• The publication is part of Novela Gráfica, a project of cognitive accessibility in easy reading of the Education Area of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum with the support of the Fundación Iberdrola España.

Novela Gráfica is a project of cognitive accessibility in easy reading, of an inclusive nature, created by the Education Area of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum with the support of the Fundación Iberdrola España and the collaboration of AMAS Fácil (easy reading service of the AMAS Group), which has also had the participation of the Madrid Association of Spina Bifida (AMEB), the Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG), the Fundación Grandes Amigos, the Asociación Para la Integración del Menor Paideia, the Centro Día de apoyo social Latina (belonging to the public network of social care for people with mental illness in the Community of Madrid managed by Grupo5 ) and the Centro Ocupacional Municipal de Leganés belonging to Grupo AMÁS.

Tejiendo vidas contando cuadros, by the artist and graphic narrator Aitor Saraiba, has been constructed from the selection of works and the vital narratives of the participants in this project to whom Saraiba proposed different exercises and interviewed one by one, in order to give shape to text and drawings. Later, the group approved the result, which AMAS fácil validated in terms of easy reading. Work was carried out on the network and the role of the Museum as a scenario for participation and an agent of social transformation was strengthened; research and development of new narratives around the museum and its collections was deepened and cognitive accessibility materials attractive to the general public were developed.

With the declaration of the State of Alarm, due to the health emergency caused by the COVID-19, the project continued through a whatsapp group that allowed the task to continue, to remain in contact, to remain isolated, but not alone, and to care for each other.

Thus, Tejiendo vidas contando cuadros becomes an object of multiple dimensions: it collects the biography of its participants; it is a new and different journey through the Museum’s collections, creating new narratives around the chosen works; it is the work of an artist; it is the product of a network between entities, and it is cognitively accessible material that is attractive to any reader or visitor to the museum. It is also an example that the museum can be a stage for respect, participation and tolerance, fulfilling its function as an agent of social cohesion and transformation; a space where anyone, wherever they come from, whatever their age or condition, can see themselves reflected and feel that they belong.

The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza with the support of the Fundación Iberdrola España, in line with the ODS of the United Nations Organization, continues to work on improving the accessibility of its collection and its contents through the lines of Education and Social Action of its Education Area.

Iberdrola, committed to society

Since its creation, Iberdrola has been committed to the energy, cultural and social development of the communities in which it is present. In this sense, the Iberdrola España Foundation represents a further step in this commitment, by promoting initiatives that contribute to improving people’s quality of life. One of the Foundation’s main areas of action is focused on the care, maintenance and promotion of art and culture.