Presentation

The CHAIA – Center for Art History and Artistic Research is a research and development unit funded by the FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, dedicated to the production and dissemination of knowledge in the areas of Arts, Humanities, and Cultural Heritage. Bringing together researchers, artists, and creators from different scientific and artistic fields (Art History, Architecture, Archaeology, Landscape, Visual Arts, Design, Theatre and Performance Studies), CHAIA promotes the intersection between historical research, contemporary artistic practices, heritage studies, landscape, and visual culture, encouraging innovative and collaborative approaches. Through research, advanced training, artistic creation, and knowledge transfer to society, the center establishes itself as a space for critical experimentation, interdisciplinary dialogue, and cultural intervention with national and international reach. CHAIA houses doctoral programs in Archaeology, Architecture, Arts and Techniques of Landscape, and Art History.

History

The origins of CHAIA date back to 1987, when it was initially proposed as the Institute of Art History of the University of Évora. Regulated and restructured in 1994 as CHA – Center for Art History, it was reformulated in 2008 as the Center for Art History and Artistic Research (CHAIA), maintaining the general principles present from the beginning, especially the convergence with the objectives of promoting advanced knowledge and with the objectives of Higher Education.

Mission

It is CHAIA’s mission to promote and support reflective research projects of a scientific and artistic nature in the areas of Art and Archaeology, Art Aesthetics, Theatre, Music and Musicology, Visual Arts and Design. CHAIA encourages the training of future researchers, providing opportunities for the involvement of students from Higher Education, of doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, in its activities. It is also CHAIA’s mission to make its results known through scientific meetings, colloquia and conferences, scientific publications and other works of reference, as well as other forms of publication specific to the area of the Arts. Lastly, it promotes the development and scientific interchange of artistic research between individuals and institutions on a national and international level.

Organigramme

BOARD OF DIRECTORSSofia Salema
Director		Paulo Simões Rodrigues
Vice-Director
Maria da Conceição Freire
Secretary
Laura Vitorino Rebelo
Board member
Luís Duarte Ferro
Board member
SCIENTIFIC COUNCILSofia Salema
President
Isabel Bezelga
Vice-President
PhD Members
COORDINATING COMMITTEEResearch Group Coordinators
RESEARCH GROUPSARCHEOLOGY *Leonor Rocha *
ARCHITECTUREJoão Soares
VISUAL ARTSTeresa Furtado
DESIGNInês Secca Ruivo
THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE STUDIESIsabel Bezelga
HISTORY OF ARTAlexandra Gago da Câmara
LANDSCAPEMaria da Conceição Freire
Integrated researchers

Collaborating Researchers

PhD Students
SCIENCE MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONJoana Portela
SUPPORTAna Lourido

* Existing research group and associated researchers until 2025

Corporate Identity

Rules for using CHAIA logotypes

Chaia provides its Corporate Image in different formats as implied in the CHAIA Graphic Standards Manual in order to use the logo in the correct way. The Members should consult the referred manual in order to use the correct Logo choice in different types of Solutions.

Logotypes should be used freely to refer CHAIA in the media and activities suported by CHAIA to its members as long as the requirments are respected:

  1. All scheduling should keep proportions.
  2. The colors to use on the logotype depend on the background.

For different solutions, CHAIA logotype presents in 4 different situations: