Invasioni contemporanee/contemporary Invasions is a contemporary arts festival that operates in the civic-desert areas of Piceno, largely marginalized due to the earthquake that hit Italy in 2016.
The format, already experimented at National and European level, aims to create a space for dialogue and participation for local communities living in critical conditions, through their active engagement in the artistic co-creation process.

The internal areas in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche Region, hit by the earthquake of 2016

The project involves the municipalities of Acquasanta Terme, Arquata del Tronto, Castignano, Montegallo, and Offida, in the province of Ascoli Piceno. These internal, civic-desert areas are extremely fragile due to three events that have hit Italy in recent years: the economic crisis of 2008, the seismic events of 2016, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. These are excluded from tourist flows and civic, cultural, social, and economic opportunities of big urban centers.
The project, therefore, focuses on:
- the active engagement of the local communities, which ask to be listened to and involved in civic, decision-making, social and cultural processes;
- the regeneration and promotion of the involved areas, through the enhancement of the territories' identity, culture, and resource

The project involves the following direct beneficiaries:
Local communities, such as residents, citizens, families, newcomers of the internal areas of the Umbro-Marchigiano Apennines, who are in difficult conditions due to the earthquake of 2016 and, today, to the spreading of the pandemic COVID-19.
Municipal actors, such as local institutions and merchants, that consider the festival as an opportunity to promote tourism and reactivate the local economy.
Artists, such as performers, actors, dancers, light and sound designers, etc. whose activities are now suspended due to the pandemic crisis.
Besides, indirect beneficiaries of the project are tourists from regional and interregional touristic flows, as well from the coast of the Marche Region.

The model provides: Active listening in the territory, A site-specific artistic production that knows how to re-read it from a value perspective, Active participation of citizens and local communities in the artistic process, Activation of networks and strategic alliances with institutions and stakeholders of the territory.
The territorial enhancement is based on three phases, supporting the creative process of the artists involved:
Exploration (bringing artists in contact with the territory to understand its identity, values ​​and traditions)
Immersion (artistic design, stimulated by the exploratory experience and by the direct relationship with people from the area)
Site-specific artistic production (realizing the artistic project to re-read the territorial space in a new way)

The next edition of Invasioni Contemporanee will reinforce the impacts produced by the first two years of activity. The locally rooted initiative has opened a dialogue and collaboration with the local communities which are slowly returning to participate in the civic and political life. Among the results:
n. 30 young creatives involved
n. 6 performance events
n. 6 revitalized places
n. 1,000 citizens involved
n. 10 young people involved in the realization of scenographies and sound installations
n. n. 2 sound installations and scenographies realized
n. n. 5 urban narratives realized
n. n. 1 development plan of the public produced
n. n. 450 people involved in active citizenship actions and co-production
n. n. 9 presentations of the project realized at local and European level

The initiative involves the direct engagement of the local communities. It foresees an artistic residency where artists come into close contact with citizens, who actively participate in the artistic co-creation that will mainly focus on their needs.
Site-specific Urban Ateliers and performances will be based on the reading of local peculiarities, and the listening of the citizens.
In this context, cultural activities will be an instrument of active participation and local development. The artistic production and fruition will be means and not purpose, aiming to:
Empower the communities and strength civic cohesion
Enhance the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the areas
Revitalize civic-deserts areas and reactivate the processes of tourism
growth and economic production

Fintan O'Toole claims that if a person participates in a form of human activity, it increases the chances that that person has the ability to participate in other forms. In this sense, we believe that cultural participation is closely related to citizenship. MeltingPro promotes cultural participation as a tool to foster the development of processes of active citizenship, participation, and democracy. The involvement of the communities and the territories cannot be disregarded to promote social, cultural, and economic growth. We believe that it is possible to build more cohesive societies thanks to the activation of processes that use culture and creativity as languages able to reach beneficiaries who live in disadvantaged conditions, for their strength and communicative capacity.

Expert Audience Development 2000 EUR
Expert Communication and Storytelling 5000 EUR
Responsible for the Atelier- Contemporary Theatre 2500 EUR
Responsible fro the Atelier - Dance Theatre 1350 EUR
Set designer / fitter 1500 EUR
Stage set-up material 1500 EUR
Travel and accommodation 1700 EUR
3 performer / actor job grants 11000 EUR
Communication + light and audio 6000 EUR
Monitoraggio 2000 EUR
Administrative 2000 EUR
Organizing secretariat 7000 EUR
Coordination 9000 EUR

Suggestions on possible developments/improvements of the format that we are experimenting in various " vulnerable" areas as a device for urban regeneration.