In the heart of the University of Navarre\u2019s campus, in Pamplona, we can find the UNAV Museum, an open space where collections inspire artists and, in turn, artists inspire visitors and society. Through an innovative program based on the Museum\u2019s own collection and driven by the visual and performing arts, the Museum and its interdisciplinary approach to art are updating their legacy; transferring artistic tools, values, and resources to society in hopes of improving life through art and the meaningful experiences which it entails.<\/p>\n
The museum was created in 2015 to contribute to the innovative educational model proposed by this university, which seeks to train young people in a complex and increasingly more international world. Aiming to achieve excellence in terms of the humanistic perspective and values, the Museum presents its art as an indispensable tool for education.<\/p>\n
Two legacies gave rise to the museum project: a donation from engineer and photographer Jos\u00e9 Ortiz Echag\u00fce, and the collection of modern and abstract art belonging to Mar\u00eda Josefa Huarte. Though they are, at first glance, different from each other, the institution\u2019s team of experts saw an intrinsic connection between the popularity of photography and the development of the modern and abstract movements. Beginning with the initial 32,000 pieces that made up these two donations, the museum has expanded its collection to 250,000 paintings, sculptures, and photographs and now has works by renowned artists such as Eduardo Chillida, Jorge Oteiza, Pablo Picasso, Antoni T\u00e0pies, Mark Rothko, and Vasili Kandinsky.<\/p>\n
As part of the university, the museum also offers a Master\u2019s Degree in Curatorial Studies that features a program in which students are trained as curators through methodology based on practical learning within the humanistic context and upholding the standards of the University of Navarre.<\/p>\n
The museum has a theater where the performing arts enter into a dialog with other artists and disciplines, generating hybrid experiences that contribute to the institution\u2019s legacy, which is updated with each project \u2013not only in the visual arts field but also in the performing disciplines through dance, music, and theater. All this makes for a line of work that serves as an inspiration for an ambitious educational, training, and cultural program for university students and for the general public. Learning and enrichment that are transferred to today\u2019s society and tomorrow\u2019s audiences.<\/p>\n
This progressive way of stimulating creation leads to a sustainable art system in terms of economy andinvestment. The artists and the center invest together in the sustainability of the art sector, moving towards a system less dependent on institutional grants and more based on a shared commitment. This model has led the museum to be a finalist in the New European Bauhaus initiative, organized by the European Commission, which rewards the establishment of new, more beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive forms of living together.<\/p>\n
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