Modern Art
The Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo is opening registrations for a new online course, 'Mediação cultural: arte, educação e curadoria', led by researcher, curator and educator Valquíria Prates. The four-session program runs on Wednesdays from August 19 to September 9, 2026, from 6:30 pm to 9 pm, and is aimed at interested participants in general. The course is part of the museum’s August programming and is presented within MAM’s wider courses offer.
According to the museum’s course description, the program examines cultural mediation as a practice that connects art and education through participation, listening and collective construction. Starting from the idea of 'fazer junto'—doing together—the course looks at mediation in different settings: museum education, artistic creation processes and curating. It frames mediation as a relational experience that activates audiences, mobilizes existing references and produces meaning in public space.
The class structure is built around four themes. The first session addresses cultural mediation between art and education, including distinctions between mediation, teaching and the transmission of content. The second turns to mediation in museum education, with attention to audience participation, listening strategies, dialogue and educational devices in exhibitions and public programs. The third examines cultural mediation in artistic creation, including collaborative practices and shared meaning-making. The final class considers the relationship between mediation and curating, focusing on curatorial narratives, audience participation and the ethical dimensions of mediation.
MAM says the course is designed for educators, artists, curators, producers and other arts professionals interested in artistic, curatorial and pedagogical practices within museum education. The institution describes the program as offering conceptual and methodological foundations for developing, documenting, analyzing and evaluating projects and proposals in cultural mediation, with particular attention to the ethical, political and institutional questions involved.
Valquíria Prates is identified by MAM as a researcher, curator and educator whose work investigates cultural mediation in the visual arts and literature. The museum notes that her trajectory brings together research, writing, curating and education across museums, libraries, universities, schools and other cultural institutions. Her academic background includes degrees in Letters and Pedagogy, a master's degree in public policies on accessibility from the University of São Paulo and a doctorate in Arts from Unesp, where she defended a thesis titled 'Como fazer junto: a arte e a educação na mediação cultural'.
The course is offered online, live via videoconference, with recorded classes available only for a limited period. It includes a certificate at the end. MAM lists the fee as R$ 400,00 plus taxes, with discounts available to Amigo MAM members and to students, teachers and retirees. The museum also states that Libras interpretation can be requested by email at least seven working days in advance.
The dates listed by MAM are August 19, 26 and September 2 and 9, 2026. The museum’s course page places the program within its broader educational offering, while the August newsletter announcing registrations groups it alongside other courses in art, literature, museum planning and studio practice.
