Lis Aganis Ecomuseo delle Dolomiti Friulane
August 2004
via Maestri del Lavoro, 1, 33085 Maniago PN
0427 764425
The ecomuseum Lis Aganis was born thanks to the Community Initiative Leader + in August 2004. The association has now more than 70 members (Municipalities, school, natural places, Pro Loco consortiums and cultural associations) and 30 Thematic Cells inserted in ecomuseums itineraries: water, stones and crafts. Thematic cells put together members with similar actions, where they can share expertise and experiences, participate at laboratories, acquire new skills and knowledge and be the protagonists of the territory for safeguarding local community heritage.
The main objectives of the ecomuseum are:
The ecomuseum aims to safeguard and enhance the heritage, the territory, and the cultural enhancement, in an evolutionary way based on community needs. The ecomuseum vision is to link the territories for safeguarding local traditions, and to involve people in research, according to their interest.
The main activities organized by the ecomuseum are:
All the activities are based on community needs, listening, and member’s proposals. Laboratories are proposed by members, and the ecomuseum helps them in the implementation. The ecomuseum tries to avoid volunteering to give value to each one’s work, indeed the organizator/teacher of the laboratory is always paid.
Rita Bressa
17
The main bodies of the Ecomuseum are: the Assembly of Members, the Executive Committee (composed of seven members, a President, a Vice-President and five Directors), the Technical Scientific Committee (three members identified among prominent personalities in the world of culture, arts and of the sciences that provide technical support in the elaboration of the projects and activities of the Association) and the Board of Statutory Auditors (three members who control the administrative management of the Association).
The Ecomuseum has also a Coordinator, a Secretariat employee, a press and communication officer and experts or collaborators who are employed according to planning and organizational needs.
Lis Aganis is based on a system of sharing choices and participation (with “cluster” projects), indeed, all the members are involved in different moments and phases according to their role:
The Board of Directors, made up of 9 members, carries out the function of approving projects and spending commitments.The Scientific Technical Committee is appointed by the Board of Directors, and provides technical support in the development of the projects and activities of the Association in agreement with the Coordinator.
The management team is formed by 8 members, who have different backgrounds (teachers, an ex-bank official, a school secretary, a doctor, and an employee). The president, Rita Bressa, is the mayor of Cimolais, and has a technical institute Diploma.
The Technical staff is formed by:
The museum staff is formed by:
Temporary staff is composed by:
The Scientific Technical Committee is formed by:
According to the interviews made, it was highlighted that the training for the ecomuseum staff is insufficient, because it is discontinuous, and there is no time to do it. Some members of the ecomuseum received training in the social field. The ecomuseum staff needs to receive training in communication, social media, and project management, while the members of the ecomuseum need to receive training in new technologies. In general, more training is offered to members than to the staff: indeed, over the years, 150 operators have been trained by the ecomuseum, some of whom still collaborate with it, while others have taken other paths.
Since there is no continuous training, many of the trained people, having no financial guarantees for the future, leave; on the other hand, others do not want to sacrifice the weekend to train, and give up on courses. The solution could be the creation of a start-up with the local Tourist High School, in order to create a synergy of continuous training with the ecomuseum and scholars.
In general, training needs are “auto-diagnosed” among staff members, while community members fill a yearly form with an evaluation grid for the projects carried out, in which it is possible to identify training needs. The training is provided free of charge for the members with a specific method: taught course in the classroom, and then experience in the field. Regional projects and funds allow ecomuseum to follow specific courses.
The Museum of Blacksmith Art and Cutlery has established a good dialogue with the local community, thanks to the “LAMEmoria” (BladeMemory) project which involves former artisans. Furthermore, thanks to this project, the Friends of the Museum Association was born, which involves artisans and knife enthusiasts, and it is possible, through it, to identify the training needs of the community.
Another way for identifying the needs of the community and responding to them are the Working Tables (Tavoli di Lavoro): cross cutting projects, divided by themes, between the ecomuseum and its members.
| COURSE | DESCRIPTION | TARGET | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECOMUSEUM MEMBERS (TECHNICAL TEAM) | LOCAL COMMUNITY | ||
| Looms, weft and warps (in collaboration with the Textile Arts Association) | - Learn the technique of building or working with a small and simple loom. - Discover the technique that in the past, with large looms, was used to create canvases, blankets, rugs. - Discover how from a thread you can make a small piece of fabric or "color" silhouettes of the most varied shapes. | X | |
| Intertwining (in collaboration with the Textile Arts Association) | Understanding the art that allowed grandparents to create panniers, baskets for carrying different materials during the long winter evenings. Listen to the story of how these containers were prepared, the choice and timing of collection of materials. Understanding how patience and skill were fundamental ingredients for creating functional, diversified and long lasting objects. Have fun learning the technique and experiment by building small objects with wicker, paper and different materials. | X | |
| From wool to felt (in collaboration with the Textile Arts Association) | Creating small felt objects to learn the process from shearing the sheep to the wool thread, to the fabric. | X | |
| Stones, terraces and mosaics (in collaboration with the Mosaic School of Friuli) | Create a sketch with different materials that recalls the typical drawings made by mosaic masters and terrazzo workers. | X | |
| Are you Neanderthal or Sapiens? (in collaboration with the Pradis Cultural Association) | It is a creative prehistoric workshop. Participants will turn into prehistoric artisans: using marine shells, feathers, earths and coloring oxides, they will be able to make objects, jewels and personalized jewels used by the Paleolithic communities. | X | |
| Natural painting with berries and flowers (in collaboration with the Vivaro Magredi Observatory) | Create an elaborate on different materials paper, wood, fabric. | X | |
| The seeds also fly (in collaboration with the Vivaro Magredi Observatory) | A series of workshops to discover the secrets of nature. Strategies, inventions and flight techniques used by the seeds to fly far. Tips from nature to build models and flying machines and invent stories that intertwine with the wind | X | |
| Man's dream: to fly (in collaboration with Balthazar Montereale Valcellina) | What do you need to fly? Wings, air, strength. Just the air, the right pressure, you need to have a particular shape for soar in the sky? Many questions to answer by building paper planes starting from the confrontation with the wings of birds, and then parachutes and missiles discovering the secrets of air, pressure, lift. | X | |
| A dragonfly hour and how animals see (in collaboration with Balthazar Montereale Valcellina and Costanza Uboni) | Laboratory to understand the difference between the human eye and that of some animals. Building a portable darkroom will make it easier to understand these differences | X | |
| Orienteering (in collaboration with Semiperdo Orienteering Maniago) | Orienteering workshop for 9/10 year olds (fourth-fifth first cycle). It can only be activated in the areas where the specific maps have been created. 3 meetings of 2 hours each. | X | |
| AREA / FIELD | DESCRIPTION | WAY OF TRAINING (VIRTUAL / ON-SITE / WORKSHOPS / ETC.) | TARGET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECOMUSEUM MEMBERS (TECHNICAL TEAM) | LOCAL COMMUNITY | |||
| Communication | Learn to create a good communication strategy for reaching a wide number of people. | Intertwining (in collaboration with the Textile Arts Association) | X | |
| Social media marketing | Learn to create an effective social media campaign, and manage all the online channels in an effective way. | X | ||
| Project management | Learn to manage projects at 360°. | X | ||
The ecomuseum has different channels for financing, the main are:
For ethical reasons, the ecomuseum does not use private financing, as the projects carried out by the ecomuseums are easily financed with public funds, and they want to give financing opportunities to other institutions. The municipalities’ members of the ecomuseum deposit a yearly contribution too.
There are no specific partnerships for the acquisition of funds, although the ecomuseum participates with other bodies and institutions in some projects of common interest. An example, in this sense, is the participation in Rural Development Plans together with some municipalities in the area: the ecomuseum performs specific tasks in the implementation of the project, receiving part of the funds.
Collaborative networks are useful for acquiring funds, and are requested very often in calls for proposals; the goal of the ecomuseum is precisely to act as a link between the various actors in the area to implement shared projects. Over time, the role of the ecomuseum has acquired more and more importance in this sense; for example, with the project “the Pittina (a local turnip) cultural product”, the ecomuseum coordinated local producers and restaurateurs in a series of events for promoting this local product, managing to enhance it. Local actors increasingly recognize the role played by the ecomuseum.
The ecomuseum has also funding-partnerships with various institutions. In the first place, there are partnerships with the Universities of Trieste (Anthropology Department), Padua and Ferrara (Prehistory Department); in addition, the ecomuseum collaborates with other entities and clubs, as well as external entities (for example the Pittini Foundation). Collaborations start both at the behest of the ecomuseum, or it is contracted to form partnerships.
The objectives of the ecomuseum are cultural enhancement, sustainability (Agenda 21, handing down, looking forward with roots firmly planted to change horizon), participatory planning (with the Working Tables), improving the quality of life in rural areas. The ecomuseum has the ability to welcome new proposals, cultures and inhabitants.
The activities underlying all the projects are research and documentation, meetings (conferences, workshops) and exhibitions (including itinerant ones in the area), heritage walks, workshops. The latter start from the needs of the local community, with the aim of creating educational activities to learn about the heritage – tangible and intangible – and transmit it. The proposals of the members are always well received; indeed, the ecomuseum helps to create workshops that are offered to the local community.
Regarding the financial aspect, the ecomuseum wants to free itself from volunteering to recognize the value of people’s work; the proponent of the laboratory pays a fee, which is divided between the ecomuseum and the management of the activities (for example the ecomuseum’s partner). If the organizer does not want the compensation, the money is set aside in a “piggy bank” that can be used by the member at any time in case of need. This type of funding has helped the development of human and cultural capital, strengthening the sense of identity thanks to the first-person narrative by the local community.
Regarding the management of activities, the ecomuseum involves all members in decisions, sharing projects, having contacts with a specific role for coordination. In fact, the local community is an integral part of the management of the ecomuseum, in order to ensure the representativeness of the whole territory.
The ecomuseum has a close relationship with the members of the community. The first example of collaboration are the Working Tables, through which the members of the ecomuseum propose projects, to be carried out together with the ecomuseum. The model of involvement of the ecomuseum is divided into various phases. At first, the thematic strands linked to the territory were identified (water-natural elements, such as rain; ancient crafts-works, linked to traditions; stones-material of ancient houses). Subsequently, each member identifies which theme suits better according to its actions. The ecomuseum then built proposals-meetings, called Working Tables, in which good practices are collected and transversal projects are implemented among the members. This mechanism enhance the exchange between the ecomuseum and the local population, who is actively involved in the proposal and planning of the activities.
An example of how the local community is involved is the PassiParole (Steps and Words) project, which started from the need to know the territory, and was followed by the establishment of a Working Table about landscape. Then, the exploration of the territory began with the partners, with the aim to build maps, and identify the places that people wanted to promote, as well as selecting the experts to guide these heritage itineraries. The goal of this project is to make the local community protagonist, and there has been good participation (even online in times of pandemic). The ecomuseum initially gave the guidelines for building the walks, which are now self-managed by the local community. Other projects carried out by the ecomuseum are:
Each project is implemented with a different strategy. Through a defined division between the issues related to the territory (water, stones, crafts), the ecomuseum has formed the Cells, which unite the members who have specific objectives and activities. Another mechanism of participation between the ecomuseum and its members are the Working Tables, also divided by theme, which bring together members with similar addresses, objectives and actions.
The ecomuseum does not organize specific tours for external visitors, but they can always participate in the activities offered to the local community, such as heritage itineraries or laboratories.
The ecomuseum territory is characterized by the phenomenon of return tourism (especially of British and Americans), during the summer. Visitors come to see specific places (for example the Pradis Caves, where there are young people trained by the ecomuseum to act as guides). The ecomuseum also collaborates with some travel agencies, mainly Austrian, for the reception of groups.
Regarding the monitoring of activities, the COVID-19 has favored the tracking and counting of participants, even if data are not always collected. The users of the various activities change according to the typology of the proposed themes; in general, the most difficult age group to involve is that of 14 to 30 years.
| Only information | Chance to suggest actions | Complaints or Compliments | Purchase of tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
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X |
It is possible to make reviews through Google or official Social Media channels of the ecomuseum. |
It is possible to do pre-subscriptions to events and activities. |
| Proposing museum objectives | On funding issues | About museum planning | On accessibility |
|---|---|---|---|
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The website is well divided by topics, and the information is easy to find by the user |
It is possible to find the yearly financial statement of the ecomuseum. |
Information about ecomuseum planning is available on the website. |
The website has good accessibility and it is user friendly. |
| Receipt message is sent | The proposal is discussed at the museum management level | Results of the discussion are sent |
|---|---|---|
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Yes |
The results are shared between the ecomuseum and its members. |
The ecomuseum has two people dedicated to the communication office. The editorial plan with which the ecomuseum communicates its activities consists of both communication through the website and social networks, and through direct messaging with users (via Whatsapp and newsletter). The ecomuseum newsletter has 3000 users, and it is opened by 80% of subscribers; the contents of the same are the promotion and the booking of the activities in progress. Telephone contacts are 8000 and are managed via Whatsapp, an idea born during the Pandemic. The main social channels used by the ecomuseum are Facebook and Youtube. Facebook is used to promote events and initiatives of the ecomuseum and its members. During the lockdown, columns were created to keep the Facebook page alive, the main theme of which were: to narrate the Cells of the ecomuseum, the promotion of virtual walks and other tutorials. In addition, during the Pandemic, innovative virtual activities were created, and are still followed today (for example technological tutorials) to involve the various age groups of the local community (from the elderly to children). The most difficult age group to intercept is that of 20 to 30 years old.
In general, the online audience increased during the lockdown; user participation is essential for networking, and the ecomuseum aims to involve the local population. The ecomuseum website is well built and clearly accessible by users. There is a clear division of topics and themes, therefore making navigation simple and searching for information quick for the user. The upper bar acts as a filter to know and deepen:
Regarding the role of research, the ecomuseum has a strong link with the University of Trieste, thanks also to the collaboration of a professor with the ecomuseum itself. The ecomuseum is a place for research, observations, and is a fluid space where the theme of innovation is really practiced. A penalizing factor is the position of the ecomuseum, located far from universities, and difficult to be easily reached by students. An element to be implemented are university internships, and the training with specialization schools, to strengthen the dialogue between the academic world and the ecomuseum.
The heritage of the ecomuseum is seen as a process, and is analyzed with the tools of anthropology, ethnography and participatory processes. For the narration of heritage, there is initially an important theoretical and literature analysis, and then there is the choice of narrative tools. For example, the Blacksmith Art and Cutlery Museum was conceived in a participatory way. At first, the participatory mapping of activities related to the workplace began with the help of former cutlers; later, for the organization of the exhibition, several Working Tables were organized with the local community. In addition to the Working Tables, which directly involved the population, museology practices were in fact used, creating an exhibition that can be used without a path that recalls the process of continuity of memory, opposing the didactic narrative.
Thanks to exhibitions, the ecomuseum has strengthened its central role, also seeking to restore innovation to the population, through interactivity. The ecomuseum was analyzed by several students in their Degree and PhD theses, and a PhD student actively collaborated in the implementation of the Museum of Blacksmith art and Cutlery.
The research projects concerning the ecomuseum are about diverse topics: prehistory, archeology, and cataloging. Furthermore, with the Pittini Foundation there is the “high lands” project. Another project is the Restarting Call, with a landscape theme, which includes research on ancient maps up to our own days, and the study of the construction of itineraries and research. The project includes the study of GPS, in addition to the training of students. As for the academic world and the population, another example is the Mele Antiche project, which involves the community and the University of Padua. In addition, there are projects with universities for the construction of maps, and there is the possibility for university students to do internships at the ecomuseum. Scientific publications are rarely made, although some members of the ecomuseum sometimes publish articles.
The ecomuseum is also innovative in the use of the website and social media, where there is a lot of interactive information, such as maps, and video tutorials. In addition, the ecomuseum has five editorial series, divided by theme, and it is planning a sixth series dedicated to comics.
The Lis Aganis Ecomuseum has involved its members in a project to which it is actively collaborating, called the Dolomites Museum. This project, now in its second edition, aims to tell the story of the Dolomite territory in all its facets. One of the themes, very interesting and engaging, is called #VocidellaMontagna (Voices from the mountain). The invitation of the Dolomites Museum is to listen, record and share the many sounds that make up the experience of the inhabitants of the Dolomites. The Dolomites Museum project has an interactive website, where the user is invited to participate, and with various itineraries online (with audio tools and QR Code).
| PROJECTS / ACTIONS | SHORT DESCRIPTION | SDG | IMPACTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| PASSIparole project | It is a project born within the Working Table on Landscape and Community Maps, designed to discover the area accompanied by the people of the Community. The purpose of PASSIparole is to reach the various stages with a "slow" walk, admiring the landscape and encouraging dialogue between the participants. In addition to ecomuseum operators, museum keepers and local people, visitors are also welcomed by musicians, poets and actors. Everything usually ends with a tasting of local products. Everything is documented with photos or videos to promote the territory's heritage on social networks. | 3 | People wellbeing. |
| Projects with schools | The ecomuseum carries on different educational projects in collaboration with schools. | 4 | Children active training. |
| Projects for raise awareness on violence against women | Meetings and animation | 5 | Awareness on violence against women. |
| Project: Water with Arpa | A project with the Arpa, the society which manage water | 6 | Awareness of water use. |
| Workshops with Balthazar school | Different projects organized in collaboration with a local school. | 7 | Scholars active training |
| Slow Food safeguarding | La Pittina root, local meatball promotion. | 8 | Safeguarding on local culinary products and traditions. |
| Activities with Salamandre SRL | Salamandre is a society which actively collaborates with the ecomuseum. | 9 | Creating job offers. |
| Collaboration with local producers | Collaboration with local producers for buying services and local products | 12 | Promote local identity and products. Increase the local economy. |
| Promote local identity and products. Increase the local economy. | Reduction of consumption in the office, Purchase diesel cars, Encouragement of walking | 13 | Raise awareness on sustainable mobility |
| Collaboration with Legambiente for PassiParole and Magredi project | Tematic itineraries for discovering the territory | 15 | Discover the territory and enhance local identity. |
| The other mobilization Meetings on the Constitution | Seminars with different topics | 16 | New awareness on different topics |
| Magredi project | Magredi project is a territorial enhancement project carried out with many local actors | Safeguarding local environment |
The ecomuseum’s strategic objective is to make local communities protagonists in the dynamics of local and sustainable development. All the actions carried out by the ecomuseum are constructed to enhance the community’s sense of belonging, and give them the tools to be autonomous in promoting the territory. SDGs are also present in educational activities, and exhibitions, and the preferred SDGs for the ecomuseum are sustainable communities, health and wellbeing.
An example for understanding the holistic sustainability of Lis Aganis action is the Magredi project. The Magredi are an area of the western Friuli plain, located at the point of the high plain where the waters of the Cellina and Meduna streams sink into the aquifer. In this place, there are great varieties of flora and fauna. The ecomuseum, in collaboration with Vivaro Elementary school, organizes in-situ exploration with children and adults to enhance their sense of belonging and identity. Then, teachers, through the didattica situata (located training) are able to explain different subjects related with Magredi at schools (science, geography, history). In this way, people discover their territory, and learn to take care and safeguard it, but also enjoy it in a sustainable way.
In general, the main damage caused by the pandemic on the ecomuseum was twofold: first, external on economic activities, then internal, with the shutdown of associations and the consequent damage to human capital.
Some positive aspects related to the pandemic were:
The pandemic has also affected the various sectors of activity of the ecomuseum in different ways.
As for the activities of the ecomuseum related to the main site, hosted by the Museum of Blacksmith Art and Cutlery, the Pandemic was devastating. In particular, due to the health emergency, the inauguration of the exhibition at the Museum of Blacksmith Art and Cutlery was postponed; the innovation could not make up for with online activities for visits to the museum. The negative effects of the pandemic were the continuing uncertainty about what to do, despair, with the death of many local artisans, keepers of memory, and the lack of clear directions. However, the situation made it possible to adapt the exhibition according to the needs of use; in fact, the museum was conceived as a space that can be used in a fluid way, with large spaces and different exits / entrances. During the lockdown, the team was able to work giving themselves moral support.
The Pandemic has also favored empathic mechanisms, in fact, value has been given to small groups, to dialogue to get closer to people. The emergency was a period of observation and reflection: at the beginning of 2020, there was a creative silence that turned into a productive silence to rethink the organization, and the identity of the museum.
Lisa Pigozzi, Nunzia Borrelli, Raul dal Santo, Silvia Dossena, Lucia Vignati
Leandro França, Barbara Kazior, Óscar Navajas, Manuel Parodi-Álvarez, Lisa Pigozzi, Raul dal Santo, Julio Seoane, Maristela Simão
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