We are pleased to announce the upcoming Talk & Brunch “Symposium: How Can Art Activate Local Capital? — From Hidden Resources to Shared Futures” for Forest Festival of the Arts, to be held on Monday, May 8, 2026, at the IUAV – Aula Magna Fondamenta dei Tolentini in Venice, Italy.

“Symposium: How Can Art Activate Local Capital? — From Hidden Resources to Shared Futures” explores how art and design can reveal and activate the latent natural, social, and cultural capital embedded in local contexts. While taking Forest Festival of the Arts Okayama: Clear-skies Country 2024 as a case study, the discussion extends beyond a single project to address broader questions: How can artistic and design practices uncover overlooked local resources? By bringing together artists, curators, and scholars, the symposium examinesinterdisciplinary and place-based approaches that reconnect communities, environments,and cultural practices, proposing new models for sustainable regional revitalization.
※Light refreshments will be provided for networking reception following the symposium.

【Outline】
Date：May 8, 2026, from 10:00 to 12:30 AM [10:00–11:15 Symposium / 11:15–12:30 Brunch (Networking Reception)]

Venue: IUAV – Aula Magna Fondamenta dei Tolentini

Admission: Free

Panelists:
– Bianca Bondi (Artist)
– Emanuele Coccia (Philosopher / Associate Professor, École des Hautes Études)
– Alessandra Marcon (Urban designer / Adjunct professor, Università Iuav di Venezia)
– Angela Vettese (Art critic and curator / Professor, Università Iuav di Venezia)
– Asim Waqif (Artist)

Moderator:
Yuko Hasegawa (Art Director of Forest Festival of the Arts / Guest Professor, Università Iuav di Venezia)

Organizer: Forest Festival of the Arts Okayama Executive Committee
With the cooperation of: Università Iuav di Venezia

Reservation required. Please register from here.

Contact
info@forestartfest-okayama.jp