In December 1974, when Dr. Nise da Silveira was about to retire, a group of collaborators led by educator Zoé Noronha Chagas Freitas created the Society Friends of the Museum of Images from the Unconscious (Sociedade Amigos do Museu de Imagens do Inconsciente - SAMII). Its foundation brought together many names of important Brazilian personalities from culture, arts, and politics. 

Since then, SAMII has been responsible for major projects undertaken at the Museum of Images from the Unconscious: renovations and infrastructure works at the headquarters, the hiring of technicians and researchers, storage and registration of the collection, support for therapeutic activities, exhibitions, documentaries, publications—the Society is active in the daily life of the museum. Partnerships with public and private institutions have helped to maximize this work.

 
The cultural heritage listing of part of the collection, and the inclusion of Nise da Silveira’s personal archive in the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register, are results of SAMII initiatives for the protection and dissemination of this important legacy.
 

A museum’s expansion project, currently underway, includes the struggle to transform the old mental hospital into a public park, an idea that was officially launched by SAMII in 2011, and that is becoming a reality.

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