Ceranics Design

ROLANDO GIOVANNINI

ROLANDO GIOVANNINI

Rolando Giovannini is a Knight of the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Order of Merit of the Italian Republic). He studied in Faenza in the Technological Section of the "Ballardini" Art Institute.  He obtained a degree in Geology and a diploma in Decoration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna (he passed his examination with full marks, with a thesis in geological survey and mineralogy on "Mixed chlorite-saponite interlayer" - Prof. Noris Morandi - and on the subject of "Textures" -Prof. Adriano Baccilieri). He was a pupil of Paolo Monti, with whom he took the exam of Photography at the DAMS (University of Bologna).  
In 1975 he qualified as a researcher for the CNR (Italian Research Council).
He was a member of the Ministerial Committee in Rome which oversaw the creation of the "Michelangelo 1" and "Michelangelo 2" course project for art schools. He has been a member of the Working Group for the reform of Italian secondary schools, and in particular of the "New art schools", commissioned by MIUR, since 2009.  
He was a teacher of Art applied to silk screen printing, at the "Ballardini" Art Institute, from 1972 to 1981 and from 1984 to 1986.  He was also a teacher of Decoration Techniques and Pattern Design at the ISIA in Faenza (Higher Institute for Applied Arts) from 1984/85 to 2004/05 (he held the office of principal of the institute from 1990 to 1992) then at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna (as a teacher of Chemical-Physical methodologies, within the course in Restoration in the year 2010/2011) and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna (as a teacher of Marketing from 2007 to 2011 and of Applied marketing in the year 2011/2012).  
He held the office of principal of the IIS "Stoppa Compagnoni" in Lugo and principal regent of the ISA "Gaetano Ballardini" Secondary Art School in Faenza until last August 2012. In 1986 he became the principal of the latter school after winning a national contest and held the office until 2010/2011.
He was the principal of the State Art Institute of Ravenna - "Arte del Mosaico" (The art of mosaic) in the year 1982/1983. He also launched the Experimental course in "Restauro del Mosaico" (Restoration of mosaics) and "Arte dei Metalli" (Metal art), "Arte del Tessuto" (textile art) and "Decorazione Pittorica" (decoration and painting) at the State Art Institute of Forlì in the year 1981/1982.

He was one of the artists involved in the "Nose" movement with Cesare Reggiani (1976-78) and "A Tempo e a Fuoco", a movement organised by Vittorio Fagone (1982-1985); here he made researches on ceramic and neon materials. He has worked with Bruno Munari ("Giocare con l'Arte", M.I.C., the International Ceramic Museum in Faenza, 1979-82), Paola Navone (1984), Sottsass Associati (1986), Alessandro Guerriero (1992), Marta Sansoni and Marco Zanini (1995), Alessandra Alberici and Giorgio Montanari (1997-2007), Tullio Mazzotti (1999-2012), Giovanni Levanti (2000-2007), Franco Laera and Vanni Pasca (2003), Dante Donegani (2004), Massimo Iosa Ghini (2005), Sergio Calatroni, Ilaria De Palma (2007), Mario Pisani (2008), Maria Rita Bentini, Alessandro Castiglioni, Veronica Dal Buono, Luigi Sansone (2009), Muky, Mara De Fanti (2010), Bertozzi & Casoni, Laura Silvagni, Fulvio Irace (2011), Silvio Cattani, Kim Yong Moon (South Korea), Zeng Mingnan – Taiwan (2012).

A theorist of design and a ceramics expert, he has published several articles, as well as three books on the subject of design and decoration of ceramics especially aimed at schools and academies.
Nel 2003 ha pubblicato il testo "History of Italian Ceramic Tiles" in "1950/2000 Theater of Italian Creativity" a cura di Gae Aulenti, Pierluigi Cerri, Vanni Pasca, Franco Laera, Gallery at West 22nd Street - New York.

He founded the NeoCeramica Movement (2007) and arranged the collection of tiles from the second half of the 20 th century at the MIC in Faenza (since 1978); he organised a scientific project at the Documentation Centre and Museum (Confindustria Ceramica, Sassuolo), the Contemporary Section at the Museum of Castello di Spezzano of Fiorano (biennial exhibitions were held from 1997 to 2005; and mention is also to be made of the "Omaggio a Enzo Ferrari nel centenario della nascita" exhibition dedicated to Enzo Ferrari on the occasion of his 100 th anniversary) and in particular "Ceramica e Design" and the Design Section of MuST (Sacmi, Imola).
In August 2008, in Faenza, he was instrumental in establishing the MISA (the Museum of the State Art Institute).
He was the curator of the Design/Art session at the "Biennale delle Chiese Laiche" (in the years 2008, 2010 and 2012, together with Beatrice Buscaroli, Silvana Costa and Valerio Bruno Bandini during the latter year). More recently he presented the work by Gillo Dorfles (the author was also present, with Claudio Cerritelli and Luigi Sansone, Milan, Palazzo Reale, 2009) and that by Enzo Mari in "Teoria ed etica del design" (Design theory and ethics) during a lecture to the students from art schools, in Bologna (Cersaie 2010). He was coordinator for the attendance and participation of art schools at the event "Lezione alla rovescia" by Alessandro Mendini (Bologna, Cersaie 2011) and Elio Caccavale and Stefano Mirti (Bologna, Cersaie 2012).
He presented "Un Calice per Alviero" (A goblet for Alviero) in Deruta in 2011) and developed a project to create a Museum of Wine Labels, seen as a product of culture and design (in May 2012, he presented the degree course on Viticulture and Oenology Science and Technology, held at the university of Bologna).  
He curated and published a critical essay on the work of seven students from the Academies of Fine Arts of Perugia, Urbino and Siviglia, at the exhibitions "Ampolliere di giovani artisti per l’olio nuovo" (cruets made by young artists for the new olive oil) in Torgiano (November 2011) and at the Museo dell’Antica Grancia in Rapolano Terme (May 12, 2012) together with Sylvie Beal, Ivo Coppola, Luciano Tittarelli, Nicola Renzi and Giuliano Giuman, Director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Perugia "Pietro Vannucci".
He has designed objects which have been manufactured in Italy, in Japan and in China. His public works include the ceramic wall decoration inside the Shin-Kobe underground railway station, Shinkansen station in Kobe, Japan and a monumental work in ceramic and neon for the Municipality of Faenza, department of culture.
Some of his design works are kept at the Alessi and Richard Ginori archives, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and at the Foshan Creative Industry Park Investment & Management Ltd, Foshan, China (2009). He was invited to the Second China (Shanghai) International Modern Pot Art Biennial Exhibition, Shanghai, China (2010 and 2012) and to the ICMEA Symposium in Fuping, China (November 2010). He travelled to India in November 2011, and produced there three objects for the Sanskriti Museum of New Delhi.  He travelled to Zibo in China in August/September 2012, and worked there on twelve new projects.  
He was invited by Vittorio Sgarbi and Giorgio Grasso to take part at the  PADIGLIONE ITALIA within the framework of the 54 th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION OF THE BIENNALE OF VENICE, for the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy (Turin, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Sala Nervi, December 17 th, 2011) curated by Vittorio Sgarbi.

He created the didactic museum "Museo didattico Stoppa-Compagnoni", at the IIS Stoppa-Compagnoni in Lugo di Romagna, where calculators, writing machines, computers and scientific instruments that were used in the past by land surveyors, are collected. The museum was inaugurated on December 23rd, 2011. A brochure is available with a description of the various works and machines on show, illustrating their use with reference made to the history of Design. He created the M-MUSEUM of the Merlotta Brand, for the historical and production archive of the company (Imola, June 2012).
He participated at IAC in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on September 2012, the only Italian present.
He was Art Director of the magazine "Tile Fashion" from 1993 to 2000 and responsible for the Art, Fashion and Design columns of the monthly magazine C.I., a Il Sole 24 ore S.p.A. publication.
He writes articles for the D’A magazine, distributed to newsstands since January 2011, and for Art and Perception (a famous, important U.S. periodical).
He is a journalist and a member of the Journalist Association in Rome.

28 th October, 2012

In witness thereof
Rolando Giovannini