A day in which art was the key to lay the foundations for a responsible future. In this year’s edition of Arte al Centro, Cittadellarte again presented exhibitions, conferences, workshops and many other activities with sustainability as their fil rouge. The programme of the event was looking to the future, but, as traditionally since 2001, there was a moment of celebration of the merits of who is already committed to the common good. For the past 18 years, in fact, on the occasion of its main annual event, Cittadellarte has been awarding the Minimum Prize, a prize placed at the minimum level compared to the ones destined to big personalities who have dedicated their lives to the peace or civil progress cause. This acknowledgement wants to be at the basis of the research, incentive and motive of a process aiming at values in new civilisation perspectives. It is a starting rather than an achievement award, and celebrates who promotes a responsible social transformation. It is meant as a primary relationship among people producing a big change in human civilization through the interaction of single units.
Minimum like an embryo, like a principle generating a new society, like an access key to an evolutionary stage where creativity and human science find ways to live with the intelligence of nature.

This year, too, a figure representing the values and principles of the award has been identified: Andrea Paoletti. “He has transformed a traditional residential space into a unique place where people from all over the world meet and share work spaces, projects, life; – this the official motivation of the prize – creator of the project “Casa Netural” and a 2005 University of Ideas resident at Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto, in calling this space “Casa” (House) he has clearly identified a type of hospitality designed for subjects who want to carry out their research or work without isolating themselves, but rather weaving relationships with Matera’s local community. A stimulating structure where to regenerate oneself and concretely realize ideas concerning the themes of social, cultural and creative innovation. The relationships thus established are minimum ones of simple neighbouring, becoming a virtuous example able to happily contaminate whoever enters in contact with it. From one to many is the path built by Paoletti, who has now incubated a new project of territorial and social regeneration: Wonder Grottole, capable of drawing media’s attention on a town at risk of “extinction”, activating a voluntary commitment from all over the world to spend a sabbatical year sharing an intergenerational experience between old and new knowledges”.

The prize was formally conferred to Paoletti in the course of the opening of Arte al Centro, and presented by Pier Luigi Sacco (Special Adviser to the Commissioner for Education and Culture of the European Commission and future professor at the UNIDEE Academy, who read the motivations), Paolo Naldini (director of Cittadellarte) and Armona Pistoletto (president of the association Let Eat Bi). “I want to thank Cittadellarte for this award, – said Paoletti – it’s a very important acknowledgement inasmuch as it creates a connection with this province (I am a Biellese). To me, it also represents a stage of a process: in 2005 I participated in a UNIDEE module and I’m here today to accept an award re-establishing a link with the territory. And this is all thanks to the project Casa Netural, which, since 2012, has brought together people from all over the world to share ideas, projects and skills. I also wanted to mention Wonder Grottole, an other initiative aiming at repopulating the historic centre of a small village thirty minutes away from Matera. They are all projects that have got a lot in common with Cittadellarte’s values”.

The presentation of the Minimum Prize starts at minute 26.

Photo credit: Enrico Amici.