BRUMADINHO.- Starting in January 2022, Instituto Inhotim will have a new executive and artistic board, Lucas Pessôa (managing director), Paula Azevedo (deputy managing director), and Julieta González (artistic director), who will head the museum’s exhibitions and programs.

The main objective of the new board is to expand the institution’s social outreach, and to make Inhotim more open and permeable to other forms of knowledge within its program. The ecological perspective in its broad dimension will take on a central role in the artistic and educational program, aiming to promote unique experiences and to foster critical thinking through an interdisciplinary approach.

Inhotim has just commemorated its 15th anniversary, and this change stems from its desire to institutionalize management and project its future in an even more solid and sustainable way, expanding the dialogue with all audiences, and building the foundations for its ongoing legacy.

Antonio Grassi who currently holds the managing director position through December 2021, will, as of January 2022, be based in Lisbon, where he will continue to collaborate on special projects with Inhotim through his private consultancy. During his time at Inhotim, Grassi expanded the cultural program, inviting relevant names in music, theatre, and dance to spark dialogues with art, botany, and architecture. An example is Inhotim em Cena (Inhotim On Stage), a project he conceived to promote Brazilian artistic production.

With over 25 years’ experience at institutions such as Tate Modern, Museo Tamayo, MASP, and the Bronx Museum, among others, the curator and researcher Julieta González will develop a curatorial project to bring Inhotim closer to artists and institutions from the global south, through an ecosophical approach.

‘My proposal includes broadening the perspective of the artistic program, mindful of the discursive changes in the contemporary world’ González states. She also aims to make the Institute’s collection exhibitions more dynamic, through partnerships with national and international institutions, curatorial projects that bring Inhotim's dialogue closer to a of cultural and artistic expressions, and a broader interface with society via its public programs.

Strengthening institutional bases, expanding our program and implementing governance procedures in line with the best practices of museums worldwide will guide Lucas Pessôa's managerial approach at the museum—he has served on the governing body diversity of institutions such as MASP and Oficina Brennand.

‘Inhotim is a very prestigious institution and has one of the most important contemporary art collections in the world, inserted in a unique context of integration with nature. This singular setting makes Inhotim an extraordinary sounding board— everything that is thought and produced in the institution reverberates enormously, and we must take advantage of this reach to actively participate in contemporary discussions, foster critical thinking, and strengthen our institutional bases so that the museum can ensure its role in the future at its full potential’ Pessôa explains.

With considerable experience in the board of institutions such as MAM-SP, IAC, and Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Paula Azevedo, Inhotim’s new deputy managing director will be devoted to the ideation of processes aimed at modernizing the institution’s management, building a new council, strengthening institutional relations, fundraising, and implementing a new sponsorship programs and alliances, thus expanding contact with the public and with the institution's partners.

‘Building a plural and participative board and bringing civil society closer to the Institute are among the goals of this new administration. I also wish to focus on environmental issues based on a vision that integrates art, culture, ecosystem, and sustainability. In addition to being a contemporary art museum, Inhotim is also a Botanical Garden, housing more than 4,500 species from all continents. This offers us endless possibilities!’ Says new deputry managing director, Paula Azevedo