Cross-cultural Creative Workshop in Italy

Between June 22 and August 30, 2024, a series of interactive workshops took place in Modena, Italy, both in person at Casa delle Donne and online. Bringing together eight young women from Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Colombia, the workshops aimed to foster empathy, respect, and self-expression through storytelling and digital art.

The journey began on June 22 with an in-person session, laying the foundation for trust and connection among participants. Subsequent sessions, held online on June 29, July 5, 8, and 10, allowed the group to explore new artistic expressions, experimenting with photography, design, and painting. Their stories focused on the experiences of girls and women pursuing careers in technology while navigating a multicultural world. Through photography, participants captured emotions and moments, while design and painting added depth and meaning, blending visual storytelling with written narratives.

One of the workshop highlights was an interactive session using Ideogram, a tool that helped participants transform personal stories into visual art, reflecting themes of empathy and cultural diversity. They also explored Freytag’s Pyramid, learning how to structure compelling narratives and develop engaging characters.

The final sessions, held on July 19 and 22, focused on crafting narrative prompts and turning them into digital artworks using MidJourney. The program concluded with an online event on August 30, where participants reflected on their creative journeys. Their final stories ranged from themes of new beginnings and nostalgia to overcoming challenges in unfamiliar environments, capturing a powerful blend of emotions through both words and visuals.