The battle to fight cultural
poverty among Italy's underprivileged children is starting in
the country's south with the Arte alla Luce (Art in the Light)
project, the first result in a collaboration between the Culture
Ministry and Save the Children that aims to increase young
people's contact with and enjoyment of art through creative
methods.
The initiative, set to take place in Palermo, Gioiosa
Ionica and Bari, will involve about 50 teenagers between 13-17
years old guided by artists Massimo Grimaldi, Domenico Mangano
and Adrian Paci in three-day art workshops preceded by two weeks
of meetings and education.
The activities will take place at Save the Children "Punti
Luce" (Light Points) - socio-educational structures opened by
the non-profit, currently in nine regions throughout Italy for a
total of 16 centres.
The project will kick off in Palermo on December 18-20 with
Mangano, followed by Bari on January 8-10 with Grimaldi, and
Gioiosa Ionica on February 26-28 with Paci.
The importance that a project like this can have in Italy
is evident when looking at the Save the Children Atlas of
Infancy released in November, which shows that about two out of
three children (64%) between 6 and 17 years old haven't ever
been to an exhibition or a museum, haven't read a book other
than a school textbook, don't use the Internet, don't attend the
theatre or concerts, and don't do any physical activity.
It's a percentage that's difficult to accept, and further
increases when looking at Italy's south.
In Sicily, 79% of children are in a situation of cultural
and recreational deprivation, with Calabria at 78.4% and Puglia
at 74%.
"We have to make up for lost time. Now it's time that the
country invests in the periphery - public and private,
associations, citizens and cultural sector professionals have to
work together," said Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
"Millions of people live outside of cities, and that's
where the real challenges of today are. The road will be long
and difficult, but we have to manage to see the beauty that
exists in the outskirts".
What's for sure is that the artists and professionals
involved will have to find a channel of communication with the
teenagers, overcoming their distrust and directing their
mistrust, apathy and aggressiveness towards the discovery of
beauty.
"These young people are gifted with great resilience and we
have to have faith in them," said Raffaela Milano, Save the
Children's Italy-Europe programs director.
"We have to give them the opportunity to build their own
future in an open way and regardless of their family situation".
"This isn't a top-down project," said Federica Galloni,
culture ministry general director for contemporary art and
architecture and urban peripheries.
"Our approach is one of great humility, because we want to
rebuild the pact of trust with citizens," she said.
"It's not by chance that we chose these three artists,
because they've done it and can be an example".
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