Biennale Arte 2019: Valentina Borsato on Educational Programs

Valentina Borsato, Chief Financial Officer and head of Educational at La Biennale di Venezia, details the educational offerings for the 58th International Art Exhibition titled "May You Live In Interesting Times," curated by Ralph Rugoff. The programs are designed around the multimedia and multidisciplinary nature of the exhibitions, emphasizing experimentation. Activities range from scholar workshops to school and family programs, integrating art with science, philosophy, music, theater, dance, and technology. Key themes include identity representation through photography, the construction of truth, and alternative identities. The audience has grown significantly, with an average of 64,347 participants per edition, including 35,447 young people and students. Visitors under 26 constitute 31% of total visitors, and student groups make up 15%. The methodology centers on the artwork itself, starting with sensory perception and observation, followed by analysis of the artist's and curator's intent, and concluding with the viewer's interpretation. Laboratory activities reinforce these insights through creative making. The educational staff focuses on constructing frameworks and scenarios based on artists' world-building, emphasizing that artworks are "collaborative transactions" where meaning emerges in conversation with the viewer.