Artists as problem-solvers: a manifesto for post-pandemic reconstruction

A group of Italian art professionals—Francesco Cascino, Raffaele Giannitelli, Guido Guerzoni, Azzurra Immediato, Filippo Riniolo, and Giuseppe Stampone—published an opinion piece on Artribune (April 5, 2020) arguing that artists and cultural practitioners must be integrated into decision-making processes for post-pandemic recovery. They critique Italy's political class for lacking long-term vision and cite historical failures such as postwar urban reconstruction and recent wind farm developments that damaged landscapes. The authors propose that art, with its problem-solving and relational capacities, can address contemporary challenges including social distancing and pandemic-related anxiety. They reference their own initiative, the Manifesto Art Thinking, presented at MAXXI in June 2019, which calls for interdisciplinary collaboration. As an example of artistic foresight, they mention a proposal to transform homeless people into neighborhood guides in Rome, which was ignored by local authorities but later enacted into law in Ireland in January 2020. The piece warns that without integrating artistic know-how, Italy faces an apocalyptic scenario of decline. The authors offer their expertise to institutions and businesses willing to engage.