Villa delle Rose is the headquarters of Ælia Media, a project by Pablo Helguera, who won the first International Award for Participatory Art promoted by the Legislative Assembly of the Region of Emilia-Romagna. The calendar of events includes workshops and seminars, as well as public meetings concerning the artistic approach to themes such as collaboration, education and information.

The MAMbo (Bologna Museum of Modern Art) has generously offered the use of Villa delle Rose for the creation of Ælia Media, a project with which Pablo Helguera won the first edition of the International Award for Participatory Art. The members of the jury were Julia Draganovic, Rudolf Frieling, Alfredo Jaar, Bert Theis and, representing the Region of Emilia-Romagna, Luigi Benedetti. They awarded this international prize to Helguera for both his artistic career and the quality of the participative art project which Helguera created for the city of Bologna. His career, above all with the project "School of Panamerican Unrest", has shown his ability to involve people from different cultural backgrounds in decision-making and creative processes. This unique prize is promoted by the Legislative Assembly of the Region of Emilia-Romagna, in collaboration with goodwill and LaRete Art Projects, and is curated by Julia Draganovic together with Claudia Löffelholz.

From June onwards, the initial calendar of events includes meetings, seminars and workshops, up to July 15. Villa delle Rose will reopen for the international art scene as a cultural "studio", for the development of new collaboration strategies, innovative art journalism methods and a workshop for experimentation with the transformation of themes and cultural, social and historical research regarding artistic styles.

According to the curator Julia Draganovic, "participation is one of the most up-to-date themes in the world of art, as in politics. The challenge in both cases involves negotiating to reach decisions and creating things together without compromising on quality. Ælia Media, promoted by Pablo Helguera and created together with about twenty figures from the Bolognese cultural sector, is an ambitious project which aims to involve not only people from the sector but as many members of the general public as possible, by stimulating cultural curiosity."

"I think it's important," states Luigi Benedetti", the Director of the Legislative Assembly of the Region of Emilia-Romagna, "to reaffirm the desire that drove the Legislative Assembly of the Region to promote this award. Their desire was to experiment with new forms in order to promote participation among citizens, beyond the traditional institutions. For the Region, participation is a normal, constant way of working. Furthermore, since February 2010 we have had a law – Law 3 of 2010 – which emphasises participative processes and suggests them to regional organisations as an everyday way of governing and working when it comes to their relationships with citizens."

Villa delle Rose hosts the Ælia Media journalism school, aimed at people working in the cultural sector who will work together in the travelling broadcast centre created by Pablo Helguera, which will begin its activities in the centre of Bologna from the middle of October. The aim is to offer innovative visions of cultural production in the city, through the creation of an information channel that people from the cultural sector can take part in, together with citizens, which will be created for Bologna with an international perspective. This multimedia channel will reflect the great tradition of free Bolognese radio, and in particular will focus on radio broadcasts. The work group, involving 20 young people from different artistic backgrounds, from visual arts to theatre to music, is already working together as part of a training programme run by Pablo Helguera.

In addition to its journalism school, Ælia Media has an advisory board featuring representatives from the city's cultural institutions. As a result, meetings with figures from the world of art and media, from Bologna and elsewhere will be organised at Villa delle Rose. Artists, creative figures, people from the cultural and social sectors and media experts will be invited to hold seminars as well as public debates to explore the themes and practices of participation today, in art and society. The calendar of events will feature various Ælia Media seminars, including "Infrasound", on 20 June at 7pm, a workshop with the artist Roberto Paci Dalò.

On 23 June at 7pm, Villa delle Rose will host the public presentation of Click or Clash? Strategies of Collaboration, a project curated by Julia Draganovic, promoted by LaRete Art Projects and Galleria Bianconi, dedicated to debate between artists working on common themes from different perspectives, with a meeting featuring the artists Via Lewandowsky, Cesare Pietroiusti and Luigi Presicce.

On 7 July at 7pm, a public meeting entitled Estetica del Giornalismo will take place, with Alfredo Cramerotti, the curator and author of "Aesthetic Journalism".

International Award for Participatory Art
An initiative of the Legislative Assembly of the Region of Emilia-Romagna
In collaboration with LaRete Art Projects and goodwill.

Ælia Media. A project by Pablo Helguera.
Created together with: Emanuela Ascari, Katia Baraldi, Fedra Boscaro, Lorena Colantuono, Giorgia Dolfini, Vincenzo Estremo, Federica Falancia, Matteo Ferrari. Emanuele Girotti, Eléonore Grassi, Nathaniel Katz, Tihana Maravic, Marianna Mendoza, Stefano Miniato, Stefano Pasquini, Cinzia Pietribiasi, Linda Rigotti, Francesca Pizzo, Ennio Ruffolo, Anna Santomauro, Alessandra Saviotti, Daniela Spagna Musso and Annamaria Tina.

Curated by Julia Draganovic and Claudia Löffelholz.
Organisation and coordination: Alice Militello and Federica Patti.
Communication and press office: goodwillcom.

Info
051 220080
info@artepartecipativa.it
www.artepartecipativa.it

Villa delle Rose
Via Saragozza 228 – 230, Bologna

Press Office

goodwillcom – tel. +39 051 220080 press@goodwillcom.it
Maddalena Bonicelli – mob. Ì39 335 685770 mb@good-will.it
Santa Nastro – mob. +39 329 5794324 sn@good-will.it