CHARISMA (Cultural Heritage Academy for Risk Management) has now been given the go-ahead: the Erasmus + project, led by Mazzini LAB, the Italian company for a sustainable enhancement of cultural heritage, aims at identifying possible risk factors for cultural heritage due to climate change. The collaboration for the research brings together the University of Perugia as well as the Austrian University for Continuing Education in Krems, the ITAM in the Czech Republic and ARTE Generali, the insurance company specialized in art.
The primary objective of the project, whose findings will not only serve the participating countries in the future, is to significantly reduce the negative impact of climate change on cultural heritage by widening access to the best educational opportunities and training specialized risk assessors. More than 100 relevant international and national stakeholders will be involved in the ambitious project, expanding their expertise to be able to share it in the field of cultural heritage risk assessment and combining it with expertise in building insurance and in-depth knowledge of the visual arts.
Natural degradation over time as well as human intervention are the more commonly known threats to cultural heritage. Nowadays, however, natural disasters caused by climate change pose a growing and severe threat to the world’s public and private cultural heritage. Some natural disasters have left indelible marks on cultural history from ancient times to the present day. Our artistic heritage is constantly threatened by natural events, which increase the risk of damage or permanent loss of buildings, artefacts or works of art.
Italo Carli, Head of ARTE Generali Italy, says: “Our first premise is to protect art from damage and to create conditions for its best protection. To do this, today we must also take into account the counts of safeguarding art under the influence of climate change and related natural disasters. With our excellent network of specialists, ARTE Generali creates solutions for the specific requirements of art. As an art insurance company, we are constantly working on innovative and personalized solutions to expand our expertise for the art market.“
Through the collaboration of the partners, the requirements for the Risk Manager of Cultural Heritage can be elaborated to significantly minimize the negative impact of climate change on cultural heritage through the expansion of world-class training and the development of specialized risk assessors. By sharing the necessary scientific knowledge that ARTE Generali can provide, technology has the potential to fill the skills gaps in arts and cultural heritage management. The development of a new curriculum specializing in cultural heritage in the context of climate change will lay the groundwork for new methodologies for risk managers.
Massimo Cruciotti, Head of Mazzini Lab Benefit, says: “A Risk Manager specialized in artistic and cultural heritage develops interdisciplinary skills that allow adequate support to exhibition organizers and curators during the organization of an exhibition, to registrars and transporters during the loan of works of art, to restorers and insurers during the compensation phase of a policy or a claim.“
These are the prerequisites for our participation in the Erasmus + program with a project entirely dedicated to risk prevention, and in particular to the professional figure of the Risk Manager for Cultural Heritage.”
The project, co-financed by the European Union through the ERASMUS+ Programme under the Grant Agreement n. 2021-1-IT01-KA220-VET-000034797, with the official name of “Risk Management for Cultural Heritage”, has an initial period of two years. The presentation of research results is scheduled for July 2024. At least 50 applicants will be trained as cultural heritage risk managers by 2024.