The MuseOpen project is a real path of investigation aimed at deepening our knowledge of the environment and to propose new ways to relate to it. The activities are organized in the internal and external spaces of the Natural Science Museum, with a series of multidisciplinary initiatives which involved a multiplicity of
public and private entities. An entomological exhibition curated by the Faenza speleological group, scientific insights, talks, projections films, educational workshops ecc.
Local
Italy
- Emilia Romagna region
- Municipality of Faenza
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-05-23
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Cultural Association 'Fatti d'arte' Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Veronica Last name of representative: Bassani Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: via Bertoni 224 Town: Faenza Postal code: 48018 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 339 458 4683 E-mail:infofattidarteassociazione@gmail.com Website:https://fattidarteassociazione.it/
The project ‘MuseOpen’ was a project granted by the region Emilia Romagna and implemented in Faenza, between October 2020 and May 2021, longer than expected due to Covid 19. The project had as its main objective the urban generation and the main actors were the cultural association Fatti d’arte and the Natural Science museum Malmerendi in Faenza, Italy. Through various activities during these months the association ‘Fatti d’arte’ and other collaborators gave a new image and life to the museum and especially to his botanic garden providing solutions for sustainable development on urban contexts and using the art to raise awareness and interest on the ‘green heart’ of the city of Faenza.
The main result of the project was the new identity given in the museum Malmerendi by opening an interactive dialogue between the areas of natural science and culture and artistic expression. The museum gain a new life and identity using a more contemporaneous language with virtual and digital elements and artistic initiatives that gave a new value to the urban environment and the botanic garden that is now considered as a meeting place and as a site for protection of the urban biodiversity.
Nature
Urban regeneration
Re-connection
Art
Sustainability
The project ‘MuseOpen’ was born from the question ‘What is the role of the museum today, inside the society where we are living?’ an open question that one can give various answers and on which the project chose to apply in specific on the Natural science museum of Faenza by trying to add value to the natural urban environment and bridge it with the nowadays industrial societies.
The main objective of the project was to give another identity to an institution, a museum, by bridging it with the needs of today's societies and opening a discussion with the society around sustainable development in urban realities and the digital transformation with 0 emissions. The main tool to reach this objective was the art in its various forms and expressions and the active participation of young people on a local level. The project ‘MuseOpen’ aimed to open with the public a dialogue around the value of the urban natural elements (specifically the botanic garden of the Malmerendi museum in Faenza) and re-evaluate together the importance of sustainability and protection of the cultural and environmental heritage.
The project can be exemplary in this context because it reached its objectives and provided concrete results and action on a local level. The response of the public was big and positive to all the activities aimed to give an extra value to the natural urban environment and its results are sustained until today with various monthly and yearly activities in the museum.
The applicant association that implemented also the majority of the activities for the project ‘MuseOpen’ and coordinated the netword of collaborators and local stakeholders, was the cultural association ‘Fatti d’arte’ that has a strong artistic core and standard activities in the city of Faenza. From the planning phase of this project the art was the main tool to reach the project objectives and provide positive and concrete results for the city and its citizens. Art as the main tool in this project and its various forms was the way not only to regenerate an urban natural environment (the natural-science museum Malmerendi), but also a powerful channel to reach the local community and invite it to open a discussion around urban natural environments, their beauty, value and importance today.
One of the core objectives of the project was to give a new identity to the museum Malmerendi and mainly to its beautiful botanic garden that during the past years was forgotten for the public even though its great value to the urban life. The activities implemented to reach this objective were artistic like dance among the trees, individual and group expression around the natural elements of the botanic garden; open philosophical talks and debates about the importance of the urban natural characteristics; street art to highlight the beauty of nature and promote its protection in urban contexts and a lot more.
The public’s response was more expected and the results are continuing having an effect until today, almost two years after the project’s end date. The project can be exemplary in this context, because it managed to connect the cultural heritage with the environmental heritage and add to them an extra value through aesthetic and artistic activities that left a direct and indirect impact on the city of Faenza and its citizens.
Inclusiveness was not seen in this project as an objective, but more as a need and a principle. Keeping in mind the above mentioned objectives and as stated before the project ‘MuseOpen’ worked in order to give a new identity to a museum that as an institution was left a bit in the past and we tried to transform it by including more contemporary methods, practices and approaches.
The principle of a more inclusive society that gives the same opportunities and accessibility to all its members was always in our minds through the implementation of the various activities and the key element to reach this goal was the digital transformation. Even though the digital transformation was highlighted more as a global need during and after the Covid 19 pandemic, for this project even in the planning phase we wanted to include the process of the digitalization of the museum in the main activities. In order to be more accessible to people with disabilities (linguistic, educational and motor problems) one main activity was the creation of an interactive map with QR codes and color coded for the botanic garden of the museum. In addition to this activity, we managed to digitally transform the whole museum and make it accessible and affordable to everybody that desires to visit it online, with different interactive tools and images.
The benefits for the citizens of Faenza, but also from the neighboring cities and towns were various and their involvement actively assisted to the success of the project’s results and visibility.
First of all, the main benefit of the project was for the city itself and the local community that had the chance to reflect around the urban natural environments, their importance and beauty; to interact on this topic and express their opinion and ideas for the Malmerendi museum activities, but also for other urban green elements of the city of Faenza; and finally to try solutions and actively participate in the urban regeneration of the city that the project ‘MuseOpen’ started. As written also above the public’s response was positive and more than expected with a lot of people of all ages visiting the museum during the activities and after the end of them.
The involvement of the local society was also valuable to successfully implement all the activities, because they were structured in this way to open the public dialogue, search together for solutions and apply the solutions together with the people that have recommended them. The local people show an active civic participation attitude and a strong interest in the topic that helped to provide successful results.
- Cultural association ‘Fatti d’arte’: The association was the applicant and beneficiary of this project and was involved in all the phases of it.
- Gruppo Speleologico Faentino: partner association. For this project their activity was an entomological exhibition and guided an outdoor visit.
- APS Filò: partner association. Their activity was to open a discussion regarding the environment, understood both as an ecological space and as an socio-cultural space.
- Compagnia IRIS: partner association. They presented dance events of the museum and the botanic garden creating a ‘bridge’ between expression and natural environment.
- Youth informal group of Faenza: partner. Young people promoters of the ‘Fridays for Future’ in Faenza and actively volunteered for this project.
- Center of Education for Sustainability (CEAS): stakeholder. Public office of the Municipality of Faenza. They held a workshop and helped with the dissemination of the results.
- University of Faenza (ISIA): partner. The department of the University of Bologna for industrial art studies. Students of the Institute participated in various activities in this project.
- Noi Giovani: stakeholder. It is a youth association that promoted the project and provided us with material and creators of street art.
- BackBo: stakeholder. Hub of circular economy (Bologna) that works on the creation of a network to facilitate the green transition and zero waste. They provided recycled material for the purposes of the events and the activities and held a workshop.
- ReMida Bologna Terre d’Acqua: stakeholder. It is a center of creative reuse of materials used by companies. They held various workshops on the ‘Didactic Sundays’.
- IRIS Sustainable development: stakeholders. It is a non profit association in Sweden that promotes sustainable development and the green european transition. They shared the results of this project.
- Greta Naselli: partner. Implemented a workshop of recycling tairoring.
-Ass. ‘Noi giovani’: Creation of murales in the Museum of natural science Malmerendi.
-Gruppo Speleo, Ass. Fatti d'Arte, Noi Giovani, Lorenzo Travaglini, ISIA: Opening event of the project, with electronic music performance by Lorenzo Travaglini, connected with the video art projected on external walls of the museum, edited by students of the ISIA.
-ReMida: Didactic Sundays. The "Atelier of sounds and noises" is a workshop of sound provocations that lead the children to investigate, to know and experience the sound potential of the waste materials.
-Fatti d’arte: Halloween treasure hunt in and around the museum for kids.
-Filò association: Philosophy workshop. An investigation into the relationship between man and nature, studied for centuries by philosophers from all over the world.
-CEAS: Didactic workshop. The event aimed at the audience of preteen children. An age range that begins to develop a strong sensitivity towards the context of the project, and to which the CEAS provided the tools to know and explore nature.
-IRIS, BackBo: Plastic movement. A performance that dialogue with the environments of the museum and interacted with the public. Next, the BackBo hub shared his experience in recycling plastic and brought to the public practical examples of good habits applicable in daily life.
-Fatti d’arte: Projection of the documentary ‘Before the flood’, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese.
-Gruppo Speleo, Collettivo Imboschirsi: Outdoor visit. An exploration with the hikers of the Speleo Group, which guided participants on a fascinating journey. In the afternoon, the educators of the Imboschirsi project held a workshop that guided children to experiment and play with elements of nature.
-Greta Naselli Repunto: Workshop of recycling tailoring. Taught participants techniques and recovery of quality materials intended for disposal.
Responsible for the coordination of all the individuals and associations was the association Fatti d'arte.
The project has made it possible to give a new identity to the Malmerendi museum of natural sciences, triggering a dialogue between the scientific-naturalistic area and the artistic-cultural area with the involvement of a new public, coming from Faenza and neighboring areas, through proposals and cultural initiatives. The creation of a community around this project was fundamental, which encouraged social activities and mutual collaboration, responding to a partly unexpressed, but very urgent need of this historical moment.
A process of urban regeneration, which has already begun, has also consolidated and understood as a process of socio-cultural reactivation through the use of a more contemporary language and new digital methods to communicate the museum's contents and proposals with the rediscovery and care of the natural and landscape heritage, with particular reference to the geographical area of the Vena del Gesso regional park and greater protection and enhancement of urban green elements, understood as a meeting place and as a site for the protection of biodiversity in an urban context.
The concrete results of the project were:
- Creation of a murales in the entrance of the Malmerendi museum making it visible for far away;
- Creation of a digital interactive map of the museum and its exhibitions (available in its website);
- Digitalization of the paths of the botanic garden with a QR code and color coded;
- Implementation of artistic events and workshops to promote the preservation of the urban natural elements;
- Writing and publication of two comic books for kids with the topic of protection of the environment;
- Creation of audiovisual material to promote the project, its results and raise awareness around urban regeneration;
- Opening a dialogue with the community about these issues and providing solutions;
- Online talks and seminars regarding urban natural preservation and protection.
The project ‘MuseOpen’ was the first one of its kind in a local level, the city of Faenza. Through various artistic initiatives and workshops managed to give a new life to a museum that was almost forgotten even though it has a rich cultural background and its amazing natural beauty.
First of all, ‘MuseOpen’ had from its start an innovative character due to the fact that it is through, created, structured and implemented by young people, all under 30 years old. It is in fact awarded as well as the second best youth initiative of the region of Emilia Romagna for the year of 2021. It has an objective to give a new life to a museum by bringing it to nowadays standards by digitizing it and promoting its natural heritage. As an idea might be common, because a lot of museums trying to do the same the past years, especially after the Covid 19 pandemic, but here is the time to highlight the idea and actions are fruits of youth initiative and participation in a local level, elements that one usually don’t find when searching for cultural and natural heritage and preservation.
Moreover, another innovative element of the project on a local level that before wasn’t present in the community and in other museums was the creation of a calendar of events and workshops that combined a lot of disciplines and artistic expressions. In order to create this calendar the association ‘Fatti d’arte’ brought together individuals and associations that haven’t worked together before and created a network with main protagonists young people that is still active today. In addition to this, an important innovation characteristic of the project is the bridge that this created between the preservation of the cultural heritage and the preservation of the natural heritage and bringing to the community of Faenza issues and topics that before ‘MuseOpen’ weren’t touched either discussed.
As mentioned also above and it is visible from the description of the implemented activities, the main methodologies and approaches used in this project were artistic. Art has functioned as a powerful tool to reach the objectives of the project and arouse the interest of the public.
Fatti d’arte association and the partner organizations and stakeholders in this project used various forms and expressions of art in order to provide a variety of activities and creative workshops that promote sustainable development, reuse and recycle of materials and urban regeneration. Specifically for each activity the methodologies used:
- Murales - Street art as a tool to promote the environmental protection and raise awareness
- Didactic workshops - Regarding different topics and arguments aimed at various target groups. The main tools were art, philosophy and critical thinking, practical and daily sustainable hacks, music, dance, audiovisual material and more. The approach used in all the implemented workshops was non formal based on the active participation of the participants (kids/ teenagers/ adults)
- Outdoor activities - The methodology used is the direct link of human experience in nature and reflection on the impact that human activities have on it. The approach was participative and interactive with the participants.
The majority of the activities implemented in the duration of the ‘MuseOpen’ project can be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. The main objective, urban regeneration and the connection of the citizens with the urban natural elements is important to include and improve in every community of today at a local and international level. We are living in an era where the protection of the environment is fundamental to guarantee a future to the next generations to follow. The youngest among us are already fighting and actively promoting the protection of nature by highlighting the problems and searching for solutions. Projects that aim to highlight and value the urban environmental heritage are precious and similar ideas to ‘MuseOpen’ should be active all over the world.
The elements and activities of ‘MuseOpen’ project that could be easily transferred in other cities are:
- the use of art to bridge institutions, like schools and museums, with the observation and protection of the urban natural elements;
- space and participation of young people to local actions that promote sustainable development and eco friendly innovations in daily life contexts, that respond directly and indirectly to the needs of nowadays societies;
- creative workshops and activities with the target group of kids and teenagers to sensibilize around the importance of the nature and its protection by using non formal and informal educational approaches;
- creation of a network of associations and individuals that act to bring positive impact in their local community and changes.
The challenges approached by the ‘MuseOpen’ and the local solutions that the project provided are as follow:
Protection and promotion of the urban natural environment : The ‘MuseOpen’ managed to open an interactive dialogue with the local community to rethink and re-evaluate the importance of the ‘green elements’ in our city. Through the activities implemented, in full pandemic period, the project managed to arouse the interest of the locals and find together solutions to give a new image to an urban natural space that was hidden and not appreciated for years. The solutions applied were simple, but really important, like the restoration of the signs that guide to the Museum Malmerendi and its botanic garden providing also information for the preservation of the trees and plants presented in the garden, a murales in the entrance of the Museum that makes it recognizable from far away and invites the visitors to the garden and the implementation of events and workshops with objective the introduction of the community to the context of sustainable development, to provide daily eco-friendly hacks and the raise of awareness for the protection of the environment.
Digital transformation: The need for digital transformation is now a priority of the EU and the whole world due to Covid 19. The result produced by this project that provided a local solution is the digitalization of the whole museum. Within the project we created an interactive online map and also we digitized the botanic garden in a way that is accessible to more people, even with fewer opportunities, through QR codes and color codes for all the plants and trees in the garden.
Youth participation: The 2022 was the year of young people and the youth participation protagonist in this project is important to be mentioned. The ideators and main actors of this project are young people under 30 years old, all of them connect for the same cause due to its importance and value for the local community of Faenza.
