VillamArt – Festival of the Arts debuts on Sunday, October 25th, a day dedicated to creativity and the encounter between artists, expressive languages, and communities.
The event is part of the three-year project "Muralism and Cultural Identity," promoted by the Municipality of Villamar with the support of the Fondazione di Sardegna and the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, and coordinated by the Association of Local Authorities for Cultural and Entertainment Activities. The initiative is organized in collaboration with the Villamar Pro Loco.
Starting at 10 a.m., the Ponte Coperto spaces on the Via Cadello side will host painters, sculptors, ceramists, illustrators, and artists from other disciplines, featuring in an impromptu art exhibition open to the public.
The heart of the festival will be the extemporaneous: artists will create their works on site, offering visitors the opportunity to follow their creation, learn about techniques and materials, and engage in direct dialogue with the artists. A day that will combine art, workshops, music, and opportunities for socializing, with a special focus on engaging younger audiences.
A tribute to the mural tradition. The first edition of VillamArt is dedicated to the memory of Antioco Cotza , Antonio Sanna , and Rino Pitzalis , protagonists of the artistic season that, since the 1970s, has made Villamar one of the most representative centers of Sardinian muralism, along with Orgosolo and San Sperate. Through different languages and sensibilities, the three artists have depicted the town's civic commitment, social transformations, daily life, and community traditions on its walls.
VillamArt continues the process begun in 2025 with Muralism and Cultural Identity, which has already achieved two important results. The first is the scientific cataloging of the entire mural heritage, carried out by the Asteras cultural association. This work has produced a digital archive of 123 historical-artistic, technical, and photographic records, making VillamArt the first municipality in Sardinia to have such comprehensive digital scientific documentation of its murals.
The second is the territorial brand identity created by artist and designer Mara Damiani , the result of in-depth research into the town's history, art, and symbols. The new identity and the large twenty-meter mural on the perimeter wall of the Municipal Library translate this heritage into a contemporary visual language. Conceived to characterize the town's public and private initiatives, the new graphic identity is already being implemented in VillamART's communications, which incorporates the symbols developed by Mara Damiani, highlighting the connection between the festival and the local area.
Two complementary outcomes that combine the preservation of memory with the construction of a contemporary identity, and which foster new opportunities for cultural production and participation.