MusLi (Museums Literacy) - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

82 MusLi - No qualifications needed: museums and new audiences
case 06
Description
The Province of Bolzano is an extremely special case, one characterized by the presence of three languages
and of three cultural references (Italian, German and Ladin), as well as by the widespread diffusion
of strong cultural associations, organized on a voluntary basis and often quite traditional in their
activities. So the region can be seen to reproduce on a small scale the relationship between diversity
and unity that is particularly topical today in view of the enlargement of the European Union.
The projects carried out up to now by the Office for Italian Culture have the dual aim of increasing
the diffusion and promotion of culture throughout the Province and of developing its own initiatives,
above all those regarding publications and exhibitions targeted at a large part of population. The aim
to offer new cultural services to the population is accompanied by the monitoring of expectations that
had either been expressed or were latent, and at the same time providing training, at a local level, for
young professionals working in cultural services. The exhibition Touch of Baroque is part of a larger
and important project for the cultural growth of the entire population. It started from the intention to
develop a new series of events that appealed to a widespread interest. This kind of initiative, based on
the exposition of an artwork or group of works, must be accompanied by a search for new methods
and training interventions designed for a wide audience. The project also includes the development of
new technologies that make the proposed initiatives fully accessible to all kinds of visitors.
The exhibition Touch of Baroque can be considered as an exploration into an improved understanding
of the world of Italian art history, dedicated to the baroque masterpieces that arrived in Bolzano on loan
from the Museo di Capodimonte, including the famous Judith and Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi,
San Giovanni Battista by Mattia Preti, Marina by Salvator Rosa, the Madonna and Child by Massimo
Stanzione, the Virgin with S. Anna and S. Gioacchino by Francesco Solimena.
The initiative aimed to increase the interest of citizens in Italian artistic tradition and, at the same time,
addressing the issue of the ‘activation costs’ of participation, above all with regard to those people
belonging to the non-visiting target audience. With this purpose in mind, the project focused on two
areas of activity: communication and learning.
Aims and objectives of the communication project:
1. To stimulate interest in the Italian artistic tradition in general and specifically the Baroque
period, through the innate curiosity of each individual
2. To bring out the unexpressed need for the Arts
3. To positively influence public attitudes, transforming the feeling of inadequacy arising from
culture and arts and to enhance the understanding of the concept of the exhibition and the
Baroque period