The Central Library of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) will host, from October 8th to November 5th, the exhibition “As Arcas das Avós” [The Grandmothers' Arks] on female education.

This exhibition is the result of a partnership between UTAD, CIIE/FPCEUP, and CITRIME – Murça, the Interdisciplinary, Interregional, and Cross-Border Centre for the Memory of Education. CITRIME was created as part of CIIE's project Raízes da Educação para o Futuro (REduF) [Roots of Education for the Future], coordinated by Margarida Louro Felgueiras. This interdisciplinary research and cultural intervention project focused on the educational and cultural heritage of the inland region of Murça.

The exhibition pays homage to the women who, in their daily lives, contributed to keeping alive the cultural and material heritage of small rural communities. Among the activities that marked women's routines were homemaking, food preparation—one of the central tasks—sewing, embroidery, and organising layettes, practices that reflected the moral, religious, and social values ​​of their time.

On the opening day, a roundtable discussion on "Feminine Knowledge" was held, featuring Iracema Barroso, Alcina Borges, Marina da Luz Marques, Maria Inês Medeiros, and Maria Noémia Sousa, under the coordination of Margarida Felgueiras. A conference on "Female Silences and Leaderships in the Transition of April 25th" is also planned for the closing day, in charge of Maria José Magalhães, Assistant Professor at FPCEUP, and moderated by Maria da Conceição Azevedo.

Texto Exposição Vila Real Arcas das Avós.pdf