Modern History of Architecture in Ceará

the experience of the visit to the exhibition A Fortaleza dos Modernos at MAUC

Abstract

This article presents a teaching experience report based on a technical visit to the exhibition A Fortaleza dos Modernos: the pioneer architects, held at the Museum of Art of the Federal University of Ceará, within the context of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the School of Architecture, currently the Institute of Architecture, Urbanism and Design, and the 70th anniversary of the Federal University of Ceará. The activity involved students from the second and seventh semesters of the Architecture and Urbanism program at Universidade Christus, within the courses Theory and History of Architecture and Urbanism I and Theory and History of Architecture in Brazil and Latin America. The objective was to analyze the contribution of the exhibition visit as a pedagogical strategy for teaching the history of modern architecture in Ceará, articulating academic training, professional memory, and the preservation of local history. The adopted method is based on qualitative observation of the experience, curatorial mediation, and the analysis of students’ perceptions and academic productions. The results indicate a significant expansion in students’ understanding of the role of pioneer architects, the historical conditions of professional practice, and the processes of institutionalization of architecture in Ceará. It is concluded that the experience contributed to a consistent and critical learning process, strengthening the articulation between education, cultural heritage, and the memory of local modern architecture.