History

Sistema Impresa e Cultura was born from the successful collaboration between parent company Bondardo Comunicazione and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

For the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Bondardo Comuniczaione developed the Intrapresae Collezione Guggenheim, a pioneer project uniting a museum and businesses consortium relying on dynamic cooperation and shared skills and knowledge, and resulting in material and nonmaterial returns. The Intrapresae transcended one-off sponsorship, transformed the business culture association to enduring partnership, and remains a successful program to this day.

In 1997 the Guggenheim Impresa e Cultura Award was established to showcase the Intrapresae; the goal being that the new business culture relationship it represented provided a strong model for similar small to medium-sized companies and institutions. The first five years of programs were so successful that in 2001 the Guggenheim Award became the foundation for Sistema Impresa e Cultura, a nonprofit organization envisioned with integrity, and a passion to guide real change.

MISSION

The mission of Sistema Impresa e Cultura is to shift the trend in cultural investment away from one-time sponsorship and toward productive long-term partnerships, to encourage egalitarian exchange and shared knowledge in business culture relationships, and to champion successful projects as potential models for growing organizations.
Sistema Impresa e Cultura accomplishes this mission through the activities of its three composite offices.

• The Award: the annual national competition provides a stage for premier cultural players in Italy, increasing distinction and visibility for successful cultural partnerships.
• The Observatory: studies innovative business culture pairings outside of Italy, stewarding and guiding successful parties and adapting applicable models to the Italian environment.
• The Forum: brings distinctive and effective culturally engaged organizations to dialogue and share skills and knowledge.

After 10 Years

Sistema Impresa e Cultura has seen how cultural partnerships help businesses to: construct or define strong, recognizable identities, attract new clients, establish trust with the community, re-energize and re-focus internal staff, and stimulate corporate creativity. For cultural institutions, the opportunity to partner with businesses in an open exchange environment allows for the efficient and beneficial assimilation of successful behaviors, methods, and strategies. Finally, Sistema has seen the efforts of business culture collaborations, by working with regional government, effect meaningful and sustainable change in communities.