Spazio "fontana" - via Milano 13 
Free entrance

The aim of the "DAB - Design for Artshop and Bookshop" project is to encourage young artists' work in the field of objets d'art and design for commercial areas in museums, and to identify companies specializing in the field that may be interested in taking part in the project, agreeing to take responsibility for manufacturing and distributing the products.
The initiative, which was first set in motion by Modena municipality's Young Art Office in 2006, is supported by the Youth Department at the Prime Minister's Office, by the PARC (Directorate General for the Quality and Protection of Contemporary Architecture, Art and the Countryside, a branch of the Cultural Assets and Activities Ministry), and by the GAI (Young Italian Artists Association).
Some 300 candidates entered the nationwide competition, and some 76 artists have been selected to date by a panel of experts from different disciplines, comprising Marica Bastasi, Aldo Cibic, Claudia Collina, Anna Mattirolo, Claudio Medici, Damiano Miotto, Adriano Ricchetti, Erminia Sciacchitano, Angela Vettese and Michele Zini.
Prototypes and creations by 54 artists from all over Italy are on display in the exhibition held in the Spazio Fontana area adjacent to the Bookshop, which is after all the natural showcase for these objets d'art and design.  The exhibition is broken down into three sections:
- a selection from DAB1 (first edition, 2006) with prototypes created by 18 artists;
- the DAB2 exhibition (2008 edition) with prototypes by the 26 artists selected;
- the DAB-4-GAI line comprising 10 prototypes that have gone into production in the two partner companies specializing in merchandising: Misstake and GiGi Medici, chosen from among the companies presented at the two exhibitions in 2006 and 2008.
The products on display are already present in several bookshops in major museums and contemporary art venues in Italy, including the Palazzo delle Esposizioni and the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Rome, the Galleria Civica in Modena, the MART in Rovereto, the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Donna Regina in Napoli, the bookshops at the Biennale Arte e Architettura in Venice and a number of other outlets run by Electa Mondadori. The line has recently been presented to the public in several trade fairs, including the recent Museum Expressions show in Paris, which is one of the most important in Europe in this sector. This winning strategy has made it possible to forge new contacts and to strike up new commercial relationships.
We are confident that the DAB project will pave the way for young designers and artists to devote their energy to the design of this kind of product, while at same time alerting museum curators and bookshop and artshop managers to the advantages to be gained from selling the products in their shops.The DAB 2 Catalog and the DAB-4-GAI Line Folder will be on sale at the exhibition. 
The catalog of the first edition will also be available, for consultation only.  Information and material on the DAB project can be found on this website: www.comune.modena.it/gioarte

Info: Dipartimento della Gioventù
tel. +39 06 6779.6946 - 6875 - 3729 
info@gioventu.it    www.gioventu.it
Giovani d'Arte, tel. +39 059 2032604 
giovanidarte@comune.modena.it   www.comune.modena.it/gioarte