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pic by moltenimuseum.com
Today we discover the Associazione Italiana Archivi e Musei d'Impresa (Italian Association of Business Archives and Museums), an organisation founded in 2001 in Milan on the initiative of Assolombarda and Confindustria, which today brings together over 100 museums and archives of large, medium and small Italian companies. The Manifesto of Intent clearly illustrates the aim of the Association: to enhance the history of Italian production through the creation of a system of company archives and museums, through the dissemination of quality standards and through the promotion of the concept of corporate cultural responsibility.
Museimpresa's mission is therefore to tell the story of great Italian companies through objects, images, photographs, videos, testimonials and online and offline initiatives, thus giving visibility and value to the cultural heritage of its member companies.
The places where the companies are located are also enhanced, by placing them at the centre of routes aimed at industrial tourism that can bring economic and cultural development to the area. These routes are one of the flagships of the proposed activities: you can find them divided by region on the Association's website, under 'Itineraries'. You will find, for example, the Food Valley Pasta itinerary in Parma, where you can visit the Barilla Historical Archive; or the Lombardy Design itinerary which, as you can guess, takes you on a journey through Lombardy's manufacturing genius. Of particular interest is the renovation this year of the Molteni Museum in Giussano, Brianza, with the design of the Glass Cube space: a large open space with crystal walls in which objects and works celebrating the brand's 80th anniversary are displayed.
The people, traditions, technical knowledge and sense of belonging that develop around companies are another fundamental part of Museimpresa's story, along with the creative factor. The Association, in fact, places particular emphasis on the collaboration between companies and artists, photographers, filmmakers, graphic designers and designers who, since the beginning of the 20th century, have created extraordinary works that today form the collections of company museums.
But which companies are part of Museimpresa? Among the associated companies we find the Archivio Museo Bitossi, the Archivio Storico iGuzzini, the Kartell Museo, together with many others that have collaborated with high-calibre artists and designers throughout their history. We remember for example Aldo Londi, Carlo Bartoli, Gae Aulenti, Vico Magistretti and many others, who have contributed to bring to companies a lasting artistic quality that is also current today.
In order to keep the work of conservation and research up to date, Museimpresa also engages in numerous educational activities aimed at members, the public and schools, as well as organisations and institutions. Exhibitions, meetings, conventions and seminars are constantly organised and promoted to ensure a fruitful exchange of synergies, knowledge and experience. Dialogue with institutions in particular is fundamental to stimulate the various institutional players to invest in business culture to prevent the dispersion of important entrepreneurial assets.
Territory, creativity and training are among the fundamental pillars of the Association's activities, not only with a view to preserving and protecting heritage, but also as a stimulus for the creation of new products and services. Safeguarding the memory of business is an empty activity if it is not accompanied by a constant commitment to the future, and Museimpresa reiterates this concept several times, also quoting Gustav Mahler: "Tradition is to guard the fire, not to worship the ashes".
