The State of the Art: annual conference of the Outdoor Arts Italia

"STREET ARTS, CITIES AND THE PROFESSION: BUILDING NEW CONDITIONS FOR PUBLIC SPACE"

2 October 2026 | Teatro Carcano, Milan

10:00–13:00 | 14:30–17:30

Registration is open.

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What does it really mean to value street arts today?

In recent years, the relationship between street arts and the city has become increasingly complex. Several Italian cities have introduced closures, restrictions and limitations on artists’ access to historic city centres, while the same regulations often continue to state their intention to recognise and promote street arts.

It is from this contradiction that The State of the Art takes its starting point: a day of discussion dedicated to performing arts in public space and to the conditions needed for them to be recognised as an integral part of the cultural life of cities.

The issue is not only about the rules governing artists’ presence in public space. It also concerns the way cities imagine and shape public space, the relationship between citizens and artistic practices, the training of those who choose to work in the performing arts and, more broadly, the possibility of building sustainable professional careers.

The day brings together three closely connected dimensions: education, training and professionalisation. From the first encounter between an artist and an audience in an urban setting, to the development of new skills, and finally to the economic and organisational conditions that allow an artistic profession to grow and remain sustainable over time.

MORNIGN PANEL | 10:00-13:00

From the Street to the Profession: audience, rules, and training

The morning session focuses on the relationship between artists, citizens and public space, using Milan as a case study.

The discussion will explore regulation and the role of tools that can do more than simply manage artists’ presence in public space: they can also foster greater awareness of the shared use of the city. Drawing on the experience of a digital platform dedicated to street artists and on the perspectives of municipal and local authorities, the panel will address the relationship between artistic freedom, coexistence, responsibility and cultural policies.

The discussion will then turn to training, bringing together different institutions and educational approaches. What skills are needed by artists who choose to work outside traditional performance venues? And how can street arts and public space become part of the training pathways of artists and cultural professionals?

The morning will conclude by addressing professionalisation and the continuity of artistic work, introducing a comparison with international models of support for artists, with a particular focus on Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts initiative.

The discussion will feature with Plastic Jumper, Ufficio Artisti di Strada del Comune di Milano, Conservatorio di Milano, Scuola Civica Paolo Grassi, Municipio 1 di Milano and others.

AFTERNOON PANEL | 14:30-17:30

Festivals, Artists and Territories: new conditions for the performing arts in public space

The afternoon session broadens the discussion to the overall conditions in which artists, organisers, festivals and territories operate.

Starting from European models of support for artistic careers, the discussion will focus on professional continuity, working conditions and the quality of hospitality and support provided to artists. In this context, the session will also present the work undertaken by Outdoor Arts Italia on the Hospitality Charter, conceived as a shared tool to promote clearer and more conscious practices in the relationships between artists, companies, organisers and territories.

A second focus will explore the role of participatory and distributed festivals. Events in public space can be much more than a programme of performances: they can become cultural hubs, opportunities for encounter and tools for building lasting relationships with the places and communities that host them.

Finally, the session will address an issue that is set to have an increasingly significant impact on outdoor performing arts: climate change. Extreme temperatures, sudden weather events and changing environmental conditions are already affecting the way outdoor events can be designed and delivered. This is not only a technical and organisational challenge, but also raises new questions about the responsibilities of artists, festivals, local authorities and territories.

The discussion will feature with ISACS, Outdoor Arts Italia, Kiklos Festival, AsfaltArt Merano, Comune di Isnello and others.