Municipal Cultural Program 2000 Success and 2001 Preview
The cultural program of the municipal department may invite criticism, as any other activity of the administration, but it cannot be said that the initiatives proposed during 2000 were a failure.
According to the (conservative) calculations made at the end of the season, there were 28,332 attendees registered at the various events spread over 227 days, of which 190 were related to appointments (music, theater, dance, literature, etc.) and 137 for exhibitions.
Ruggero Morandi, the responsible assessor, briefly summarizes the activities carried out last year before previewing those scheduled for 2001.
All of this is meticulously recorded in two dossiers originally prepared for internal use, but later made public and handed to the group leaders in the council to respond with factual data to accusations mainly made by Gloria Mirri of the Il Castello list.
Responses and analysis of the criticisms
In this regard, Morandi has little to add regarding what was outlined in his department’s final budget report.
He prefers not to engage in polemics and believes that debates should happen in the proper forum, namely the city council, rather than in newspapers.
He also feels that Gloria Mirri’s criticisms seem more aimed at attacking him personally rather than the activities of the department.
He states this after observing that the councilor does not seem well-informed about what she criticizes; otherwise, she would not have attributed expenses to the culture department that were actually made by the tourism and sports department of Miori, such as contributions to the Carnival and the Beppe Viola tournament.
“The credibility of what she says,” Morandi states, “is not even supported by passion, given that I have never seen her at cultural events.
Therefore, she talks about things she does not know, perhaps only from hearsay.
Were many initiatives of a confessional nature? Possibly, after all, 2000 was the Year of the Jubilee.
Moreover, I believe that Christianity is part of our culture, whether we like it or not, and therefore it cannot be denied or ignored.”
Events and forecasts for 2001
Putting Mirri’s comments aside, the assessor quickly recalls the main points of the archived program: various events marking the centenary of Segantini, Castelfesta, Arco D’Estate, Theater Games, numerous initiatives for schools, and events promoted by associations with the collaboration of the municipality.
Finally, a brief reference to the visitor numbers recorded at cultural venues: the most popular is the Castle with 50,000 visitors (income of 114 million lira), not including Arco residents, who, as residents, do not pay entry; followed by the library, with approximately 31,000 users.
The 2001 program follows the trajectory of the previous one, enhancing some sections.
Such as Castelfesta, which has grown from two to nine days, with the main aim of promoting access to the Castle and the city’s historical sites.
2001 should also be the year of the Atelier Segantini, the exhibition space at Palazzo Panni, which will also serve as a workspace for educational purposes and information dissemination.
Two collaborations will be renewed: with Drodesera Festival (Theater Games and Cities that Dance), the Gardesana publishing exhibition, and the conservatories’ festival.