Abstract:

In L'Aquila at the National Museum of Abruzzo, from 1 December 2024 to 3 March 2023, was held an art exhibition entitled “Giulio Cesare and Francesco Bedeschini. Design and invention in L'Aquila in the seventeenth century”. It was an exhibition with a strong identity value for the city of L'Aquila, in fact it exhibited drawings and paintings by two artists who decorated the city in the Baroque period. Because of this peculiarity, the exhibition was enriched by an educational project curated by the University of L'Aquila entitled "Making community with art".

The educational project aimed to create a link between the exhibition and the territory thanks to the publication of an illustrated book, aimed at children in the city's primary schools. The book entitled "Discovering Giulio Cesare and Francesco Bedeschini - two artists in seventeenth-century L'Aquila", guides children to get to know the artists with stories, images, activities and food for thought. Through captivating strategies, the scientific nature of the historical-artistic contents is shared using a lexicon suitable for younger people: puzzle games, drawing cards, treasure hunts, observation guides, proposed itineraries to discover even with families. Finally, the book presents itself as a first tool for approaching the museum, understood as an institution that preserves and enhances cultural heritage but also as a place in which to live instructive and creative experiences.

The teachers who participated received training lessons. Each participating child was given a book which was used in three times: first at school and in the family to prepare for the visit to the museum, then during the visit to the exhibition, and at the end of the visit experience as a map for visiting the city to discover the works of the artists with the family. To increase the educational value of the experience, it was decided to ensure that the guided visits to the exhibition were carried out by specially trained young art history students from the University.

In total, 5 schools, 22 classes, for a total of 297 children participated in the project. From an initial evaluation carried out both in itinere and ex post, immediately after the conclusion of the activity, the achievement of objectives emerged in the children such as: observing and interpreting an artwork, knowing the characteristics of a museum and the behavior within it, know and appreciate the cultural heritage of one's city, develop a sense of belonging and a spirit of citizenship. Last but not least, it is important to point out that in many cases children have become "art ambassadors" with their families, returning to visit the museum and the exhibition with their family members.

The teachers experienced the entire initiative with enthusiasm, reading it as an enrichment for their own training, also with a view to acquiring skills for enhancing the city's cultural heritage to be implemented in future projects. The university students, who acted as guides during the visits, declared that they had acquired enough knowledge and skills to be able to manage museum educational activities in the future.

In conclusion, the completely free educational experience for children should be highlighted as a strong point.

Keywords:

Art, education, learning, citizenship, museum.