The Museum of Fine Arts in Seville, under the Ministry of Culture and Sports, has recognized over 450 individuals—350 children and 75 seniors—for their participation in the educational program Challenge MBASE 2024/25. The diploma award ceremony was attended by the Director General of Museums and Collections, Aurora Villalobos, who, alongside the museum’s director, Valme Muñoz, highlighted the museum’s potential as a space for social inclusion and education.
The MBASE Challenge program, which began during the pandemic, is now in its fifth edition, serving as a cultural and social initiative that delves into different aspects of artworks while providing a meaningful artistic experience. The initiative receives support from the CaixaProInfancia and Elderly People programs of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, as well as the Friends of the Museum Association, as detailed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports in a statement.
In this latest edition, the program saw the participation of 350 children from fourteen social entities who «have been able to enjoy a new educational and cultural experience, approaching the museum in a playful and unique way,» as Villalobos explained. Specifically, the Challenge BASE included participation from entities such as ALEF Sevilla Association, Accem, AES Candelaria, Amuradi, Adara Association, Aliento Association, Arbolada Association, Women’s Association Santiago El Mayor (Utrera), Among Friends Association of Seville, Rutas de Seville Association, ECCA Social, Cepaim Foundation, Mornese Foundation, Secretariado Gitano Foundation, and Acoge Sevilla Foundation.
Additionally, 75 seniors from the Active Participation Centers in Sevilla Triana, Heliópolis, Ciudad Jardín, Cerro del Águila, and Macarena have surpassed the artistic challenge proposed in this edition. As part of the program, participants are encouraged to overcome a series of challenges related to specific pieces, allowing them to explore various artworks and create creative projects based on their own observations and creations, an experience that has yielded more than satisfactory results.
Yolanda López Cosano, the delegate in Andalusia for the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, emphasized that «the dissemination of culture and science is an important tool for individual and collective change and a powerful tool for social transformation.» She stated that the foundation aims to «break down barriers that still separate some people from various artistic disciplines,» working to bring culture to all audiences, always maintaining the quality and excellence that define their actions.
«We do all of this through collaborations and partnerships with cultural institutions, which provide us with the opportunity, through their educational projects, as the Museum of Fine Arts in Seville has understood perfectly from the outset, that the museum should extend beyond these walls and bring its wonderful art collection to all corners,» López Casano added.
BALANCE OF THE 2024/25 PROGRAM
The educational program of the museum institution for 2024/25 began last December with the projection of a video mapping «Commotion in the Museum» by Marina García Gurevich, an activity aimed at families that was complemented by a series of guided tours of the museum’s collection, framed within the Treasures of MBASE. This was followed in the past spring by the workshop «Know and Draw,» directed at both expert artists and beginners.
Over the months, the seniors also participated in the Sevillian art course, which took them on a journey through the art history of the city of Seville, from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, using the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts as a reference.
And for Primary School students in the First Cycle, storytelling sessions with the author of the book «Commotion in the Museum» were organized until last May, introducing the youngest to the museum and its collections through children’s literature, followed by a creative activity session.
