"ME and WE – Women for Expo - The ideas of women" is Milan Expo 2015’s tribute to women and their crucial role as engines of change and growth. “I further wish to recall that along the Cardo, for the first time in the history of the Expo, a space devoted to women was set up within the framework of the international project Women for Expo. This is a project in which I strongly believe – as do my friends Emma Bonino and Letizia Moratti – and which the unanimous vote at the BIE Assembly in Paris on 25 November 2015 has made a recurrent feature of all future Expos. This is one important legacy of our Exposition” said Diana Bracco, President of Expo 2015 S.p.A. and Commissioner General for the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2015. "ME and WE" aims to represent, exhibit, and inform through the following activities: Women for Expo Alliance; Exhibits with permanent and temporary content; Presentation of events inspired by themes relevant to ME and WE – Women for Expo. ME and WE – Women for Expo hosted the winning projects from the two competitions promoted by Women for Expo and Italy Pavilion: Projects for women and Projects by women. They embody the Italian approach to the WE – Women for Expo project, with the dual goal of building upon the strength of talented businesswomen and promoting projects that improved the quality of life of women.
The exhibition space
ME and WE – Women for Expo's exhibition space, located on the north-west side of the Cardo on the first floor, is inspired by the semantic field of plants and sustainable growth, the guiding thread of the Italy Pavilion. Visitors are welcomed into a hanging garden of sorts, with plant-inspired furnishings representing the profound links between human beings and the natural world that were so crucial for our evolution – from the air we breathe to the endless ways we use plants, whose every fibre is used in our everyday tools. Plants, “of which nothing is thrown away”, are in fact the protagonists of ME and WE – Women for Expo, serving as a symbol for the fight against environmental and food waste.
ME and WE Women for Expo, temporary exhibitions area (detail)Padiglione Italia Expo Milano 2015
Temporary exhibition area, detail
ME and WE Women for Expo, permanent exhibitions area (detail)Padiglione Italia Expo Milano 2015
Permanent exhibition area, detail
Activities
The winners of the Projects for women and Projects by women competitions have been showcased through exhibitions on the projects themselves and the staging of events such as presentations and seminars dedicated to the activities carried out on behalf of women by the winning institutions.
Additionally, ME and WE – Women for Expo hosts several initiatives, also as part of the Milan Expo 2015 Women’s Week.
Pepe Mujica, Former President of Uruguay, attended the presentation "For a pink sari" held in "ME and WE Women for Expo"Padiglione Italia Expo Milano 2015
Pepe Mujica, Former President of Uruguay
"Moods of an Indian wedding" exhibit, ME and WE Women fro ExpoPadiglione Italia Expo Milano 2015
Exhibition "Moods of an Indian Wedding" by Sushama Swarup
ME and WE Women for Expo, women's thougthsPadiglione Italia Expo Milano 2015
The book of the ideas of women, detail
ME and WE Women for Expo, place and peoplePadiglione Italia Expo Milano 2015
Interview to Diana Bracco, Francesca Lambertucci and Cecilia Soldano
Themes
The themes of the projects and events presented in "ME and WE - Women for Expo" during the Expo Milan 2015 have been wide and various. In brief they can be summarized in 7 themes: entrepreneurship; female empowerment; health and prevention; social inclusion; education, training and rights protection; gender studies and female networks; promotion of sustainable and alternative arts and crafts. The next exhibitions are dedicated to explore each one of these themes.
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