One could not miss the visit of the Master's Degree at programs of study of Commissariat of the University of Navarra to Bilbao! Prior to the Christmas vacations, the students toured the art scene of Bilbao, visiting some of its most iconic cultural institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, BilbaoArte Foundation, Okela Sormen Lantegia and Azkuna Centroa.
At the Guggenheim Museum, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the museum, we were able to tour the exhibition "Sections/Intersections. 25 years of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection" with Lekha Hileman, Curator, and Daniel Vega, Deputy Director of Exhibitions and professor of the subject "framework Institutional" of Master's Degree. This exhibition was a unique opportunity to get to know the largest number of works that are part of the museum's collection since its founding until today. The sample is composed of 3 approaches: Sections/Intersections, "Unfolding Narratives" and "Marking History. Curatorial decisions, the challenges of the exhibition, the concept, the importance of sample and the professional trajectory were part of the conversation we had directly with curator Lekha Hileman.
BilbaoArte is the center of artistic production of the city of Bilbao, where we were received by Director Javier Riaño. The students visited the facilities, exhibition spaces, laboratories and programs of study for artists and spaces for multiple uses. BilbaoArte has a project of a new exhibition space for 2023, as well as offers calls for residency program and production for artists. The main goal of the center is "to provide an outstanding professionalization of artists by offering modern equipment and infrastructure" (Bilbaoarte.org). We got to know the functioning of this subject of art and production centers, as well as networking with the resident artists of the center.
After a very enriching talk during lunch with Irati Urrestarazu from Okela Sormen Lantegia, we headed to the Alhóndiga of Bilbao. This space brings together the past, present and future of architecture and design of Bilbao with Azkuna Centroa. Ainara Bilbao, Cultural Programming Technician of the center, accompanied us during the visit, where we visited the 43 columns, the different internal exhibition halls while we learned about the role of its cultural programming within the city of Bilbao.
These visits help to complement our theoretical training through networking and meetings with curators and personalities in the art world today. As students, through these spaces we have the opportunity to share concerns, resolve doubts, make proposals and learn about new industry formats first hand.
