ARTE Generali & Charisma - launch international project to protect Cultural Heritage, 2022

• Natural events are increasingly affecting the cultural heritage of our society due to climate change
• Cross-national Erasmus+ project CHARISMA combines knowledge from different research areas to reduce risks to art
• Research establishes a basis for training specialized risk managers in the field of art insurance

The international Erasmus+ project CHARISMA (Cultural Heritage Academy for Risk Management), is now launched: The project, initiated by Mazzini Lab Società Benefit and ARTE Generali, aims at identifying possible risk factors for cultural heritage due to climate change. The collaboration for the research brings together the University of Perugia as well as the Austrian University for Continuing Education in Krems, and the ITAM in the Czech Republic and ARTE Generali, the insurance company specializing in art. 

The results of the two-year project will provide a basis for risk assessment that will be valid far beyond the borders of the participating countries. This will assess and, where possible, mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on cultural heritage and also provide access to the best training opportunities for specialized risk assessors in this field. The ambitious project will involve more than 100 relevant international stakeholders who will expand their expertise on cultural heritage risk assessment, combining it with expertise in homeowner’s insurance and in-depth knowledge of the visual arts.

Natural destruction over time and human intervention are the best-known threats to cultural heritage. Today, natural disasters increasingly caused by climate change pose a threat to the world's public and private cultural heritage. Natural disasters have always left their mark on cultural history from ancient times to the present. The threat of natural events caused by climate change significantly increases the risk of damage or even permanent loss of buildings, artifacts or works of art. 

Jean Gazançon, CEO ARTE Generali, says: “Real Art is unique and cannot be replaced in the event of destruction. Prevention has therefore top priority for ARTE Generali. We not only insure art, we support every initiative that helps us protect art from damages. Climate change and related natural events pose a growing risk to our cultural heritage. We need to think ahead of this development and turn it into concrete protection.  With our partners of the Erasmus+ program, we have gathered specialists from different scientific disciplines to get concrete answers to the important questions concerning art insurance in climate change. Based on this specialized knowledge, new solutions will emerge to meet the needs of our customers."  

Collaboration among partners allows the requirements for future risk managers to be developed and transferred into first-class educational offerings. ARTE Generali brings best-in-class actuarial knowledge to the scope of work. The development of a new curriculum specializing in cultural heritage in the context of climate change will provide the foundation for new methodologies for risk managers.

Massimo Cruciotti, Head of Mazzini Lab Benefit, says: “A Risk Manager specialized in artistic and cultural heritage develops interdisciplinary skills that allow adequate support to exhibition organizers and curators during the organization of an exhibition, to registrars and transporters during the loan of works of art, to restorers and insurers during the compensation phase of a policy or a claim. These are the prerequisites for our participation in the Erasmus + program with a project entirely dedicated to risk prevention, and in particular to the professional figure of the Risk Manager for Cultural Heritage.”

The project co-financed by the European Union through the ERASMUS+ Programme under the Grant Agreement n. 2021-1-IT01-KA220-VET-000034797, with the official name of "Risk Management for Cultural Heritage", has an initial period of two years. The presentation of research results is scheduled for July 2024. At least 50 applicants will be trained as cultural heritage risk managers by 2024.