Joana Sousa Monteiro

Shoulder-length portrait of a person smiling.

Joana Sousa Monteiro is director of the Museum of Lisbon since 2015. She was a museums adviser to the Lisbon Councillor for Culture (2010-2014). She was Assistant-Coordinator of the National Portuguese Museums Network (2000-2010). Previously, she worked at the Institute of Contemporary Art and at the National Museum of Contemporary Art.

She holds a degree in Art History, an MA in Museology, and an MA in Arts Management. She is Chair of the ICOM-CAMOC, International Committee for the Collections and Activities of the Museums of Cities (2016-2022).

At NEMO’s European Museum Conference 2022, Joana Sousa Monteiro will join the session "Agility in Crisis" on Monday 10 October. 

The Museum of Lisbon during the pandemic: An unexpected burst of creative energy

Presentation abstract

The pandemic transformed the Museum of Lisbon in a holistic way. Following the shock of having to close the museum, it triggered the existence of a “digital museum”, which was previously limited to a basic website, social media posting and some multimedia interactive devices in the exhibitions. It also brought out unexpected positive effects like a stronger link between the staff usually spread along the different museum sites, and a burst of creative energy to keep the museum engaging and meaningful. The presentation will focus on the later, sharing some of the whats, the hows, accomplishments and lessons learned.