It was inaugurated this morning, at the Reception Area of the Cona Hospital, the exhibition “Mostrasi, yes pleasing to those who look at it”created by the students of “Dosso Dossi” and “Einaudi” high schools in Ferrarain collaboration with the project “Schools that promote health” of the Local Health Authority of Ferrara. There are 20 works in total and will remain on display for a month.
Cutting the ribbon was the General Director of the Ferrara Healthcare Companies, Dr. Monica Calamai; Dr. Marilena Bacilieri, Director of the Training and Integrated Teaching Processes Operational Unit together with Dr. Michele Dal Pozzo; Dr. Alberto Urro, Head of the “Schools that promote Health” project of the Public Health Department of the Local Health Authority of Ferrara; professors Chiara Rossi and Elena Lunghi, Dosso Dossi school (Director prof. Francesca Apollonia Barbieri), accompanied by two students representing the institute (Irene Visentini and Alice Saponaro) and professors Irene Gigante and Cecilia Bolzani, Einaudi school (Director, prof. ssa Marianna Fornasiero), accompanied by two students.
“Our companies – comments Dr. Monica Calamai – have started significant initiatives on the topic of gender for years now, starting from the publication of dedicated financial statements and subsequent certification on this topic; recognition for which we were the first in Italy. I would like to underline that everything starts from a cultural journey that also passes through schools, and for me it is very nice to inaugurate an exhibition, created by the students, on the theme of the day on March 8th”.
“The gender gap – continues Calamai – is one of the fundamental objectives of the 2030 agenda and is found in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. This issue is also central to access to care, where equity and equality must have the same weight, regardless of gender. This path of collaboration with schools is very important and must be continued with the same intensity in the future.”
The title of this exhibition takes its name from a verse of the sonnet written by Dante for his beloved Beatrice: “Tanto gentile e onesta pare”, taken from the Opera “Vita Nova”. The spirit of this temporary exhibition is to make hospital environments places not only of care, but also of culture, where citizens – be they patients or visitors – can find a bit of beauty and light-heartedness.
The underlying theme of the works on display is the woman in her different meanings. A current look through a form of creativity such as the artistic-pictorial one, created by both girls and boys, through simple installations that describe their way of interpreting female society. It becomes important, in this particular historical moment, to take a look at the points of view of the new generations, bearers of interests and requests in the future, involving them in issues of strong social impact such as prevention and sexual discrimination, which still today it is exerted heavily on the female gender, despite the great struggles and conquests of recent decades.
The “Schools that promote Health” exhibition is one of the 21 projects of the PRP (Regional Prevention Plan), created in collaboration with staff from the Local Health Authority, which examine and explore issues related to healthy lifestyles or other social interest, such as, in this case, gender equality. Sometimes this work leads to the creation of works, artefacts or actual projects, as in this case.
The schools have developed two different styles.
Il Dosso Dossi (artistic high school) created an exhibition of posters on the model of “advertising progress” campaigns. The students analyzed various commercials from which elements of discrimination or “violence” against women can be seen. “The title of our exhibition, “An image for thinking”, – underlines the prof.ssa Gianna Perinassocontact person for the Dosso Dossi school of the “Schools that Promote Health” project – refers to a project that we had created with the Municipality of Ferrara (together with the department of public education, training, equal opportunities, family policy) also linked to the MIUR and UDI. The objective is to reflect on how the advertising message often hides a pervasive communicative value at a subliminal level. The promotional message implemented creates, precisely through these posters, education and sensitivity through art. Art that brings inspiration, creativity and promotes innovations and changes of value for society.”
L’Einaudi (higher school with study courses in Communication, Commerce and Social and Healthcare) chose World Women’s Day as its main theme and the students interpreted this occasion through the creation of posters or slogans.
In addition to raising awareness, the children’s works, unpublished and sometimes light-hearted images, despite the seriousness of the topics covered, also have a function of humanising the places of treatment. Finally, the works represent the evidence of the points of view of the new generations on issues of strong social impact such as prevention and sexual discrimination.
“Within the celebration of March 8th – declares Professor Cecilia Bolzani – we structured, with the kids, the “Together in respect” project, developing the theme of kindness in a particular way. Starting from here I asked the students to create their own texts, encouraging them to write and the results are visible hanging on these displays. The works highlighted a series of concepts and emotions that I hope will provide food for thought.”