€4 million for Street Art

Puglia is going to spend €4 million on street art – to support the artists, to promote their work, to increase its reach. 

Councillor Enzo Colonna has blogged about this new initiative, the first of its kind in Italy, which will focus on the development of urban art which in Colonna’s opinion encourages collectivism and creates a positive energy, especially for the younger generation, while also growing in appeal to a wider audience. The project aims to restore and embellish public places and public assets, and will have a social, cultural, artistic and touristic impact on the whole region.

The project is based on a call that the Puglia Regional Council put out last year. 91 public entities – city councils, provincial councils, schools and universities – responded proposing their plans and identifying public spaces that could be available for urban art. 

The initiative is underpinned by a law that will embed support for Street Art and provide long term financial support:

·      There will be annual financial contributions to local entities that promote and develop Street Art, with particular emphasis on projects that collectivise their programmes and ensure a social and artistic value of the artwork.

·      City Councils involved in the project will be asked to identify private or public spaces that could be used for Street Art.

·      Puglia Regional Council will conduct a census of the artworks and put them on show on their website.

·      There will be an annual prize for the best Street Artwork.

This is a continuation of an existing strategy which last year provided €450k to support street artwork projects to be paid out over three years – but this new law will increase funding to €4 million.