Luigi Micheletti Award

Launched in 1995 by the Micheletti Foundation and the European Museum Forum under the patronage of the Council of Europe, the Luigi Micheletti Award has put at the centre of the stage a series of innovative experiences of influence in the European museum field.

The story of the award is an Italian story because it is connected to the life of the Micheletti Foundation, founded in 1981 by Luigi Micheletti, a partisan during the Second World War and afterwards an entrepreneur in the field of economics. The Micheletti Foundation soon became an important archive in the domain of contemporary history and one of the first Italian institutions engaged in the preservation of industrial heritage, more than 30 years ago. A meeting with the great museologist and father of industrial archaeology, Kenneth Hudson, led to the birth 20 years ago of an award whose success has been confirmed, year after year, by the number and the quality of participants. The Luigi Micheletti Award is also a European story, both for the partnership with European organisations and for the extent of its influence, including all 48 countries within the borders of the Council of Europe.

Like any successful story, the story of the Luigi Micheletti Award is marked by the ability to renew itself. From the 16th edition onwards, the award has been run in collaboration with the European Museum Academy (EMA), a Dutch foundation whose qualified Pool of Experts have proven scientific and museological experience. This report aims to provide, through the presentation of summaries, an overview of all the winners and finalists of the Luigi Micheletti Award 1996-2015. The Report includes the winners of the DASA Award, launched in 2011 and devoted to museums of work.

The Report is opened by an important document related to the 20th Ceremony of the Luigi Micheletti Award (Brescia, 9 May 2015), the speech delivered by Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. Pier Paolo Poggio, Director of Luigi Micheletti Foundation and musil, intertwines the growth of these scientific institutions, the story of the award (until the 2016 edition, won by Den Gamle By, Aarhus, Denmark) and the development of the territory of Brescia, where it all began. Massimo Negri, Director of EMA, observes the impact of the notion of ‘industrial heritage’ on the cultural and social scene from the 1970s onwards, using the story of the Luigi Micheletti Award as a vantage point. As a postscript, there is an unpublished contribution by the late Kenneth Hudson. Born 100 years ago, the voice of Kenneth Hudson still sounds inspiring and contemporary... as does the Luigi Micheletti Award!

Brescia, December 2016