Collezione Di Classe: Bringing Contemporary Art Collections into Italian Schools

The Fondazione Pastificio Cerere in Rome has launched Collezione Di Classe, a long-term project aimed at equipping schools with contemporary art collections. Curated by Marcello Smarrelli with Claudia Cavalieri and Emanuela Pigliacelli, the first edition ran from September 2019 to October 2020 at Istituto Piaget-Diaz in Rome. Students actively participated in creating collective artworks, becoming mediators and conservators of a growing collection that transforms the school into a contemporary art museum. The project was funded by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism under the 'Scuola attiva la cultura' initiative. Partners included Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Fondazione Mondo Digitale, Artkademy with Ivan Tresoldi, Laboratorio 53 with Guide Invisibili, orizzontale, and Leonardo Petrucci. A video and booklet documenting the first edition were produced for its closing.