Grupo O Valor do Tempo has just launched a Cultural Programme, available on its website, bringing together the cultural events taking place across the Group’s different venues. The initiative aims to bring the public closer to those who preserve, pass on and reinvent skills and techniques rooted in Portuguese tradition. Most events are open to the public and free to attend.

The main stage for this programme will be “Artes e Ofícios | The House of Craft”, on Rua das Flores in Porto, a recently opened space dedicated to Portuguese arts and crafts. The programme will also extend to the Bread Museum in Seia, and other venues across the Group, taking the initiative to different regions and audiences.

The true protagonists of the Cultural Programme are, therefore, Portuguese artisans and their hands. Hands that embroider, weave, shape, and work clay, gold and other materials using techniques passed down from generation to generation. And also younger hands: those of creators who inherit this heritage, respect its roots and reinvent it through a contemporary language.

The first event in the Cultural Programme will take place on 4 September, with the presentation of the Portuguese National Team that will represent Portugal at the WorldSkills Competition. Held at Artes e Ofícios | The House of Craft in Porto, the event will bring together competitors, experts and training organisations representing the seven professions in competition. The session will also feature Fátima Lopes, Corporate Representative of Grupo O Valor do Tempo and WorldSkills Portugal Ambassador, and will conclude with a tour of the venue, including the CINDOR Training Centre and the Filigree Workshop — places where the passing on of craftsmanship moves from words into hands.

Upcoming initiatives include workshops dedicated to the Camisola Poveira, Terra de Sousa – Lixa Embroidery and Felgueiras Filet Embroidery, as well as events exploring the Viola Braguesa, filigree and goldsmithing, conversations on jewellery in Porto with Joel Cleto, and exhibitions dedicated to Barcelos Figurines and Arraiolos Embroidery.

It is also from this encounter between heritage and the future that “Filhos do Ofício” is born: a quarterly series that gives a platform to a new generation of Portuguese creators and explores how they engage with, work with and transform the heritage they have inherited.

With this new Cultural Programme, Grupo O Valor do Tempo reinforces a conviction that has long shaped its journey: economy and culture strengthen one another when they go hand in hand. Giving artisans greater visibility, creating opportunities for them to showcase their work and bringing them closer to new audiences also helps ensure that these skills continue to have value, demand and, above all, a future.

The full programme is available at www.ovalordotempo.pt/en/cultural-programme/