Alberto Gulli, could you briefly tell us about your professional career and how you would describe yourself today, both personally and professionally?

«I am a founding member and general coordinator of Fitzcarraldo ETS Foundation and head of studies for the MAS in Cultural Management at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. I have always been involved in cultural management training, starting from my own education, when after graduating in Political Science, I earned a Master's degree in Cultural Business Management in France. Early in my career, I met the Fitzcarraldo Foundation in Turin, collaborating to develop the program and creating one of the first training programs dedicated to cultural planning in Italy, back in 1996. Since then, I have continued to train a new generation of cultural managers by designing training programs at the national and international level, and in 2010, I helped create one of the first Master's programs in cultural management in Ticino, thanks to my collaboration with the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano.

Fondazione Fitzcarraldo has been active since 1999 to innovate cultural policies and practices: how does this mission translate into the daily life of the
Foundation?

«We are an independent participatory foundation that since 1999 has been working in the public interest to promote the sustainability and innovation of cultural and creative policies, practices, and processes.

We design and implement research, consulting, training, and advocacy activities at the national and international level, and we are committed to ensuring that culture and creativity are recognized and valued as essential components of the cultural, social, and economic well-being of individuals, communities, and regions.

The cultural and creative ecosystem interprets and produces an irreplaceable set of values ​​(symbolic, economic, and social) that represent the foundation of human societies. Within this complex ecosystem, Fitzcarraldo has invested, from the very beginning, in research (to adequately represent phenomena and provide policymakers with interpretative tools), training (to empower practitioners), advocacy (through ArtLab), and support for public bodies in the co-design and implementation of culturally based development programs. A distinctive element of our positioning is connecting all the elements of this ecosystem, recognizing its dynamics and complex interplay.

In what areas are you active?

Our actions are guided by five areas of impact: innovating cultural policies to enable them to prefigure and sustain change; innovating the cultural and creative sectors by supporting the transformation of the ecosystem, in all its richness and diversity, towards sustainable models of creation and production; culturally-based territorial development through the management of complex processes, starting with the tangible and intangible cultural resources of the territories and the involvement of the communities that inhabit them; cultural participation, by investigating, promoting, and supporting cultural participation as an essential prerequisite for active democracy and sustainable cultural production; and the impacts of culture through the critical analysis of the diversity of the value dimensions generated by culture and creativity: economic, social, and cultural.

Fitzcarraldo trains hundreds of cultural professionals every year: how do you design a truly transformative training program?

A truly transformative cultural training program cannot be limited to imparting technical skills: it must generate personal, professional, and then collective change. It is essential to connect knowledge to meaning: it is not enough to explain only managerial, technical, and organizational aspects, but also because These are important within a broader social framework; at the same time, it's crucial to connect cultural work to real, contemporary challenges: ecological transition, inclusion, digital innovation, and social impact, to name a few. Our approach emphasizes experiential and experimental learning through a balance of theoretical and practical workshops, case studies and simulations; and peer learning through the exchange of skills. We also place great emphasis on mentorship and networking activities, because the network built during training is often the most valuable resource for the future, and it's important to develop soft skills.

The MAScult program, developed in collaboration with the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, brings cultural education to the heart of Ticino: what does it mean for Fitzcarraldo to contribute to professional growth in a context so rich in identities and visions?

MAScult is now recognized as a training experience that has fostered a community of cultural professionals active primarily in Ticino, but beyond, in a wide variety of contexts: theaters, museums, foundations, festivals, and institutions. Over the years, the program has supported both those already involved in managing established organizations and young people launching new and experimental projects, not to mention public officials involved in cultural policy and creative entrepreneurs. The most evident result is the network of professional and personal relationships that continues to grow around the master's program, shaping a true ecosystem.

Thanks to the collaboration of the Fitzcarraldo with the Conservatory, the MAScult It has been able to establish itself in a place that simultaneously represents musical education, research, and cultural production. This connection has made it possible to connect the program with the cultural fabric of Lugano, in dialogue with entities such as the Città della Musica, the LAC, the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana and the RSI, the Locarno Film Festival, and many other cultural institutions, not only in Ticino, opening broader perspectives towards Italy and Europe. This interweaving of experiences and collaborations demonstrates the value of MAScult, which has successfully combined specialized training, critical reflection, and the ability to generate impact on the territory.

 Can culture be a form of spirituality? And if so, how does the Foundation
Does Fitzcarraldo embody it in his journeys?

Yes, if understood as a search for meaning, openness, and connection with others and the world. It's a way to cultivate depth, imagination, and collective awareness. Fitzcarraldo embodies this dimension in its training, research, and mentoring programs, creating spaces where people can grow together and enhance their cultural endeavors. In projects on and with local communities, culture becomes an opportunity for regeneration and encounter, capable of generating bonds and shared visions.

What is the most urgent challenge that the Foundation wants to address in the coming years?
years, and how do you imagine its impact on the territory?

Over the years, we have understood the crucial importance of addressing the challenge of sustainability, understood in a broad and multidimensional sense, as a central challenge for the coming years. This is not just about environmental or social sustainability, but also economic sustainability, because for those working in the cultural sector, resources are often limited, and finding a stable balance becomes crucial. Our focus is on building intervention models capable of generating lasting, measurable, and shared value, both for local communities and for cultural workers and artists. This requires investment in planning, monitoring, and evaluation, to ensure that every action has a concrete and verifiable impact. In this context, the concept of utility becomes central: we want our work to produce tangible change in local communities, contributing to the development of more engaged communities, more competent organizations, and more robust and inclusive cultural projects. We thus envision an impact that is not episodic, but lasting, transforming culture into a true driver of growth and social cohesion.