The ArtePollino Award

The ArtePollino Award is a contest addressed to the students of Italian Academies of Fine Arts, to offer a summer school in the Pollino National Park and, thereafter, the possibility to develop an art project inspired by the Park’s natural landscapes and art. For three consecutive editions, the Award has been both an annual event and a training moment of cultural exchange between the association and the local communities, the art world and the Fine Arts Academies. The three editions of the Award have had very positive feedbacks, mainly thanks to their innovative aspects for the Italian landscape of training proposals in the field of art and nature. After the first edition, ArtePollino received many invitations from the Academies, to meet the students, in different venues, talk about the Award and invite them to take part in the next edition.
The involvement of Academies, where many artists are trained, is something unprecedented and original, as it aims at the exchange and sharing of ideas between students and teachers, coming from different backgrounds and experiences. Starting from the observation, exploration and study of the Park and the artworks created there, all aspects involved in the cultural and creative processes are illustrated, teaching students how to consciously face the limits, constraints and problems that often arise; in this way, the “individualistic” nature of art, is mitigated, thanks to the debate and dialogue with other people and the local community; such an experience differs from other artist-in-residence programmes, as it invites students and teachers to interact between themselves, nature and the hosting venue.
The Award includes a residency phase, with preparation of a proposal by each student, evaluation of the work by a quality jury, an award ceremony for the first classified, exhibition of the works and publication of a catalogue with all the proposals, effective implementation of the awarded project and, finally, dissemination.