The ‘Saviola Art Factory’ experience has come to an end. This participatory art project was born from the collaboration between the Saviola Group and ASCOP – Azienda Speciale Consortile Oglio Po, supported by the European Social Fund Plus 2021-2027 as part of the Lombardy Region’s Cohesion Policy. Between September and October, dozens of Group employees, together with their families, young people from the Family Coaching Centre and numerous local youngsters took part in the creation of a collective mural approximately 150 metres long, which has now become a tangible sign of a united community, sensitive to sustainability issues and capable of recognising beauty as a common value. The perimeter wall of the Viadana plant, which all employees pass by every day, has been transformed into a place of encounter and experimentation, offering participants the chance to enjoy a different kind of collaborative experience and, for the younger ones, the opportunity to learn about street art while reflecting on issues of the future. The creation of the artwork was made even more sustainable thanks to the use of water-based paint supplied by the Saber company in Viadana, a choice that reduced the environmental impact of the project.
Saviola Art Factory is one of the first initiatives to emerge from a co-design process involving public bodies, the third sector and businesses as part of the Un Ponte tra i Fiumi (A Bridge between Rivers) project, promoted by a large regional network led by CSV Lombardia Sud ETS and supported by Fondazione Cariverona. Art educator Stefano Delvò of ForMattArt APS, who led the project, explained how colours were a powerful catalyst for participation, spontaneously creating a collaborative atmosphere in which young people, parents and children shared energy, creativity and new relationships. Alessandro Saviola, President of the Group, emphasised the symbolic and identity value of this initiative, highlighting how the mural visually conveys the company’s philosophy based on inclusion, sustainability and connection with the local area, transforming a simple industrial wall into a collective message of community and future. Gloria Lodi Rizzini and Moreno Orlandelli, President and Director of ASCOP, also expressed their satisfaction with a process in which generative welfare and corporate social responsibility came together in a concrete and creative way, recognising in the project the birth of new synergies and the possibility of involving more and more organisations sensitive to building value for the local community.
