Fostering strategic dialogue between the worlds of art and culture, business, and institutions to generate shared value and promote sustainable regional development: this is the goal of Art for Change, the research and development project conceived by Hangar Piemonte, which will be held in Biella on November 17, 2025, for a day of discussion and co-planning at Cittadellarte. The event, part of the Art for Change trajectory, is sponsored by Biella, a UNESCO Creative City, and aims to be a moment of collective reflection on the role of art and culture as drivers of social and economic innovation, in dialogue with businesses and institutions. The Biella event, according to a dedicated press release, marks the launch of a series of regional meetings that will continue in the coming months in Ivrea—in collaboration with ICO Impresa Sociale and with the patronage of the Municipality of Ivrea as part of the Ivrea UNESCO Creative City program—and in Cuneo, in collaboration with WellGranda Welfare Networks and the CRC Foundation.

The Role of Hangar Piemonte and the Art for Change Network

Hangar Piemonte, the Piedmont Region's agency for cultural transformation, with Art for Change promotes a new line of research dedicated to building spaces for art, culture, and economics, fostering the emergence of cross-sector alliances and collaborative processes geared toward territorial sustainability. The initiative is organized by Hangar Piemonte together with the artistic and cultural institutions of the Art for Change Network, in collaboration with strategic partners such as Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte, Confcooperative Cultura Turismo e Sport, Confcooperative Piemonte Nord, and Ales – Arte Lavoro e Servizi S.p.A. and with the technical partner Labsus – Laboratory for Subsidiarity. Community partners include CCW – Cultural Welfare Center, CNA Biella, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Biella, Fondazione Selina Azzoaglio, Forum Sviluppo Sostenibile, ISTUD – Cottino Social Impact, OLI – Adriano Olivetti Leadership Institute, and Rete MagnoLab.

The Hubs

The day will open with a session of thematic hubs (2:30–4:30 p.m.) dedicated to art bonus, corporate welfare, sustainable development, and public-private partnerships, featuring experts and representatives of successful practices. Finally, let's discover the hubs that will be held in various spaces within the Foundation. The first, led by Vincenzo Santoro (Head of Culture, Tourism, and Agriculture, ANCI Nazionale), focuses on Public-Private Partnerships; will specifically explore the opportunities this tool offers for the cultural and creative sector, with a particular focus on urban regeneration, social innovation, and heritage enhancement. The second, on the other hand, focuses on the Art Bonus: "By engaging directly with those who manage the Art Bonus on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, this discussion hub," states the presentation, "will allow public bodies and cultural operators to deepen their understanding of this tax measure, and businesses to understand the minimum requirements and the values, beyond the financial, generated by supporting culture with the Art Bonus, with a focus on the differences between the Art Bonus and Sponsorships." The third focuses on corporate welfare: it will propose a discussion on the value of art and culture as drivers of well-being and sustainable development in organizational and territorial contexts; the entities of the Art for Change Network will participate to explore, together with businesses and institutions, new avenues for dialogue between culture and the business sector. The fourth and final focus concerns sustainable development. The panel, co-designed with MagnoLab, will focus on sustainability as a meeting place for culture, business, and institutions. The discussion, along these lines, will explore the various dimensions of sustainability, from environmental to economic and social.

The think tank

Following, starting at 5:00 pm in the Cervo Hall, there will be institutional greetings from Sara Gentile, Deputy Mayor of the City of Biella; Giuliana Setari Carusi, President of the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation; Mara Loro, Director of Hangar Piemonte; and Irene Bongiovanni, National President of Confcooperative Cultura Turismo e Sport and President of Confcooperative Piemonte Nord. From 5:30 to 5:45 pm, there will be an introduction on the topic of general interest by Daniela Ciaffi, researcher and associate professor of Urban Sociology at the Polytechnic University of Turin and vice president of Labsus – Laboratory for Subsidiarity. The main think tank will follow, with the participation of Michelangelo Pistoletto, Marina Chiarelli, Councillor for Culture, Equal Opportunities and Youth Policies of the Piedmont Region, and Alessandro Boggio Merlo, President of the Tourism and Culture Section of the Bielles Industrial Union.
The discussion will be moderated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi, curator and cultural manager. During the second part of the afternoon (6:30–7:00 PM), national experts and representatives from the public and private sectors—including Irene Sanesi (CCW), Carolina Botti and Lucia Steri (Ales – Arte Lavoro e Servizi), Marella Caramazza (ISTUD – Cottino Social Impact Campus), and Vincenzo Santoro (ANCI Nazionale)—will offer perspectives on the main tools for collaboration between culture, business, and institutions. The day will conclude with a networking aperitif open to all participants.

For more information: arearicerca@hangarpiemonte.it (Manuela Nalin, Project Manager, Hangar Piemonte).