João Fona cultural centre, Cultural center and museum in Santarém, Brazil.
João Fona Cultural Center occupies a colonial building with twelve exhibition rooms displaying regional art, photographs, and indigenous objects. The collection includes archaeological pieces, traditional crafts, historical furniture, books, and local newspapers spanning different periods.
The building was constructed in 1867 and initially served as a courthouse, city hall, and public prison. Its conversion into a cultural center in 1991 gave the historic structure a new purpose for preserving local heritage.
The center reflects Santarem's artistic heritage through its displays of regional paintings, crafts, and objects that tell the story of local communities. Visitors can observe how traditional art forms and regional creative expression remain present in the exhibited pieces.
The center is located at Praça Barão de Santarém and easily reached in the city center. Guided tours are available in Portuguese and help visitors better understand the exhibitions.
The center displays painted gourds, a local art form introduced by João Batista Pereira Fona, a painter and violinist born in 1901. These hand-painted objects represent a rare example of regional artistic tradition rarely found elsewhere.
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