Your role combines strategy, finance, and institutional relations: what are the main levers you use today to contribute to the development of the LAC?
«In my role I connect the vision of the LAC "The concrete aspects that enable its development over time, especially strategically and financially. In recent years, I have worked specifically on the four-year Business Plans, documents that translate the LAC's vision into concrete, sustainable, and measurable actions. They are also tools for dialogue with the City of Lugano, making the institution's path transparent and shared. It's behind-the-scenes work that requires continuity, attention to detail, and the ability to connect vision, objectives, and resources. The challenge today is to find a balance between economic sustainability and the quality of the cultural offering. For us, numbers are never an end in themselves, but rather a tool to continue generating value for the local area and the public."
What skills are needed to do a job like yours?
"Transversal skills are required: analytical ability, strategic vision, cultural sensitivity, and interpersonal skills. Cultural management requires knowing how to navigate numbers, people, and content, continually finding a balance. I strongly believe in the fusion of culture and business approach: numbers are indispensable, but they must remain a tool at the service of the cultural mission. This is the balance we at LAC strive to maintain every day."
His career path began sixteen years ago at the then Ministry of Culture, already within the LAC project then in the start-up phase. A journey paralleling the evolution of the LAC itself and a consequent reflection on cultural institutions today...
My journey has grown alongside that of the LAC and has been multidisciplinary from the start. I came from a humanities background—a classical high school and a degree in Oriental languages from Ca' Foscari—which I consider essential. I later chose to delve deeper into economics and management with an Executive Master in Management at USI. It was precisely through the USI field project that I joined the LAC team, sixteen years ago, when the project was still in its infancy. I was thus able to follow the institution's evolution from its initial construction to its transformation into an autonomous entity. Along this journey, I was fortunate to work closely with Michel Gagnon, to whom I owe much for his trust and shared journey. This experience taught me the importance of maintaining an open mind and continuing to learn. I firmly believe in the value of hybrid paths, because they allow one to develop a broader vision and a greater ability to grasp complexity.
Cultural management is often defined as a complex system: what are the main challenges and opportunities for an institution like the LAC today?
Complexity is a constant component of our work. At the LAC, very different realities coexist: artistic programming, but also activities like facility management, hospitality, and events, which require different skills. It's a complex system, and precisely for this reason, highly stimulating. Financial sustainability remains a major challenge, especially in a context where costs are rising and culture still risks being perceived as expendable. Yet today, we have increasing evidence of its social and economic impact. Another issue is artificial intelligence, a transformation that also affects cultural institutions, and whose implications we are still understanding. Alongside the challenges, however, there are great opportunities: culture can strengthen its role in society, responding to increasingly evident needs for meaning, connection, and growth.
Having followed the evolution of the LAC from the beginning has allowed you to observe whether a change has also occurred in the city of Lugano. How do you see the relationship between the LAC and the City?
Following the LAC from its early stages has also allowed me to observe the city's evolution. At the beginning, very ambitious comparisons were made that seemed risky at the time. Today, I think we can say that the LAC has become a point of reference for Lugano, a place that is hard to separate from its identity. Over the years, the city has strengthened its cultural profile, becoming more open and attractive, even internationally, and the LAC has contributed to this process. The relationship with the community has also changed: today, the LAC is increasingly seen as a space for meeting and networking, as well as for artistic programming. The challenge is to continue maintaining this balance between openness and local roots.
How important is the balance between professional and personal life in your career?
My professional growth has gone hand in hand with my personal growth. When I arrived at LAC, I didn't have any children; today, I'm a mother of three. This has changed the way I organize my time and set priorities. Rather than balance, I'd call it continuous adaptation. I've learned to be more essential and focus on what's truly important, both in my work and my personal life. The support of my husband and family is essential in this regard. Being a mother also leads me to question the value of what I do and the impact it can have on others. For me, working in culture means contributing to the growth of individuals and the community, a responsibility I feel even more strongly today.
Valentina Fel Fante
Valentina Del Fante, currently Director of General Affairs and Deputy Executive Director of LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura, graduated from the classical high school of the Istituto Elvetico in Lugano and earned a master's degree with honors in Oriental Languages and Civilizations from Ca' Foscari University of Venice. She completed her career with experience in Tokyo, working in the cultural sphere and in the high-end cosmetics industry, developing a strong international awareness.
Upon returning to Lugano, she attended the Executive Master in Management at USI, combining it with teaching Japanese and working in international sports sponsorship. Upon completion of the Master, she participated in a research project on public benefit foundations in Italian-speaking Switzerland under the supervision of Professor Gianluca Colombo and Dr. Elisa Bortoluzzi Dubach, an experience that represents a key moment in his career and marks his entry into the team of the nascent LAC, then in the start-up phase.
Since 2010, she has grown within the institution, holding roles of increasing responsibility in fundraising, strategy, finance, and institutional relations. She has followed all phases of LAC's development, contributing to the definition of the organization's strategic and financial tools, until assuming her current role as Director of General Affairs and Deputy Executive Director of LAC in 2025.
