1. Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza www.micfaenza.org

2. The MIC Foundation is a specialized museum, completely devoted to ceramics. A unique experience in the world of museums It was founded in 1908 with the purpose to collect, preserve and communicate the ceramic heritage of the area.

3. The MIC – Foundation represents a centre for ceramic culture. It includes several departments: a specialized library - a school laboratory – a restoration departments – an historical archives - a photographic laboratory

4. The collections show items from all over the world, many pieces belong to very ancient ages like the ceramics from Eastern collection and items from Pre-historical Age, there is an interesting Pre- Columbian collection and an impressive modern and contemporary collection Visitors can admire pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Leger, Fontana, Burri and other great masters included Italian and international designers. The new section devoted to 20 th century ceramics includes marble and bronze sculptures and pictures

5. It preserves about 60.000 ceramic works, about 10.000 of them are exhibited in the wide exhibition area of about 12.000 squared metres.

6. School department The Giocare con larte (Playing with Art) Workshop was established by the artist designer Bruno Munari in 1979. It has been source of interest and inspiration of several international museums

7. It plays an important educational role for students, teachers, visitors: game approach working with the clay in the laboratory lessons in the exhibition halls -Diffusion of the know-how -Mailing list to promote the activities -Blog communication

8. The Restoration Department offers services to different users: - restorations - refreshing courses, - managing of on-line archives of ceramics - managing of a wide storage departments Restoration deparment

9. The technicians are responsible for preserving the pieces restoring works for the MIC, for other museums and for privates Possibility to implement the services through the collaboration with other museums, public institution and universities

10. A review Faenza Published since 1913 without interruption. It is dedicated to the historical, scientific and didactic study of ceramic art. It is sent to a great number of subscribers, museums, libraries and cultural institutions in Italy and abroad

11. The International relations Some examples of institutions that have frequent and deep relation with the MIC Porcelain Museum in SELB Victorian and Albert Museum in London Ashmolean Museum in Oxford Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg Petit Palais in Paris Musée National de Porcelain Adrien Dubouché in LIMOGES Ceramic Museum in Stoke on Trent Museo Nacional De Ceramica Gonzalez Marti in Valencia Victorian and Albert Museum in London Design Museum in Helsinki Porcellain Museum in Herend Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagabria Museum of Applied arts in Belgrade National Museum of Montenegro National Museum of Azulejo in Lisbon National Museum of Slovenia in Lubiana …………………..and many others

12. creating an active role of the MIC in the world of ceramics promoting the activities and the cultural projects sharing managing experiences Aims of the communication web-site each year about 60.00 contacts newsletter 1.200 contacts e-mail address 10.000 contacts

13. The web-site

14. The Institute for the preservation of the Cultural Heritage, Istituto Beni Culturali dellEmilia Romagna, gave the MIC the status of Quality Museum. It allows the Museum a wide diffusion inside the network of high quality museum for the managing and the services to the public.

15. Consideration about the model The model leads to analyze the present situation inside the museum concerning the communication with a critical attitude Strength of the MIC: -long history of relation -Several active department - a great ceramic patrimony, unique in the world Weakness of the MIC: - Lack of a specific strategy -Virtual strategies for didactic purposes (e-learning) -Continuative relations with media -Contact with tour operators and tourists