On Thursday 14 December 2023, in Biella, at the Lanificio Maurizio Sella, the exhibition “Silk. Places and Archives of the Art of Silk” was inaugurated, curated by Marinella Bianco for the Associazione Tacafile. The exhibition involved the Fondazione Chierese per il Tessile e per il Museo del Tessile together with other prestigious partners, including the Fondazione Sella, the Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio, and the Tessitura Bevilacqua.

Located in the Maurizio Sella Wool Mill, in the wing built at the end of the 17th century as a silk spinning mill by the Santuario di Oropa, the exhibition represents a journey through the geographies of silk, through documents, images, and objects from the archives of institutions and companies that preserve its fascinating history. The narrative, built upon direct archival sources, unfolds from the raw material processed in the silk mills of the Cuneo area to the companies of Como that wove and printed silks for major haute couture names, crossing the Italian territory and reaching as far as the Far East. The exhibition explores the history of silk in several regions, including Biella, Cuneo, Turin, Como, Florence, and Venice.

For this exhibition, open until 10 March 2024, the Foundation contributes by displaying its own sample collection of silks from the Guglielmo Ghidini factory in Turin, dating back to the 1920s (for information: www.fondazionesella.org/attivita).

The SILK exhibition is a stage of the project Silk and Archives. The Green Route of Silk, an itinerant exhibition journey that tells the story of silk production, from the silkworm to the garment, based on archival documents as reliable historical sources. Connected to the physical exhibition project is a green industrial archaeology route, mapped in GPX format, among the many silk mills of the lower Cuneo area, where information panels and QR codes help visitors discover their history. It is also a route that aims to extend from the local territory towards broader paths leading far away, all the way to the East.

The President Melanie Zefferino states: “Thus comes to an end an intense year for the Fondazione Chierese per il Tessile e per il Museo del Tessile, which has become a cultural institution deserving of the institutional support of the Piedmont Region for the three-year period 2021–2023. These financial resources have been added to those allocated by the Municipality of Chieri, our main supporter, and by other institutions that during this period have generously contributed to the activities of the Textile Museum, Archive, Library, and Textile Garden of Chieri, in particular the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, and the Consiglio Regionale del Piemonte. To them, and to the Founding Members who have supported our activities through donations, commitment, and involvement in various projects, the Board of Directors and all those working for the Foundation express their gratitude.”