International Conference
Polytechnics and Universities of the Arts. Comparing Models of Interdisciplinarity
Friday 13 February 2026 | Sala Boninelli, Biblioteca Tiraboschi, Bergamo
The International Conference represented the institutional and academic dimension of the INPA project: a day of open dialogue between the partner institutions and the Italian system of Higher Arts and Music Education (AFAM), aimed at reflecting on the pedagogical and organisational models capable of fostering interdisciplinarity in high-level artistic education.
The conference was structured around two major thematic sessions. The first, with an international scope, brought together established experiences from Universities and Polytechnics of the Arts across Europe, offering differing perspectives on how institutions of higher arts education address, within their respective national contexts, the challenge of integrating disciplines. The second opened up an internal dialogue within the Italian AFAM system, examining the role of the Polytechnics of the Arts as a possible model for a new phase of artistic education in the country. The closing round table directly involved the INPA project's partners, making the conference also a moment of shared reflection and stock-taking on the work carried out.
The event was moderated by Bianca Trevisan, Project Manager and Scientific Coordinator of INPA.
Programme
10:30 – 11:00 | Opening remarks and institutional greetings
- Sen. Alessandra Gallone – Delegate Advisor to the Minister of University and Research for AFAM
- Giorgio Berta – President, Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo
- Daniela Giordano – Director, Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo
- Ettore Favini – Deputy Director, Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo
11:00 – 13:00 | Universities and Polytechnics of the Arts: An International Perspective
- Sebastian Utzni – Head of the BA Programme in Fine Arts and Art & Design Education, Hochschule Luzern (HSLU), Lucerne
- Jostein Gundersen – Pro-dean of Research, Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen
- Eva Marciel – Head of the Institutional Department, TAI Escuela Universitaria de Artes, Madrid
- Marijana Kokanovic Markovic – Vice Dean for Scientific Work, Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad
13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch break
14:30 – 16:00 | The Polytechnics of the Arts within the AFAM system
The system of the Polytechnics of the Arts: towards a new national model
- Daniela Giordano – Director, Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo
- Ettore Favini – Deputy Director, Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo
- Tommaso Salvatori – President of the National Conference of ISIA Directors
- Ivano Lai – President of the National Conference of Presidents of Music Conservatories
- Roberto Antonello – President of the National Conference of Directors of Music Conservatories
- Umberto De Paola – President of the National Conference of Directors of Fine Arts Academies
16:00 – 17:00 | Round table among the INPA project's partners
- Paola Babini – Director, Accademia di Belle Arti Statale di Ravenna
- Guido Fiorato – Director, Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti di Genova
- Giovanni Pucciarmati – Director, Conservatorio «Luigi Cherubini» di Firenze
- Anna Maria Storace – Member of the Board of Directors, Conservatorio «Giuseppe Verdi» di Ravenna
17:00 – 17:30 | Closing remarks and final debate
- MUR Official – Ministry of University and Research
- Chaired by: Bianca Trevisan – Project Manager and Scientific Coordinator of INPA, Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo
The conference was held as part of →︎ TONO Festival 2026 and was organised within the framework of the INPA project – International Network of the Polytechnics of the Arts, funded by NextGenerationEU – PNRR, Mission 4: "Education and Research".