The collaborators
This exhibition has benefited from two types of collaborators: on the one hand, those who have helped in every way possible to build the building where the collection is and, on the other hand, the people who have collaborated by donating one or several objects of an ethnographic nature; we even understand that those people who have agreed to sell something because they knew it was to form part of a collection have collaborated. Finally, credit must also be given to those who have assisted in cleaning and restoring the collection’s elements and in their subsequent assembly and display.
Collaborators in the Construction of the Building
Regarding those who contributed to the construction of the building, the first to be mentioned is my family, especially my parents. Thanks to the family inheritance I have been able to acquire a large plot of land, as well as the capital from the sale of a rural estate, both things, as I have said, by inheritance and usufructuary renunciation from my mother.
I am also grateful to my sister for allowing me to incorporate the plot into my inheritance preferences. On the other hand, we must acknowledge the availability of the different construction agents, especially those who intervened at the beginning of the work, when we were limited by COVID.
Among these professionals, following the general order of execution, I must highlight the effort of the project’s architect and supervisor, as well as the technical architect, who had to revise the original project multiple times to accommodate the necessary modifications for the collection.
The construction company also deserves recognition for its unwavering commitment to the project, always meeting deadlines with precision. Other companies, though with lesser involvement, also contributed throughout the process, offering ideas and time to ensure the infrastructure could be completed within a very tight budget.
Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to the team responsible for drafting the activity project, as well as those involved in the administrative procedures.
Collaborators to the exhibition setup
Regarding the exhibition setup, I would like to express my gratitude to a great group of friends. Without their help, it would have been impossible to transport the collection objects from the various storage locations where they were kept during the construction work. They always took great care to avoid breaking or losing anything in this challenging process.
I also want to acknowledge the friends who provided vans and trucks for the transportation, as well as members of my family and in-laws who assisted with assembly and cleaning.
Many people contributed to the acquisition, cleaning, and restoration of the collection—whether by providing information about where to find missing pieces or by helping craft essential components for certain objects.
However, above all, I owe my deepest gratitude to Andrés Melero Palomares, my life partner for over 25 years. He has been involved in every step of this journey: accompanying me every Sunday for years to flea markets and antique shops; helping me restore objects; moving them whenever necessary; cleaning and fixing imperfections in the new building; and, most importantly, spending three full years, every afternoon and weekend, by my side assembling the entire collection.
Both he, along with our friends and family, have endured the joys and frustrations of this project, which at times became an obsession. Without their unwavering support, this dream would never have become a reality.