National Census of Photographic Archives Launched in Italy

The first national census of photographic collections and archives in Italy was officially presented at Camera – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia in Turin. The online platform, launched on May 20, is a participatory mapping of Italian photographic heritage held by public and private entities. The initiative originated in 2015 from a proposal by Lorenza Bravetta, then director of Camera and now advisor to Minister Dario Franceschini for the enhancement of national photographic heritage, to the Istituto centrale per il catalogo e documentazione in Rome. Previous census attempts since the 1990s were only regional. The project was made possible by technology and the establishment in January of a Steering Committee for Photography, tasked with protecting, promoting, and disseminating photography as historical heritage and contemporary language, led by Bravetta. The census feeds into the Portale della fotografia in Italia, the project's hub. The website is open to contributions from public and private entities holding photographic collections (excluding authors and heirs for organizational reasons). Currently, 117 entities are registered, with 124 collections/archives and 635 photographic funds, numbers expected to grow as custodians can accredit themselves via an online form. The census aims to raise awareness among owners, including companies with extensive historical material on urban changes, who may not know their own holdings.