Donnapaola Arts Farm: New Art Hub in Puglia's Murgia Region

Donnapaola Arts Farm, a new cultural and educational hub, is taking shape within the Donnapaola Modern Farm estate near Altamura in the Murgia region of Puglia. The project, conceived by engineer and collector Vito Labarile, won the "Radici e Ali" public call for cultural enterprises. It aims to redefine the environmental and anthropological identity of this rugged territory within the Alta Murgia SIC area. The farm spans over 270 hectares of rocky formations, dry-stone walls, and dense woods, offering experiential tourism in restored jazzi (sheep shelters) and the main Fattoria animal welfare center. The Arts Farm, housed in the Masseria, comprises three sections: the Center for Art and Environmental Diversity (directed by Antonella Marino, curated by Marco Scotini), Archivia (a digital cataloging system of Murgia's rural culture curated by Laura Marchetti), and the International Academy of Food Culture (coordinated by Nick Difino). The Center for Art launches with an international symposium on June 29-30, 2022, followed by the Palestra agricola residency program for established and emerging artists in spring/summer 2023. Archivia offers ten scholarships of €500 each for ethno-anthropological, ethnomusicological, and landscape studies, with fieldwork from June 6-11, 2022. The project emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches linking art, agriculture, biodiversity, and ecosystems, aiming for a non-nostalgic rethinking of natural and historical resources.