An agreement signed to first generate interest and then opportunities.
RUFA, through its director, Arch. Fabio Mongelli, and on the initiative of professors Luigi Iacobelli and Enrico Parisio, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rebibbia Correctional Facility. The aim is the delivery of courses, taught by the Academy’s professors, for the male ward inmates.
This is a pilot project, carried out with no profit motive, to bring the prison population closer to the disciplines that define an institution like RUFA.
«We are firmly convinced – explained Director Fabio Mongelli – of the educational function that art, particularly contemporary art, can fulfill. Facing situations outside the ordinary not only allows RUFA professors to contribute to broadening the knowledge horizons of the inmates but also enriches their own educational and human approach.»
In this initial phase of collaboration, two courses have been delivered in Graphic Design and Editorial Graphics. Upon completion of the program, RUFA issued participants a certificate of attendance.
«The courses – the Director concludes – aim to provide skills in the fields of visual arts, design, and applied arts. The objective is to expand, over time, the range of educational offerings, fully embracing the cultural and social vision of the Third Mission.»
In agreement with the prison administration, the Academy will extend the project to other RUFA courses during the current academic year. The proposal involves primarily engaging students from the Comics and Illustration program to create graphic novels based on the inmates’ imaginative stories. Some talks and the active involvement of other Entities, Institutions, or Companies will enrich the program.
