102,426 dollars and 859 backers: the first ever Kickstarter campaign for a restoration by a major cultural institution in Florence has been successfully funded. Launched on November 17 and concluded on December 20 at 4am CET, Opera di Santa Croce’s #CrazyforPazzi Kickstarter campaign ran for 33 days. Pledges ranged from one dollar to 10,000 dollars by people in 30 countries around the world. The campaign raised an average of about $3,000 per day, and the average pledge was $119. Two-thirds of pledges came from beyond Italy, primarily from the USA, but with a few backers in Indonesia, Peru, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, among others.
This is the first ever use of Kickstarter by a major cultural institution in Florence, Italy and its success demonstrates that crowdfunding is an effective means of communication and community-building as well as a democratic and ethical fundraising method for the arts.
Giuseppe De Micheli, director of Opera di Santa Croce, commented upon the campaign’s conclusion: “We are grateful for the outpouring of support from Santa Croce’s many friends around the world. The result is not only about the amount reached but about the number of people who were moved to pledge funds, such is the love towards Santa Croce and Florence. The campaign marks a new beginning for the city of Florence, and we hope that our experience in this innovative field may be of help to other institutions that face similar issues in the preservation of cultural legacy.”
The month-long campaign has been filled with celebrities, music, photographers and tours. Campaign videos were filmed with BBC presenter Francesco Da Mosto and actor/director/art historian Dr. Peter Weller. A flash opera took place in the Pazzi Chapel and 120 Instagramers from @igers_firenze had the opportunity to photograph little-seen corners of the Chapel and the Santa Croce complex.
Restoration of the chapel will begin in January 2015 and take six months to complete. It will be a complete, top to bottom restoration, requiring scaffolding to be placed over the entire structure. During this time, the inside will be accessible to visitors. The scaffolding itself will also be rendered safe for visitors, small numbers at a time, to get a closer look at the restoration: this is amongst the rewards reserved to some of the higher-level backers of the Kickstarter campaign.
Opera di Santa Croce, along with project partners The Florentine and Ares Games, extends gratitude for the outpouring of support for the campaign.
