One of these institutions is the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (Cultural Center Banco do Brasil), which has a range of multi-disciplinary spaces to host exhibitions in the visual arts, cinema, lectures, debates, seminars, musical performances and educative programs. The vast majority of its activities are geared towards the contemporary, hosting for example the Contemporary visual art awards, and the international festival for theatre.

The Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica (Municipal Center of Art Hélio Oiticica) is another reference center in the dissemination of contemporary Brazilian art, hosting exhibitions, seminars, debates, meetings, courses and workshops to establish and maintain an ongoing dialogue between artists, consumers, and various art forms.