ERASMUS+ PROJECT KA229 “School Exchange Partnerships”

Title: AR.AC.N.E. “ART ACHIEVES NEW EUROPE” –

I.I.S.S. “E. GIANNELLI” – PARABITA

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Today art, design, fine craftsmanship are precious sources from which to draw ideas for the production of humanly significant objects, that is objects made by expert hands that repeat millenary gestures and are holders of that empirical wisdom which speaks many languages and, over the time, has been able to mix up many different cultures.

The very diversity is a landmark of our project, which aims not only to interpret the different traditions at the base of manufacturing techniques, but also to overcome these differences, recomposing them in the produced object, that is, the “opera”. The opera/work of art, that each partner country can interpret, according to its cultural heritage, in many shapes and forms.

 tangible: for example artefacts, clothing, artwork, books, machines, historic towns, archaeological sites.

 intangible: practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills - and the associated instruments, objects and cultural spaces - that people value. This includes language and oral traditions, performing arts, social practices and traditional craftsmanship.

 natural: landscapes, flora and fauna.

 digital: resources that were created in digital form (for example digital art or animation) or that have been digitalised as a way to preserve them (including text, images, video, records).

- AR.AC.N.E. 2018 most relevant horizontal priority will be: Social and educational value of European Cultural Heritage.

2018 will be the European year of Cultural Heritage: The aim of the Year is to help rekindle a sense of belonging to a common European family, by involving citizens and particularly young people in events and projects which will bring the common European heritage and values to the fore. The Year will also highlight that cultural heritage is a resource for

Europe, bringing many social and economic benefits, in terms of intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and economic growth, and promoting European excellence in the sector.

- AR.AC.N.E. 2018 sectoral priority will be: Contributing to innovation – developing, implementing and testing the effectiveness of approaches to promote creativity, entrepreneurial thinking and skills.

The project will create at the same time a robust and effective international network of Art Schools hat will support the initiatives of such Institutions, even after the conclusion of the project.

This explains the acronym of the project, ARACNE: the greek myth tells of a young girl turned into a spider for daring defy Athena in the art of weaving. It is the canvas precisely, or the network, the core of the project, because it is a metaphor of the relationship: from one hand ARACNE project intends to decode the relationships that have always characterized every culture, every tradition, on the other hand it wants to turn it into a tool for the creation of new relationships between young people, teachers, and parents.

The promotion of interculturalism and multilingualism is overriding in the project, and it is just looking at this aspect that we will also pursue the following objectives:

- Acquire TECHNICAL SKILLS to be used in national and international contest;

- Developing language skills;

- Develop ENTREPRENEURSHIP;

- Develop the INTERCULTURAL SKILLS;

- Overcoming socio-cultural DISCRIMINATION;

- Increase YOUTH MOBILITY;

- Promote POSITIVE IDEA OF EUROPEAN UNION.

On this basis, these are the reasons why it is essential that this project has an INTERNATIONAL impact:

- Encounter the others, or the different, is all the more significant if this difference is acted at linguistic and cultural level;

- Only internationality can ensure the development of communication skills in English;

- The specific content of the project is organized around the production of works of art that allow the students to learn techniques of artistic working and decorative modules from different traditions;

- International mobility will give students a strong impact with other manufacturing realities, developing creativity and sense of entrepreneurship.

The TARGET of our project are students between 14 and 18 years who attend Arts Schools, where alongside the theoretical activities, laboratory practice is placed. Furthermore, the project impact will inevitably concern teachers, families, schools, school networks, local community and policy makers.