GAMeC Bergamo's Educational Resilience During Pandemic

Giovanna Brambilla Ranise, head of educational services at GAMeC – Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo, discusses the museum's adaptive educational projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'Individually together' project, named after a work by Dan Perjovschi exhibited in 'Ti Bergamo una comunità', continued a 15-year collaboration with the Casa Circondariale di Bergamo. Despite lockdowns, the prison component remained in-person while the class component moved online, fostering a sense of community among inmates, students, and the museum. With support from Associazione HOMO, the project involved inmates creating 'houses' as containers of imagination and life, students producing a video tour for peers, and a narrative workshop led by Maria Grazia Panigada bridging school and prison. Resulting 'stories' are available in the exhibition, with a catalog and show planned for early April. The pandemic also prompted accessibility initiatives: audio recordings for the visually impaired by intern Alison D’Ercole and a free LIS (Italian Sign Language) tour on February 19. Brambilla Ranise emphasizes the importance of synchronous presence and community ties in future museum education.