Educational workshops

The educational project accompanies the “Views of Africa” exhibition with a workshop experience dedicated to non-school audiences: children, teens, families, and adults.
The workshops are aimed at both children and adults. The experience is designed to engage both simultaneously, with differentiated activities and creative paths, designed to enhance different languages, timescales, and sensibilities.
During all SUNDAYS during the exhibition’s opening period (March–May 2026), Palazzo Gotico hosts creative activities designed to introduce the public to African art through observation, experimentation, and hands-on practice.

RESERVATIONS
Free workshops subject to availability.
Reservations are not required, but are recommended.
Priority will be given to those who write to:
didattica@sguardisullafrica.it
Contatto Whatsapp: 333 6738327

MASK WORKSHOP: FACES OF AFRICA

Target audience: Children and teens (ages 5-14)

African masks are among the most representative elements of the continent’s cultures. Not simply decorative objects, but ritual and symbolic tools used in religious ceremonies, dances, and rites of passage.
Wearing a mask meant transforming oneself, becoming the voice and body of nature spirits or ancestors, reestablishing the connection between the human and spiritual worlds.
Through the creation of a personal mask, children and teens will discover how African art combines function, symbol, and beauty in a visual language made of stylized forms, accentuated proportions, and natural materials.

I CREATE MY AFRICAN JEWEL WORKSHOP (while sipping a bissap…)

Intended audience: Adult audience

A creative workshop connected to the exhibited works, designed to offer an active and engaging experience.
The journey begins with a visit to the works on display, with particular attention to the decorative elements that enrich some sculptures from the Giglio Collection: necklaces, bracelets, and applied beads.
During the workshop, participants will create their own jewelry—a bracelet, ring, or earrings—using beads created by working with colored paper and fabrics.
During the activity, a tasting of bissap, a traditional Senegalese drink made from hibiscus flowers and ginger, will be offered.
An experience that combines cultural exploration, craftsmanship, and a social moment.

KIDS & FAMILY EXPERIENCE

Activities for children and adults are designed to offer a parallel and complementary experience, allowing everyone to experience a program tailored to their age group.

The sections of the exhibition

The exhibition was born from the encounter between Samuele Manin’s curatorial vision and the research and collecting work carried out by Paolo Giglio, together with his father Bruno Giglio.

The Sguardi sull’Africa project was also born as a gesture of gratitude towards the city of Piacenza.

Paolo and Bruno Giglio have chosen to share this heritage through a major public exhibition, recognizing Piacenza as a place capable of hosting and promoting a cultural project of international scope. In this sense, the exhibition is a gift to the city and its visitors, designed to foster knowledge, dialogue, and openness.

Cult objects
and sculptures

Painting
from Morocco

Contemporary
African Art

Young
Voices