Date
13/11/2025

The School of Applied Arts (ESART) celebrated its 26th anniversary on 12 November 2025 with a diverse programme that sought to reflect the quality and pedagogical innovation, as well as the artistic and interdisciplinary vitality of this organic unit of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB).

The celebrations began in Auditorium 1 with a performance by students from the singing class, who performed a repertoire by Haydn, Lotti, Mozart, Gastaldon and Donizetti. This was followed by performances by the percussion group KODU and the projects ‘Sangue Novo’ and “Revigrés”, as well as the screening of the short film ‘A Aldeia e o Monstro’ (The Village and the Monster).

These and other works developed in the various bachelor’s and master’s degree courses, from Music to Communication and Audiovisual Design, Fashion and Textile Design, and Interior and Equipment Design, were also on display in the school’s entrance hall and corridors, allowing the rest of the academic community to see the sketches and prototypes of specific projects in visual identity, rebranding, photography, and fashion.

The official session included a musical performance by the ESART Choir and the screening of a video providing a visual retrospective of the school’s achievements, followed by speeches by Francisco Pinho, director of the School of Applied Arts; Nuno Castela, vice-president of the IPCB; Leopoldo Rodrigues, mayor of Castelo Branco; and Alexandra Fernandes, president of the ESART Student Association.

The programme ended with the traditional birthday cake, accompanied by the voices and instruments of the host tuna.