From an idea by Cristiano Leone, curated by Michela Eremita and Chiara Valdambrini, Out of the Box is a curatorial experiment that invites the public during three separate appointments, from February to December 2025, to explore the heritage of the museum complex with new eyes, to rediscover the works as living presences, capable of generating new readings in time and in the millennial space of Santa Maria della Scala. By freeing masterpieces from storage, overturning established perspectives thanks to an internal scientific and curatorial committee of the complex, unusual juxtapositions will be proposed, with the aim of opening new opportunities for reflection. The event focuses on the dialogue between past and contemporaneity, exploring unprecedented connections between the works of the historical collection and those of contemporary art, through the works of Domenico (Mimmo) Paladino, Alfredo Jarr and Olivo Barbieri.
THE EVENTS
From 28 February to 10 October 2025
Domenico (Mimmo) Paladino, Head
meets
Bartolomeo Bulgarini, Virgin and the mourning Saint John, cross heads
Presentation
Friday 28 February 2025 | 12:00
Cappella del Manto
From 13 November 2025 to 21 January 2026
Olivo Barbieri, Siena 2002
meets
The view of the Duomo
Presentation
13 November 2025
Cappella del Manto
Alfredo Jaar, Newsweek
meets
An Etruscan clay urn
Locations
Others Events
- Initiatives
Closing of the exhibition “Paper Garden. The thread and the mark: grafts, assemblages, diary-books”
6 Jun 2025/6 Jun 2025On the occasion of the exhibition's closing, on Friday, June 6 we are offering a finissage made up of several moments throughout the day. The artist will be present at the finissage.
- Exhibitions
"Oh Good!" by Moustapha Cessay at the Briganti Library
24 Sep 2025/31 Oct 2025On the occasion of the fifth edition of the Festival Voci Migranti, the Biblioteca e Fototeca Giuliano Briganti hosts from 24 to 31 October the work Oh Good! by the artist Moustapha Cessay, created as part of the project Le Valigie Digitali.
- Presentations
Fausto Melotti. In Lightness | A tribute to Italo Calvino
20 Sep 2025/20 Sep 2025Saturday, 20 September 2025, at 4:30 PM, at the Sala Sant’Ansano, the presentation of the book Fausto Melotti. In Lightness | A Tribute to Italo Calvino, edited by Michelina Eremita and published by Silvana Editoriale, will be held.
- #MeetingsAtLaScala
#IncontriallaScala- Museology and perception. From the contemplation of beauty to the aesthetic experience
18 Sep 2025/18 Sep 2025Thursday, September 18 at 5:30 PM, the Santa Maria della Scala hosts a new event in the #IncontriallaScala series, dedicated to the presentation of the book Museology and Perception. From the contemplation of beauty to the aesthetic experience, written by Domenico Piraina and Maurizio Vanni and published by Pacini Editore.
- Initiatives
Bright-Night returns to Santa Maria della Scala. Stands, talks, research walks, guided tours and music
26 Sep 2025/26 Sep 2025The Bright-Night 2025 of the University of Siena returns on Friday, September 26 inside the museum complex.
- Events
Siena Comics For Kids. The comics festival at the museum!
3 Oct 2025/5 Oct 2025At Santa Maria della Scala, from October 3 to 5, 2025, the fifth edition of Siena Comics For Kids will take place, the comics festival dedicated to children and young people.
- Initiatives
OPEN ARCHIVES WEEK – 11th edition
18 Oct 2025/26 Oct 2025From 18 to 25 October 2025, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala is participating in the eleventh edition of the Open Archives Week, the event promoted by Rete Fotografia to highlight and raise awareness of the photographic heritage preserved in Italian archives.
- Presentations
Presentation of the book “Vita mia. Japan 1943. Memories of an Italian girl in a prison camp” by Dacia Maraini
30 Jan 2025/30 Jan 2025Thursday, 30 January 2025 at 6:00 PM, in the Italo Calvino hall, we host the writer Dacia Maraini who presents the book Vita mia. Giappone 1943. Memorie di una bambina italiana in un campo di prigionia (Rizzoli, 2023), in the week in which Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated.
- Conferences
Public conversation Santa Maria della Scala and its future with Architect Luca Molinari
21 May 2025/21 May 2025On Wednesday, May 21, in the Italo Calvino hall, architect Luca Molinari will speak with representatives of Odile Decq, Studio LAN and Hannes Peer to present the design competition for the restoration and enhancement of over 18,000 sq m of the Museum Complex. The goal is to strengthen its cultural and educational mission.
- Initiatives
At the museum: rehearsals of Regeneration Opera by Amat
9 Oct 2025/10 Oct 2025In October the museum hosts the workshops of the project Supporting the Horizon and the rehearsals of Regeneration Opera, an AMAT initiative for the training of young musicians. The project involves schools and the museum's workshops, promoting the regeneration of the theatre audience.
