Sansepolcro
cultural center was founded in 1979 thanks to a group of citizens
teachers, artists and intellectuals headed by Paolo Piovaticci,
poet and painter, now President of the Centre.
Aim of the Centre
was the spreading of cultural and artistic enterprises within the
surrounding district, the Tiber Valley of Tuscany.
Soon, the activity
of the Centre spread well beyond the Tiber Valley District, thanks
to a series of successful shows of painting, poetry and literature
readings and exhibitions of traditional artistic handicrafts,
reported by domestic and foreign press and various TV broadcasters.
The greatest merit
of the Centre lies in the recovering and relaunching of the main
local artistic handicraft, Sansepolcro
bobbin lace. Various
local exhibitions held in 1983 and 1984 brought forward the
foundation of the International
Lace Biennial, which soon drew the attention of other European
similar exhibitions.
The International
Lace Biennial of Sansepolcro obtained the patronage, among the
others, of the Italian President of the Republic and European
Parliament - Italian Office.The most prestigious Italian and
foreign schools of lace participate to the Biennial, become at
present one of the most exhaustive exhibition both at Italian and
international level.
The Exhibition is
open to all kind of laces, the classic and avant-garde one, the
miniature and monumental one, and 3-D lace.
For such open
attitude towards creativity the Biennial played an important role
in enhancing the production of this typical Italian handicraft,
moving towards the so called "Renaissance Age" of
Italian lace. The many initiatives undertaken by the International
Lace Biennial stimulated, recovered and launched, in Italy as well
as in other countries, the production of lace and the opening of
many lace schools.
Particularly
important was the 1992 Fifth Lace Biennial Exhibition dedicated to
Piero della Francesca, a 15th century Italian painter,
which developed a second edition called "For the Demolition
of European Boundaries", held in Strasbourg in the European
Parliament. On the occasion, To its President the "Lace for
Peace and United Europe" was presented.
