The School for Restoration Artisans was founded in March 1994 thanks to an agreement between the Piedmont Association of Art Restorers (PAAR) and the Young Missionary Service (SERMIG), the lay fraternity which, led by Ernesto Olivero, has restored a large part of the ex-military Arsenal in Turin, in Piazza Borgo Dora 61, transforming it into the "Arsenal of Peace".
The Association of Art Restorers had for some been looking for an interlocutor who understood the urgent need for a structure dedicated to the transmission of traditional knowledge and techniques, handed down to the present day through artisan workshops using the apprentice tradition: a practice rendered almost impossible by current regulations. Space, light and equipment to recreate the environment and climate of the workshop in which the artisan, the owner of the vital "shops", can provide practical instruction to students and guide them, over the years, in acquiring a mastery of their "trade". Not a simple course but a true School for Artisan Art Restorers, with the two-fold objective of creating new employment opportunities for youngsters while helping to safeguard our artistic patrimony, a cultural wealth which, if it is not adequately assisted, will over time disappear.

Keeping Arts and Craft Alive
The school for Artisan Restorers has agreed with The Gate The action "Keeping arts and craft alive". It was aimed initially to open a laboratory to supply the School for Artisan Restorers and the artisan laboratories of the city with essences cut and essicate in appropriate way for this type of jobs. Initially the intention was to favor the takeover of this type of laboratory into the School for Artisan Restorers, offering particularly favorable conditions for renting the premises and buying materials. The action has not had a continuation in so far as since it has been thought to be of greater effectiveness, date the positioning in the area of the Balon of the School, to promote to national and international level her activities, through the realization of one exposition stand. The objectives of the action have been, in fact, those to encourage the quantitative and qualitative increase of the market of the antique dealing and the restoration, to increase the opportunities of job for characterized craftsmen, and to contribute through the publicity to international level to the takeover of the students in the world of the job.
The School for Artisan Restorers, as promoter of the action, has realized with the contribution of The Gate a modular stand, opportunely personalized, that it uses as display window of the activities of the School in possible occasions, inner to the area (sees es. BabyBalon, Giradora, Pilotopoly, etc.) but also of national and international level. The stand is equipped, beyond that with instrumentations that allow the use in open air, with specific technologies of the restoration (stereomicroscophe, lamps of Wood, etc.) that will give the possibility, in the course of exibitions and manifestations, to supply immediate advising on small objects to restore. The stand is, moreover, equipped of covers for eventual manifestations at open air and an electricity-generating group that allows a good lighting system and supply of current electrical worker in every eventuality.

Within the action "Keeping Arts And Craft Alive" is also the agreement with the teacher of the school Rossana Pala for the realization of decoration panels on transportable rigid support, to expose in the display windows of the outpatients' department LAMP of c.so Regina Margherita 136. The works therefore have contributed to improve the imagine and looking of the LAMP, situated in an area of remarkable building and city degradation, re-entering in this way in the wider intervention of regeneration of Porta Palazzo (see pics in "To know more".)

Lessons are distributed over 5 days per week. They must be attended to be admitted at final exams. At the end a certificate will be delivered to students by The Piemonte Regional Administration.


For information and inscription:
Arsenale della Pace,
piazza Borgo Dora 61
10152 TORINO,
Tel. 011/5212922 Fax.: 011/4310618
e-mail: scuolartigiani@ilbero.it
site: www.scuolartigianirestauratori.org
Segreteria: lun-ven 9.00-14.30