Museum

Lines of action

Introduction Strategic plan Museum spaces Transparency Policies Deontological Code

At present Es Baluard continues to maintain the objectives and actions developed in the Es Baluard 2018 strategic plan, conceived by the current director of the museum and approved by its board. According to the substantial strategic planning and general principles, the lines of action established are mainly intended to be functional and operative and attain the objectives the museum has set itself as an institution. The mission. This is the raison d’être of Es Baluard, which justifies its existence. The vision. The channelling of the desirable objectives, foreseeing needs.

The general objectives. The goals to be attained in accordance with the periodisation outlined in the Strategic Plan. The fulfilment of the functions. Intended to establish the bases on which the entire museum stands, guiding its lines in: heritage, research, dissemination and education. The projects. Much more than a white box, the museum is an organic being that produces new contemporary thought processes, exhibitions and activities. The interlocutors. Rather than thinking of visitors as users or the public, Es Baluard believes in active interlocutors or audiences with whom it can construct culture and history from horizontality, looking towards the future.

Strategic Plan 2018

"Es Baluard 2018" is the Strategic Plan that encompasses the basic lines of action initiated in 2013, the analysis processes and programmatic validations carried out during 2014 and the development, implementation and plans for attaining the objectives established for a fundamental strategic period of four years, until 2018.

Download the Strategic Plan 2018

Purpose of the museum spaces

Programmes and use of the spaces

Permanent collections (Floor 1). The entire ground floor continuously sets forth a presentation of Es Baluard’s collections through different open dialogues and curatorial interpretations or Carte blanche on the same or other complementary collections.

Temporary exhibitions (Floor 0). The programme is based on a line of collective, historiographic, thesis or research exhibitions designed to improve our knowledge of modern and contemporary art, set out by the museum’s director. In this hall, with the aim of encouraging historical analysis and contextualising what has occurred in the recent past in artistic terms, since 2013 the museum has held an open tender for the promotion of lines of research and diffusion on creators or collectives from the Balearic Islands. More information at: (+)

Aljub (Floor 0). The programme for the Aljub is developed on the basis of the criteria set out below:
- -Projects linked to the museum’s own dynamics: its programme of present-day art centred on the collection, the areas of educational development and cultural action and on international artists in harmony with the programme conceived by the director.
- -Proposals from the collectives associated to the museum and creators in residence (by associated projects we understand private or public non-proit collectives with a regular programme of activities or actions focussing on the development of creation and/or consistent with the evolution and drive of permanently-evolving contemporary society).
- -Rentals by entities, companies, foundations or festivals who feel their usage is a contribution to a singular cultural museum project. (+)

Intermedi (Floor 0). This is a hub, a space of interconnection between collectives, citizens and entities which find a meeting place here for sharing, researching or spreading ideas, thoughts and collaborative formulae in harmony with the museum’s fundaments and philosophy.

Gabinet (Floor 2). Hall in the upper floor which serves as a space for presenting projects rooted in the Es Baluard collection, artists whose works form part of the museum or artistic and cultural trends linked to the same. The selection may be based on the museum’s own works or new threads that emerge from the artistic practice of its creators, with the ultimate aim of documenting, publicising and promoting the research of the contents linked to the museum.

Observatori (Floor 2). An area open to knowledge and transdisciplinary presentation of contemporary practices and collaboration with other entities. This space, based on the presentation of processes and new channels of knowledge, is diversified and mutates depending on the needs at any given time, specialising in emerging art and organic processes of producers, investigations, artistic residencies, collectives or creators from different disciplines.

Espai Educatiu Guillem Cifre de Colonya (Floor 2). Conceived through an ephemeral architecture workshop initiated in December of 2014 and completed in April 2015 under the direction of Nerea Calvillo (C+arquitectos) and Andrés Jaque (Office for Political Innovation) with the collaboration of Juana Canet (COAIB) and the workshop participants Natalia Escudero, Selina Feduchi, Gádor Luque, Noemí Martínez, Marina Moner, Alba Peña, Miguel Ros, Eva Seijas, Carmen Soler, Maria Tirón. It is a space that attends to the new demands of mediating and pedagogical actions of Es Baluard’s Department of Educational Development, Training and Public Programmes. (+)

Els Arcs. External space for use by associated collectives or proposals related to creation and contemporary cultures. (+)

Upper terraces and patio and external places. Outdoor spaces arranged like an agora, for contemplation and recreation. (+)

The Tower (external cultural complex). Tower dating back to the year 1105 ceded temporarily to Es Baluard by Palma City Council, in an attempt to recover a public-usage space open to civil society for the city. A local and international open tender has been held to designate its utilisation, with the aim of revitalising the natural and heritage surroundings, its historical sense and Mediterranean significance, under the name of TAZ (Temporary Autonomous Zone). An emblematic non-place due to its history, which was abandoned for years, now becomes a platform-space where the most important factor is the process, sharing experiences and working in networks. (+)

Es Baluard is a Balearic institutional facility set in a privileged location in the Bay of Palma, comprising a cultural complex in and around the historic city wall and adjoining spaces.

Aside from its physical location, the project as a concept and mediator extends towards the near radius, based on networking, and towards other geographical and cultural areas with similar projects which it is in tune with and whose synergies can be contemplated.

With social commitment, intellectual effort and recreation, we believe that the museum’s mission, as well as heritage work, is to offer its different interlocutors the appropriate critical tools for discovering and recognising contemporary museum practices.

Download Purpose of the museum spaces

Transparency Policies

Fundació Es Baluard has developed a transparency policy at all levels of management.

The publication of statements, annual reports, contracting systems on the museum’s website is logical and is kept constantly active. We also record our programming policy associated to the different spaces. The first one referred to the Aljub and subsequently, it was extended to the public tenders, such as the one for the reception of projects linked to the historiography of the Balearic Islands. The museum holds fourth place in the transparency ranking of Spanish museums, after the Bilbao Guggenheim, the Artium in Vitoria and the Museo Nacional del Prado, according to the report by the Fundación Compromiso y Transparencia (Commitment and Transparency Foundation), with the collaboration of the 2015 Foro de Cultura y Buenas Prácticas (Forum for Culture and Good Practice).

Deontological Code

With the object of uniting and revealing good practice and ethics as a guide, both internally and informatively towards the exterior, we developed a basic manual that synthesizes the channels that mark Es Baluard’s conduct and mode of action.

The ethical code has been incorporated into the museum’s Strategic Plan in order to increase the trust placed in us by society, professionals from the world of culture, associated programmes, sponsors and benefactors. The document, which was drafted by the museum’s director in summer of 2014, takes several sources as references: the Ethical Code of the IAC, the Ethical Code of the ICOM, the Code of Conduct for the Museum of Modern Art MOMA, Principes deontologiques del Musées Canadiens, Code of ethics for museums, Museums associations UK, the ethical code of the Louvre, Code of Ethics for Curators del Curators Committee of the American Association of Museums (CurCom), and was approved by the Executive Committee of Fundació Es Baluard on 8^th October 2014.

Download Deontological Code