"At first, it was almost a gamble," explains Isabella Lenzo Massei. "When the new cultural center opened ten years ago, hosting art, theater, dance, and music, we envisioned a cross-sector dedicated to cultural mediation. Thanks in part to the support of UBS, an early partner who chose to invest in this very area, we decided to give it a try."
Since then Isabella Lenzo Massei has been leading LAC Edu, a project aimed from the beginning at a broad audience—children and families, young people, adults, and schools—and which has grown over time to increasingly embrace the topic of accessibility for people with disabilities. With a Master's degree in Educational Services for Artistic Heritage from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Lenzo Massei is now responsible for and coordinates LAC's cultural mediation activities: educational strategies, audience development projects, participation and inclusion in museum and performance contexts.
What is the role of the cultural mediator in art?
"The role of artistic and cultural mediation is to stimulate people's creative process, foster reflection and dialogue around culture and art, and offer new perspectives on artists and their works. It's not just about explaining, but about creating connections and opening spaces for discussion."
Through which initiatives is this goal achieved?
We offer activities that showcase the diversity of artistic disciplines, innovation, and quality, with a constant focus on accessibility. The offerings are highly diverse: interactive concerts, workshops, guided tours, creative ateliers, conferences, educational and experiential performances, readings, and installations. Everything is designed to allow people of all ages to experience the arts in a direct and engaging way.
How are you organized?
"Today, we've received proposals for over 250 activities, in addition to projects dedicated to schools. The program runs from September to June, with an extension in August during the Locarno Film Festival.
Some events are annual, others are new or still in the planning stages. After the Covid period, which highlighted how art was one of the few spaces capable of bringing people together, we decided to focus on initiatives that offer tools for interpreting various works but also opportunities for connection. Art thus becomes a means of getting to know each other better and understanding the world.
What is the range of activities?
The activities are structured around four main pillars. One focuses on supporting theater seasons, with meetings with actors, in-depth discussions on the themes of the shows, and programs for schools. Another area focuses on wellness and well-being through the arts: for example, yoga sessions accompanied by live music, where the artistic experience is an integral part of the program.
How do ideas come about?
With such a large number of proposals, not everything is developed internally; LAC Edu primarily plays a coordinating role. Alongside internal work, there is an ongoing dialogue with the local community and with the artists who often propose projects and wish to connect with the public through their art. The management's role is to evaluate their quality and coherence, ensuring that each proposal has a clear purpose.
How are the proposals selected?
"We prioritize experiences that leave a lasting impression, allowing people to leave feeling "a little different" than they came in. Better understanding the technical aspects of a painting or a performance is important, but the deeper meaning of art also comes through a nonverbal language capable of creating authentic and lasting relationships. And this is precisely one of our primary goals."
What's the offer like?
"The offerings are vast: from children, even as young as six months, who participate with their mothers, to teenagers who, after watching a play, try their hand at paper and paint; from adults who attend yoga classes and live music, to women who knit while discussing theater; and even those who choose to experiment in the theater workshop."
Other examples?
«Among the most original initiatives, the Coffee tricot, developed with collaborator Alice Nicotra, an informal gathering where people can sip tea or coffee, talk about theater, and knit scarves or sweaters, building community. Other initiatives include close-knit groups that meet and share a cup of coffee with theater critic Graziano Graziani, who offers them tools for analyzing and interpreting theater. Participants also include a group of young people: the connections they forge continue through a dedicated chat.
We've also created unique projects: interactive concerts with unusual sound devices, or a public square installation where, by standing on bars on the ground and touching another person, a low-voltage electrical circuit was activated that surprisingly produced... sounds on whoever was touched!
We also organize conferences with experts and prominent personalities on various topics. Literary breakfasts This year's programs revolve around women and the theme of sisters, in keeping with this season's play, "The Three Sisters" by Anton Chekhov, curated by artistic director Carmelo Rifici. The film festival also continues. Parallel visions, designed to accompany and explore some of the shows that form the central focus of the season, placing the dialogue between literature, theatre and cinema at its centre."
This is a truly impressive amount of work!
"It's passion that drives us and the fact that LAC is always offering new things. So, after integrating LuganoMusica's activities into the new Music sector, new horizons have opened up: Music in the neighborhoods, which transforms everyday spaces in the city into unexpected stages, bringing music where you least expect it; gathering spaces that open up, offering opportunities for listening and fostering social cohesion. Having the opportunity to attend a classical music concert in an unusual venue is another way to experience culture as a vehicle for bringing together art, social life, and the local area. Many factors, in fact, can deter a visit to the LAC: indifference, tiredness, laziness, transportation difficulties, or financial constraints. The underlying idea is simple: if not everyone can make it to the LAC, the LAC can reach out to them.
And, finally, a quote from Jacques Copeau that perfectly fits the spirit of LAC as a whole: "Theatre isn't born where life is full, where people are satisfied. Theatre is born where there are wounds, where there are emptiness... That's where someone needs to listen to something someone else has to say." LAC Edu could be an answer.
Isabella Lenzo Massei
Having graduated in Literature in 2000 from the University of Lausanne, in 2001 she worked for the Cultural Services of the Cities of Bologna and Lausanne and for the auction house Christie's International in Geneva and Lugano.
Since 2003, she has been a scientific collaborator for the Art Museum and the Museum of Cultures of the Department of Cultural Activities of the City of Lugano. In 2005, she earned a Master's degree in Educational Services for Artistic Heritage, Historical Museums, and Visual Arts from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan. In 2007, she was appointed to organize the Educational Activities Sector of the Department of Culture of Lugano.
For the Museum of Cultures, he curated the educational, exhibition, and publishing project “Dèibambini” for seven editions, dedicated to the relationship between ethnic arts, children's creativity, and pedagogy.
In 2014, she defined the educational offerings of the LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura cultural center, creating the LAC edu project; from the following year, she became responsible for the LAC's cultural mediation activities.
