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Email Address
info@f-sos.org -
Phone Number
+351 917 638 719
The Casa Museu Jaime Umbelino is the historic home of Dr. Jaime Jorge Umbelino (1916–2007), writer, linguist, educator, chronicler, and an important cultural figure connected to both Foz do Arelho and Torres Vedras.
Born in Foz do Arelho on 5 March 1916, he moved with his family to Torres Vedras at the age of four. Despite early family responsibilities, he pursued his studies with determination, graduating in Romance Philology from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon. He later devoted himself to secondary and technical education, teaching generations of students across the region and becoming widely respected for his work in Portuguese language and Latin studies.
Jaime Umbelino was also one of the founders of the newspaper Badaladas, director of the Jornal Torreense, head of the Torres Vedras Library, and an active participant in numerous cultural, social, and civic initiatives. His published works include studies on language, local history, poetry, and popular culture, reflecting a lifelong commitment to education, literature, and public life.
In 2006, he bequeathed the house, known locally as Casa do Arco, to the community with the wish that it should become a museum and cultural space. Today, it serves both as a museum and as the home of the Centro de Experimentação da Fotografia (CEF), where exhibitions, educational programmes, research activities, and cultural initiatives take place throughout the year.
By bringing together the heritage of the house with contemporary photographic practice, the Casa Museu fosters a dialogue between memory and creativity, honouring its history while welcoming new generations of artists, researchers, students, and visitors.
To preserve, explore, and advance photography as a medium for artistic expression, education, cultural heritage, and social engagement, fostering meaningful connections between people, images, and communities.
The CEF presents a year-round programme of exhibitions featuring emerging and established photographers from Portugal and around the world. From documentary and fine art photography to experimental and socially engaged practices, each exhibition offers new perspectives and encourages meaningful dialogue.
Education is central to the CEF’s mission. Through workshops, masterclasses, artist talks, portfolio reviews, school visits, and public programmes, the centre promotes visual literacy and supports photographers at every stage of their creative journey.
Photography is a powerful tool for connection. In collaboration with schools, cultural organisations, local associations, and community groups, the CEF develops projects that encourage participation, inclusion, and cultural exchange.
Located within the historic Casa Museu Jaime Umbelino, the CEF is committed to preserving and interpreting photographic and cultural heritage. Through research, exhibitions, publications, and public programmes, it contributes to safeguarding visual memory for future generations.
Experimentation lies at the heart of the CEF. The centre encourages the exploration of analogue and digital processes, alternative image-making techniques, emerging technologies, interdisciplinary practices, and new approaches to visual storytelling.
The Analog Lab is a dedicated space for film photography, darkroom practice, and alternative photographic processes. Through workshops, artist residencies, demonstrations, and hands-on learning, it preserves traditional techniques while supporting contemporary photographic practice and innovation.
The Photography Library is a growing resource for photographers, students, researchers, educators, and the wider public. Its collection includes photobooks, exhibition catalogues, artist monographs, technical manuals, historical publications, and materials related to contemporary visual culture, supporting research, education, and lifelong learning.
There are cats throughout the House Museum.
Some are made of porcelain, others of wood, glass, or painted on canvas. Some are small, others much larger. They come from different countries, periods, and contexts, brought together over many years by Maria Adelaide dos Santos Cruz Ferreira (1937–2022), a friend and protector of animals.
Throughout her life, Maria Adelaide built, with the support of her family and friends, an extraordinary collection of cats. What began as a personal expression of affection grew into a collection that is now permanently part of the House Museum’s heritage.
AQUI HÁ GATO! is not an exhibition confined to a single space. It is a collection that inhabits the house. The pieces are scattered throughout the different rooms and spaces of the House Museum, appearing unexpectedly among objects, photographs, furniture, and memories. Visitors are invited to discover them, almost as if searching for the house’s secret inhabitants.
The collection is also part of a broader tradition of cat collecting that spans cultures and generations. Today, there are extraordinary private collections, some comprising tens of thousands of representations of cats, demonstrating the unique nature of this phenomenon and the special place these animals occupy in our imagination and popular culture.
But at the House Museum, the cats do not live only in the collection.
They are also part of the life of the house.
The Centro de Experimentação da Fotografia (CEF) presents a year-round programme of exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, educational activities, residencies, research projects, and community initiatives that celebrate photography and visual culture.
Throughout the year, visitors can experience:
As the permanent home of photographic culture in Foz do Arelho, the CEF operates throughout the year, extending its activities beyond the F/262 – International Photography Festival through a continuous programme of exhibitions, education, research, and artistic experimentation.
The Centro de Experimentação da Fotografia (CEF) is the permanent home of F/262 – International Photography Festival. While the festival takes place every two years, the CEF remains active throughout the year, presenting exhibitions, educational programmes, artist residencies, research initiatives, and public events that extend the festival’s mission beyond its exhibition period.
Together, the CEF and F/262 promote photography as a cultural, educational, and social force, strengthening connections between artists, audiences, and communities in Portugal and internationally.
The Centro de Experimentação da Fotografia is housed within the Casa Museu Jaime Umbelino, a cultural facility owned by the Junta de Freguesia da Foz do Arelho.
The CEF’s artistic direction, cultural programming, and project development are managed by ASSOCIAÇÃO F/SOS – Fotografia, Solidariedade e Obras Sociais, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting photography, cultural heritage, education, and community engagement through the visual arts.
We welcome visitors to explore the Centro de Experimentação da Fotografia (CEF) and the Casa Museu Jaime Umbelino, a unique space where photography, heritage, and contemporary culture come together.
Whether you’re visiting an exhibition, attending a workshop, conducting research, or simply discovering the museum, we look forward to welcoming you.
Wednesday to Sunday
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Lunch Break: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Closed: Monday and Tuesday
Schools, universities, photography groups, and private tours are welcome by appointment.
Visits outside regular opening hours may also be arranged subject to availability.
Email
info@festival262.com
Telephone
+351 917 638 719
Centro de Experimentação da Fotografia (CEF)
Casa Museu Jaime Umbelino
Rua da Igreja 5
2500-457 Foz do Arelho
Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
We recommend booking in advance for guided visits, educational groups, and special programmes.
English (UK)