Young Talents – Art, Design and Business

Pecci Museum - Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art Association

Municipality of Prato

Officina Giovani

The main objective of the project is to propose and develop new training and production models and processes through the placement of young talents*, designers and artists within companies in the Tuscan territory. The project enabled participants to undertake 6–12 month internships in partner companies, with the aim of creating innovative projects.

The initiative offers young designers the opportunity to integrate into the Tuscan production system, developing projects that are innovative in terms of materials and production processes. It also included a series of open conferences focused on analysing the relationship between art, design and business, through the collection and dissemination of case studies and experiences across different sectors. These included ceramics, terracotta, technological innovation, marble, crystal, alabaster and furniture.

Through a structured communication and dissemination plan, the project aimed to promote the innovative ideas developed by young designers, supporting their potential engineering and commercialization, also through the involvement of sector companies and professional designers.

At the end of the internships, each project was enhanced through the creation of a final catalogue and two exhibitions, held at the Pecci Center in Prato and the Campolmi Hall in Prato. The catalogue was digitally published in open access and distributed to all participating companies and talents.

Tosi, F., Becchimanzi, C., Pistolesi, M., Iacono, E., & Brischetto, A. (2024). Design, handicraft and Made in Italy for sustainability and innovation: The Tuscany case study. In C. Gambardella (Ed.), For Nature/With Nature: New Sustainable Design Scenarios (pp. 215–226). Springer.