Paraguay is preparing for the eighth edition of Museums on Display (Los Museos se Muestran). The event is set to take place on 16 May 2026, from 10:00 to 22:00, at the Cultural Centre of the Port of Asunción. The annual event brings together museums from across the country in a shared exhibition aimed at expanding public access to heritage and strengthening cultural memory.
Gloria del Pilar Velilla (62) is a professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Design, and a member of several art associations. The 2026 edition aligns with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) theme, “Uniting Divided Worlds,” Velilla explains to The Asunción Times. “The theme is of the river, because we are going to hold it at the Cultural Centre of the Port of Asunción. And in a way that is also a form of encounter, of arrival, of meeting people who come to Paraguay and who have also come during times of greater immigration. So that is a bit of our inspiration.”
Furthermore, Velilla is the current president of the Paraguayan Association of Art Critics (AICA) and director of the Night of the Museums 2026 project within the association. While she plays a key leadership role within the broader Night of the Museums initiative, the project involves a wider network of organisers, curators, and institutions.
Coordination across institutions
Behind the exhibition is a complex network of coordination involving multiple museums, curators, and institutions across Paraguay. “This is our first activity of the year in which all museums send one piece to create a large collective exhibition. That alone is a major challenge in terms of production, coordination, and contact, as well as how curators interact to select a piece that fits the event’s theme. It also requires significant management work so that both public and private institutions understand the scope and scale of such an event.”
The Museums on Display 2026 will bring together around forty museums and cultural spaces from across the country. The event will run for one day only. Each museum is contributing part of its collections to a single shared venue, alongside various cultural activities. Admission will be free and open to the public.
Museums as reflection spaces
Beyond exhibition design, Velilla emphasises the broader social purpose of museums as spaces for reflection in an increasingly fast-paced society. “In a way that contemplation, that pause, is also a way of building awareness and respect. We do not have time to analyse ourselves or think about ourselves as a society.”
The initiative has also shown consistent public growth. In its previous edition, Museums on Display welcomed around 2,300 visitors. Gloria del Pilar Velilla describes this number as significant in the Paraguayan cultural landscape.
Technology as a bridge, not a barrier
A central goal of the project is strengthening collective memory through direct public engagement with museum collections. Velilla sees this as essential in a country where many collections remain unfamiliar to the broader public. “You cannot love what you do not know. The first step is to make it known, and that in turn generates interaction with the public, which allows people to learn about it, love it, and respect it.”
The Museums on Display event also deepens its use of digital tools to enhance accessibility. QR codes and augmented reality features will allow visitors to engage more directly with exhibited works, offering additional layers of information and context.
The intention, according to Velilla, is not to replace physical experience but to expand it. “I would not say there is one standout piece; rather, everything together will form part of this exhibition.”
Moments that shaped the project
“Looking back, the early editions were defining moments for Paraguay’s museum culture. I remember when people queued outside museums, something that once felt completely unthinkable.”
Another milestone came with the first Museums on Display in 2019, which had to be relocated at the last minute due to severe flooding near the original venue. “We had to change everything at the last minute. Thanks to arrangements, the National Museum of Fine Arts provided us with a space to hold that first exhibition. That was truly memorable. And of course, the pandemic period was also very significant. It forced us to face an almost impossible challenge: how to maintain an activity whose essence is physical presence and direct contact with objects.”
Museums on Display 2026
Museums on Display (Los Museos se Muestran) will take place on 16 May 2026, from 10:00 to 22:00, at the Cultural Centre of the Port of Asunción. It is important to note that, while connected in purpose and organisation, this event is separate from Night of the Museums, which typically takes place later in the year as a nationwide evening event across multiple venues. Together, both initiatives form part of a broader effort to expand access to cultural institutions and strengthen public engagement with heritage across Paraguay.
For more information, check Noche de los Museos on Instagram.
