Towards Parma 2020

Why Parma applied

Culture is well-being for the community, a means to boost social and economic development, a place for freedom and democracy, a space and time for inclusion and individual and community growth. It is easy to see how investing in culture is urgent and profitable, if we consider that cultural activities can actually promote and enhance these important values.

The kind of contribution not just limited to ensuring that such activities - more or less successful or appreciated – be implemented, but a real investment with sound project design, proper monitoring practises and a concrete return that leaves behind traces, structures, methodologies and living cultural systems capable of creating, communicating and supporting one another.

The decision of applying for Parma as Italian Capital of Culture 2020 is based on this underlying idea, it is built around the different "times" of the city as a linchpin and it bets on inclusion and sustainability.

The candidature phase

Parma has started the journey towards the candidature in the summer of 2017. It had already taken important steps with its vision of the smart and international city, and by coordinating and promoting an elaborate and multi-faceted cultural sector, made of tradition and innovation and with an increasingly closer cooperation between the public and private sectors.

The process towards the candidature began with careful consideration of the experiences told by companies, cultural operators, the university and the associations. This led to the creation of a map tracing important businesses and players in all creative sectors: from manufacturing to cinema, from theatre to music, from gastronomy to plastic arts.

The Parma 2020 programme: Culture is the beat of time, born from a listening process, is made up by a pilot project, structured in four pillars, and by what have been called contemporary workshops –  ten workshop-worksites, seven exhibitions, seven shows and five productions – involving the city and the area, all the way to the Emilia Tourist District.  This project puts together and enhances the infrastructural and strategic vision results that have characterized the past few years and that, in the five years to come, are going to be accomplished with active participation of the citizens and the social, cultural, educational and economic forces.

The Parma 2020 Scientific Committee

The designation

On February 16, 2018 in Rome the jury appointed by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities voted Parma to be the Italian Capital of Culture for 2020, choosing it among the ten finalist cities with the following motivation.  

“The ability to mobilize and coordinate an extremely complex system of subjects spread throughout a wide area are the strong points of the 'Culture is the beat of time' programme. In fact, the project stresses a strong and active involvement of private individuals and local businesses, a close relationship with the world of the university and research, and that of culture and welfare.   It counts also on the existence of a conscious relationship between urban revitalization, social integration and cultural productions, with explicit reference to the creation of hubs. A cultural offer system of the highest level with direct focus on young people, on the blending of artistic disciplines, especially the musical tradition, and a solid ability to build cultural infrastructures, to manage hospitality systems and attractiveness, within a view to the overall sustainability”.

The application dossier

The dossier was prepared by the Municipality of Parma and the Promo PA Foundation.

Coordinators and editors: Michele Guerra and Francesca Velani

Those who contributed to the preparation of the Application Package:

Michele Alinovi, Roberto Abbati, Tiziana Benassi, Fiorenza Bernardi, Cesare Bertozzi, Lara Berzieri, Danila Bigi, Ginetta Bolognesi, Marco Bosi, Francesca Brugnoli, Manuela Calderini, Cristina Calidoni, Cristiano Casa, Michele Corsello, Patrizia Ferrari, Marco Ferretti, Annalisa Fiorani, Irene Fossa, Matteo Gerber, Caterina Ghillani, Annalisa Giachi, Anna Mezzadri, Roberto Montali, Emanuela Montanini, Michela Musile Tanzi, Dario Naddeo, Cristina Nizzoli, Nicoletta Paci, Irene Panzani, Marina Pedrelli, Marco Pegazzano, Bianca Pelizza, Mascia Pelosi, Maria Alberta Piazza, Sara Pinelli, Flora Raffa, Silvana Randazzo, Gabriele Righi, Laura Rossi, Vanni Sacchetti, Ines Seletti, Orietta Spadaccini, Francesca Spagnolo, Benedetta Squarcia, Luisa Tortorelli, Ilaria Ughi, Mariella Zanni.

Those who collaborated to the implementation of the project of Capital of Culture: