Heritage School, kicking off the Open Classes Cycle of the 2018-2020 Course. Opening with Michele Ainis

Last Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, kicked off the Open Classes cycle promoted as part of the School of Heritage Course 2018-2020, organized by the Foundation School of Cultural Heritage and Activities. The first appointment was held with jurist and constitutionalist Michele Ainis, who addressed the theme ofArticle 9 of the Italian Constitution, “The Republic promotes the development of culture and scientific and technical research. It protects the landscape and the historical and artistic heritage of the Nation.” Article 9, Ainis stressed during the meeting, “is one of the fundamental principles of our constitutional charter. It talks about promotion and protection, culture and landscape, historical and artistic heritage. It is important to study it carefully, also because of its characteristic of transversality and interdisciplinarity. Each Constitution is the identity card of a people, reflecting their attitudes, traditions and historical experience. That is why we need to explore it thoroughly and rediscover its beauty.” Article 9, the constitutionalist continued, “is unique in the contemporary constitutional landscape and was born somewhat by accident. Although it was proposed by two illustrious champions such as Aldo Moro and Concetto Marchesi, it was considered pleonastic and was approved amid general skepticism, dictated more by concern for the emergence of Italian regions then to stem decentralization. Undervalued in the 1930s, it had its moment of glory in the late 1970s, when the environmental movement was born.”

With the cycle of Open Classes, which will feature, among others, Silvia Costa, Salvatore Settis, Fabrizio Barca, and Francesco Bandarin, the Foundation intends to share with an audience of guests and insiders, as well as with the participants of the 2018-2020 School of Heritage Course, appointments on topics of particular relevance that affect cultural heritage. In fact, the Foundation School of Heritage and Cultural Activities wants to experiment with training aimed at building a common culture of directive responsibility of those working in the cultural heritage sector. To this end, the program of the School of Heritage Course includes an integration of traditional skills, innovative skills related to the changes taking place in contemporary societies and in the specific sectors of reference, and transversal skills such as the management and administration of the protection, research and enhancement of cultural heritage. The Foundation, reads a note, “acts in the belief that only on the solid core of technical-scientific knowledge, acquired through advanced university training (School of Specialization or Doctorate), can be grafted both further knowledge from different disciplines and fields, and the transmission of knowledge gained in the concrete context of research, protection, administration, management and enhancement in the field of cultural heritage.”

This is what Marco Cammelli, President of the Foundation School of Cultural Heritage and Activities, also emphasizes: “the School has three macro-objectives that are connected with each other: higher education, research, and dissemination of experiences. At the basis of the various Courses activated by the School or pending activation (School of Heritage Course, International School of Cultural Heritage, Continuing Education Courses), there is in particular the need to take the training offer beyond the traditional disciplinary areas, which are certainly the starting point but not the arrival point.” Two principles inspire the School: to be open to different disciplines and different cultural and scientific orientations, and to be endowed with special autonomy. In fact, the School operates within the area of attributions of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, but it is managed by a private-law Foundation in which other public and private entities may participate. Carla Di Francesco, Director of the Foundation School of Cultural Heritage and Activities and former Secretary General MIBAC, during her welcome address to the students of the School of Heritage Course, wanted to emphasize the “occurrence, at a time of such important and rapid changes, of entirely new needs in the contexts of cultural heritage management, involving the need for new knowledge and transversal approaches, experimentation with solutions, updating and integration of existing skills.”

Also Carla Di Francesco, during the opening meeting of the Open Classes cycle, wanted to add some remarks on the role, nature, purpose and activities of the School: “The Heritage School was the first of the multiple activities assigned by statute to the Foundation to start, with classes beginning on October 1. It is a two-year course for 18 students selected out of 400 applications, which includes a first year of lectures, exercises, and seminars, strongly characterized by transversality, on the areas of Cultural Heritage Protection Management, Museum and Museum Cluster Management, Data Management-Archives, Data Management-Libraries, Territorial Development and Contemporary Art. A second year internship (in Public Administrations or other public or private entities), offers the student the opportunity to conduct a research project within a concrete working context and in contact with experienced operators. Of course, the Foundation is also working to implement the additional tasks assigned to it, which fall under three interrelated macro-objectives: higher education, research, and dissemination of experience. In fact, it was created to carry out two important high training initiatives (Heritage School Course and International School), but it has the statutory possibility to operate also in continuing education (such as to the training of Mibac personnel), research and dissemination and support (conferences, seminars, support to administrations, etc.). Starting from traditional disciplinary areas, the School works as an integrator of diverse knowledge to train management profiles for cultural heritage and activities. It does not offer specialized training like the other schools of Mibac, but aspires to become the point of reference for the managerial class (public and private) of the cultural heritage system (dealing with management, heritage management). This positioning is important in light of the emergence, at a time of such strong and rapid changes, of entirely new needs in the contexts of cultural heritage management, involving the need for new knowledge and transversal approaches, experimentation with solutions, updating and integration of existing skills.”

In terms of activities, the first Heritage School Course 2018-2020 started on Monday, October 1, 2018 in the presence of Stefano De Caro, former Director General of ICCROM, who delivered the opening lecture on “The ”new“ Heritage School in the context of international experiences.” The Course trains for management functions in the following areas: Cultural Heritage Protection Management, Management of Museums and Museum Poles, Data Management-Archives, Data Management-Libraries, Territorial Development and Contemporary Art. The two-year, full-time commitment course is attended by 18 students (chosen on the basis of 400 applications), as recalled by Carla Di Francesco. “Few and short basic/theoretical teachings” (so in the note), “also delivered through case studies, flank numerous seminars and exercises, which allow participants both to acquire knowledge and skills and to establish direct contact with potential work areas.” The internship (placement) lasting one year and to be carried out at one of the nodes of the public administration of cultural heritage or other public or private entities, aims to offer the student the opportunity to conduct a research project, agreed upon with the entity at which the internship period takes place, within a concrete working context and in contact with experienced operators. In addition to this Course, the School contributes with Continuing Education Courses to the updating and further qualification of experts already working in the field of cultural heritage and to the initial training of those beginning to work in it, in the public, private, state and territorial spheres. These continuing education and initial training programs are elaborated, including at the request of organizations and institutions, based on the specific needs of those involved and because of their varying degrees of experience in the field. The School also plans to launch in 2019 another Course, theInternational School of Cultural Heritage, with which it intends to disseminate to the international level the Italian training model, in terms of technical-scientific knowledge acquired in close contact with the concrete context of cultural heritage and the valuable skills that have been developed around them in our country. This Course is aimed at 20 young foreign graduates with a good university background, from countries of relevant interest to Italy with which Italy establishes bilateral agreements. The Course trains to curatorial functions in the following areas: Restoration and Conservation (in collaboration with ISCR, OPD, ICRCPAL), Archaeology, Art History, Archives and Libraries, Architecture and Territories, and Museum Management.

Pictured: Michele Ainis at the first meeting.

Heritage School, kicking off the Open Classes Cycle of the 2018-2020 Course. Opening with Michele Ainis

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