Can a painting be my friend? is conceived as a compilation of the work carried out by the Educational Department of the MUN since the beginning of its activity ten years ago. The project brings together works from the MUN Collection, creations produced in workshops, and new pieces that will take shape during the course of the exhibition.

Generating questions is one of the fundamental roles of art. From early childhood, art already holds this power. As an example, a young girl once asked at the MUN: “Can a painting be my friend?” As Jorge Wagensberg noted, after visiting an exhibition, we often leave with more questions than we had upon arrival. Perhaps art can help us develop a deeper and more complex understanding of the world.

This exhibition offers a journey through the work developed by the Educational Department of the Museo Universidad de Navarra since its inception in 2015. A museum is, above all, an educational agent: a place where knowledge is shared and transformed for the benefit of individuals and the community. The exhibition illustrates how personal development has been fostered through a variety of educational programs aimed at diverse audiences—schools, social organizations, the university community, families, and the general public. Some of the department’s defining educational approaches are reflected in the exhibition’s content: interdisciplinary education, the development of critical thinking skills, the encouragement of creativity and divergent thinking, as well as the promotion of values such as peace, diversity, and equality.

Can a painting be my friend? invites visitors to enjoy key works from the MUN Collection, discover collaborative projects created with different audiences, and take part in creative activities that will result in new works integrated into the exhibition itself.