Concept
In a world dominated by digital speed and industrial production, TOOLS aspires to celebrate craftsmanship, manual skills, and design by showcasing the essential role that tools and artisanal techniques have played in the advancement of the creative industries. This exhibition explores the symbiotic relationship between tradition and innovation, highlighting how manual gestures and technological experimentation are complementary forces driving the culture of craftsmanship, design, and even new media and technologies.
Curated by Alessandro Mininno, Stefano Mirti, and Irene Turcato, with the support of Fondazione Cariplo, the exhibition is conceived as a large interactive workshop where visitors can observe artisans and designers at work, take part in hands-on workshops, and explore creative tools and artifacts.
The curatorial choices of TOOLS reflect a dynamic and inclusive approach that brings together skills and expertise from different worlds. The exhibition showcases a wide array of tools used by timeless artisans, innovative designers pushing the boundaries of technology, makers experimenting with new forms of expression, and companies that prioritize quality and sustainability. Each section of the exhibition is a reflection on the creative process and the value of manual work, which becomes a tool for innovation. Through a curated selection of masters and professionals, TOOLS tells the story of how tradition and innovation can coexist and enrich each other, creating new opportunities for design and the culture of making.
The exhibition is divided into four thematic areas – paper engineering and cardboard, typography and writing tools, tailoring and fashion, and content creation, videomaking, and YouTube – each dedicated to a facet of contemporary making culture. These “islands” provide a space for dialogue between master artisans, young creatives, and leading companies, reflecting the richness and diversity of the creative landscape of Milan and Lombardy.
Milan, a city that has long been a guardian of design culture, serves as the starting point for this reflection. TOOLS aims to honor the art of making, a heritage that is not only rooted in tradition but continues to evolve, remaining central to the cultural identity of the city and the country. The exhibition invites the public to reflect on how the creative gesture can transform our relationship with objects and with the world around us, in an age where the speed of digital production makes it increasingly urgent to reclaim quality, materiality, and the time invested in manual craftsmanship.
Beyond the exhibition itself, TOOLS offers a rich public program of talks, conferences, and performances that delve deeper into the value of artisanal making and its impact on contemporary culture. The program features contributions from designers, set designers, graphic artists, and institutions, enriching the experience through workshops and moments of dialogue. The full schedule of free-entry workshops is available online.
The TOOLS exhibition design is intended to be simple, ingenious, and welcoming, with a strong scenographic component. Every detail is designed to foster an atmosphere that encourages interaction and active participation, transforming the exhibition space into a living laboratory.
TOOLS – The Art of Making Well is a dynamic and participatory experience, designed to engage schools, professionals, and the general public. Milan and Lombardy, long-standing centers of “know-how” as a deeply rooted value, are at the heart of this exhibition. Here, the art of making with mastery is not just a legacy of the past, but a joy, a desire, and a necessity lived daily in the hands of artisans, in workshops, and in industrial districts. TOOLS is an opportunity to rediscover the intelligence of the hand and the value of conscious design—an invitation to reflect on the importance of keeping the art of making alive in an increasingly technologized world, where the desire to “do well” remains the foundation of our work culture.
Admission is free.
Curators: Alessandro Mininno, Stefano Mirti, Irene Turcato
Project Management and Coordination: Aurora Rapalino
Art Direction and Exhibition Design: Alessandra Esposito
Illustrations: Alessandro Mininno
Graphic Design: Raffaele Di Maio
With the contribution of: Fondazione Cariplo
Media Partner: Zero
With the participation of:
Accademia Abadir, Laura Affinito, Aiarp, Angela Allegretti, Maurizio Andreolli, Pierluigi Anselmi (Propp), Michele Aquila, Francesco Ballestrazzi, Roberta Beghelli, Sonia Bianco, BiancoInsolito, Denise Bonapace, Matteo Brasili, Marco Brunello, Paolo Cabrini, Cadò, Caffè Design, Dorina Camusso, Miriam Carloni, Dario Carta, Andrea Cavani, Barbara Comuzzi, Giuseppe “GEP” Caserta, Gianfranco Cavaglià, Giulio Ceppi, Enrico Chiarugi, Rachaporn Choochuey, Cisco, Francesco Conchetto CONC, Confartigianato, Conservatorio di Como, Greta Corrado, Barbara Crimella, Maurizio Cucchi, Mariano Dallago, Sofia D’andrea, Sabine Delafon, Bruno Depedri, Germana De Michelis, AnnaPaola Dos Santos, Annalisa Durante, Marina Durante, Edizioni Brigantino, Elt group, Factanza Media, Fabrizio Falcone, Attila Faravelli, Costanza Favero, Federated Innovation, Natascia Fenoglio, Paolo Nicolò Ferraguti, Angelo Ferrara, Flatmates, Fondazione Giovanni e Irene Cova ETS, Davide Gallina, Maria Giassi, Caterina Giorgetti, Pierpaolo Grandinetti, Sofie Helms, Hublab, ICS Milan, IED – Istituto Europeo di Design, Chetra Iotti, Just4love, KeChic, Reed Kram, Hazal Kurtuluş, Giorgio Laboratore, Ugo La Pietra, Elisabetta Laviano, Marina Lombardi, LopLop Associazione Culturale, LUCE, Claudio Madella, Ettore Maiotti, Margherita Mazza, Yoko Miura, Francesco Muti (Piger), NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Enrico Napolitano, Claudio Onorato, OpenDot, Overstate, Pagina Mastro, Margherita Palli, Lorenzo Palmeri, PaolinoPaolino, Paper & People, Alice Peach, Piano City Milano, Serena Piller, Piscopia di Valore Italia, Luca Poncellini, Fabio Porfidia, Silvia Raga, Franco Raggi, Rifò, Valerio Romano (Folllit), Marialaura Rossiello Irvine, Gianluca Rubino, Saint-Gobain, Giovanni Santostasi, Schneider electric, Scuola Superiore d’Arte Applicata del Castello Sforzesco, Maddalena Selvini, SettantaVentidue, Margherita Sirchia, Marta Sironi, Carlo Siviero, So.De-Social Delivery, Francesca Sonda, superinternet.world, Thermore, Mario Trimarchi, Caterina Tritto, Maurizio Turchet, Barbara Ventura, Paolo venturi (AICCON), Vün!, Windtre, Cristina Zaltieri, Nicola Zanardi.
Special thanks to the companies, institutions, and contributors who supported this initiative:
Brunello, Caimi Brevetti, Comieco, DELES – Relife Paper Packaging, Fedrigoni, Pentel Italia.
