2023 was the year of the launch of the «gres art 671» projectthanks to which it was possible not only to regenerate an abandoned production sitebut transform it into a new place dedicated to culture. The reopening to the public of the three thousand square meters of the former Gres in via san Bernardino it was only the first stage of a journey to build a role as a creative laboratory and meeting place in Bergamo.
Born on the initiative of Italmobiliare and inaugurated on 7 November 2023, in two months of activity thanks to exhibitions, festivals and events, the former industrial area has attracted more than 8 thousand visitors. «Although referring to only two months of operation, the results of the impact report give us important feedback on the ability of “gres art” to involve the public and create added value for the community and the territory, as well as precious indications on possible areas of development”, he highlights Roberto Pesenti, president of «gres art 671». And today we look at the future of the cultural hub.
In September «gres art 671» will reopen permanently with a new exhibitionthanks also to the completion of the works with which a restaurant will be built and, in a mezzanine area, a mezzanine area will be created a coworking space, also available to students, with a view to flexibility. «We are focusing attention on the transformation process that can convert art 671 stoneware into a resource for everyone – highlights the general manager Francesca Acquati —. With this logic, “gres art 671” will develop through two strategic assets: the permanent functions, i.e. the free access areas, the bar-restaurant, the spaces equipped for working or studying, and cultural productions such as exhibitions, meetings and shows ».
In the belief that culture can be a driver of development for the territory and its inhabitants. In fact, during each “academic year”, they would be organized two temporary exhibitions, one monographic and one thematicas well as a series of events, workshops and collateral formats.
In this regard, for the 8,009 visitors of the first opening period, the two most popular events were the inaugural «Solarpunk» exhibition by None collectivewith 6,473 users in the 42 days of opening, and the first edition of the «Festival of Good News» dedicated to the under-30s, which at the beginning of December attracted 480 young people with an average age of 25 years. On the third step of the podium the «Red party», a charity event organized by the Aid Foundation for research into rare diseases: 415 guests participated and overall 54 thousand euros were raised. «Gres art», with respect to the impact generated, emerges from the report as a virtuous company, with a score higher than the sector average and attentive to responsible governance.
Net of the overall figure of visitors recalled, however, there is another fact that emerges. And it’s about theirs provenance: of the 125 people who responded to the satisfaction survey, 44.4% live outside the city limits. Considering the perimeter of the province, “foreigners” drop to 12.9%, the majority of whom live in Milan (7.3%). How did the interviewees find out about the new cultural hub? More than half thanks to social networks and newspapers (29% and 23% respectively). But there is 37% of the sample reached by the questionnaire who said they became aware of «gres art 671» thanks to word of mouth or chatting with neighbors. As for the qualitative results: 94.7% defined the experience of the visit as very positive or positive, promoting the exhibition and the layout of the spaces. And 77.3% explicitly declared their desire to return.
Tags: Bergamo impact gres art upcoming season exhibitions coworking
