The Craft Lab exhibition in Polignano a Mare. Art and Design between Italy and Greece

The exhibition will show the artworks realised during the workshops on fabrics, mosaic and ceramics that took place last summer in Martina Franca, Gravina di Puglia and Grottaglie. There will also be presented some artworks realised between 16 and 18 November as part of the workshops of cross-border exchange that built a bridge between young artists from Italy and Greece.

The 30th of November 2019 at the Pino Pascali Foundation opens at 06:00 p.m. the Craft Lab exhibition: design and art between Italy and Greece, as part of the european project Craft Lab – Residencies on the way from products to the AdriIonian design. The exhibition will show artworks realised by young artists during the workshops that took place last summer in the cities of Gravina di Puglia, Grottaglie and Martina Franca, dedicated to the excellencies of handicraft: mosaic, fabricsand ceramics.

The participating artists are: For ceramics: Aurora Avvantaggiato, Roberto Ciardo, Valentina De Florio, Giovanni Diele, Giuseppe Digennaro, Roberto Farinacci, Bianca Maria Scarinci, Luigi Todaro, Arianna Tucci, Sandro Vestita; For fabrics: Sonia Amendolare, Giusi Maria Antolini, Irene Centronze, Marika Chirico, Aurelia Loconsole, Lucia Longano, Eugenia Naty, Paola Preziosa, Stefania Semeraro, Pierfederica Verdegiglio; For mosaic: Maurice Bellanova, Claudia Botrugno, Domiziana Desiante, Alice Di Nanna, Valentina Laterza, Angela Marrulli, Antonia Pellegrini, Francesca Ruggieri, Rossana Salvino, Anna Todisco. 

Thanks to project Craft Lab Residencies on the way from products to the AdriIonian design, as part of the Interreg Greek-Italy programme, 30 young artists, selected through open call, had the chance to work with 6 teachers and 3 technical operators and to enjoy a great adventure dedicated to art and handicraft. Ancient techniques and crafts have been refreshed and renovated thanks to new technologies and the languages of art, promoting young entrepreneurship and job opportunities in this sector. During last summer 2019 took place in Grottagliethe workshop on ceramics (coordinated by the teachers Claudia Giannuliand Giorgio di Palmaand by the technical operatorLuca Bochicchio); in Martina Francatook place the workshop on fabrics (coordinated by the teachers Marisa Moreaand Mariantonietta Bagliatoand by the technical operator Ida Chiatante); in Gravina di Pugliatook place the workshop on mosaic (coordinated by the teachers Michele Giangrandeand Angela Varvaraand by the technical operator Vera Belikova).

Each workshop lasted 120 hours (30 hours a week for 4 weeks) between July and October 2019, taking a summer break in August. The courses were completely free. At the end the participants will receive a detailed certificate of the path followed and of the acquired experiences, together with free services of technical support for the launch of three start-up in the reference fields to be located in Apulia and Ionian Islands. Thanks to this project the pino Pascali Foundation could afford the specific tools and materials necessary for the realisation of the workshops.

The exhibition will be completed with artworks realised by the artists in dialogue with their colleagues selected in Greece, during the days of cross-border exchange in the cities of Grottaglie, Martina Franca and Gravina di Puglia, from 16 to 18 November. The greek artists, coming from Corfù, Lekfada and Cephalonia, worked and produced together artworks that will be shown at The Pino Pascali Foundation.

The Interreg Programme V-A Greece-Italy 2014-2020 is a bilateral programme of cross-border cooperation, co-financed by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund(ERDF) and by the two member states (Italy and Greece) with a national share. The main goal of the Programme is to define a strategy for the growth of cross-border exchange between Apulia and Greece, finalised to the development of a dynamic economy based on smart, sustainable and inclusive systems in order to improve the quality of life of the citizens of these two territories. The leader of the project is the Pino Pascali Foundation along with two italian partners, the National confederation of craft and small and medium businesses of Bari and Regione Puglia Department of Economic development, Innovation, Education, Job-Training and two greek partners, the Regional Association of Municipalities of Ionian Islands and the Chamber of Commerce of Lekfada.