Mind the STEM Gap – Together: A manifesto exhibition to counter gender stereotyping

“Mind the STEM Gap - Together” is an exhibition of works produced by 150 students of both sexes participating in the “Mind the STEM Gap” Manifesto, an initiative run by Fondazione Bracco to encourage girls and women to transcend sexist stereotypes by entering and prospering in the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Conceived and curated by Fondazione Bracco with the collaboration of Politecnico di Milano [university] and its non-profit arm, Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, the initiative has received support from the Government of the Region of Lombardy, which issued a call for projects under the title “Together” with the aim of engaging schoolchildren from the region in the important issue of gender equality and promoting an project that could capture the interest of the general public. The participating high schools and technical colleges were Liceo Artistico Nanni Valentini (Monza), Istituto Tecnico F. Viganò (Merate), ITSOS Albe Steiner (Milan), and Istituto Einstein (Vimercate).

The main themes touched upon by the students in their collaborative projects were gender stereotypes, role models and good practices.

Students from three of the four participating schools designed and produced more than 130 posters dedicated to the theme, some of which have been included in the exhibition.

DIGITAL EXHIBITION: Meanwhile, students from the fourth high school, Istituto Einstein of Vimercate, designed virtual spaces to host a digital version of the entire exhibition, which goes online in September 2023.

This eclectic, colourful and thought-provoking gallery of works presents original interpretations of gender discrimination and its social repercussions, and reminds us that building a fair society and inculcating a sense of collective responsibility requires us to make a great leap forward (minding the gap as we do so!)

The stages of the exhibition:

• Milan: from June 30 to October 29, 2023, at CDI-Centro Diagnostico Italiano, Via Saint Bon 20, Milan (part of a series of exhibitions developed by Fondazione Bracco to bring art to healthcare settings)
• Bergamo: from October 18 to November 18, at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital
• Milan: from January 9 to February 1, 2024, at Arte Passante in Porta Venezia
• Milan: from February 12 to February 29, 2024, at the Politecnico di Milano. On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, an intergenerational discussion was held involving researchers from the Politecnico di Milano and a delegation of students who created the exhibition
• Cesano Maderno: from March 8 to March 24, 2024, at the Disarò Auditorium
• Seregno: Festival delle 12 lune (Festival of the 12 Moons) from May 4 to 18, 2024. The exhibition can be viewed at the Auditorium (ground floor) in Piazza Risorgimento
• Milan: from June 20 to 23, 2024, during the SIRM (Italian Society of Medical Radiology) Congress at MICO
• Cogliate: from September 1 to 15, 2024, at the Cogliate Cultural Center
• Milan: from February 11 to February 13, 2025, at the University of Milan on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
• Milan: from October 21, 2025, to January 21, 2026, a selection of 24 posters was hosted at the Assolombarda headquarters
• Trieste: from March 6 to April 12, 2026, at Civic Maritime Museum, in the Lloyd Multipurpose Hall

School tours: the traveling exhibition also visited various schools in Lombardy:

• The first stop was at the Albe Steiner Institute in Milan, from September 15-30, 2023
• From October 2-14, 2024, the second stop saw the State Technical Institute of Viganò host the exhibition
• From October 16 to 30, 2023, the Valentini in Monza hosted the third stop of the traveling exhibition
• From October 30 to November 15, 2023, the fourth stop of the exhibition was at the IIS/ITIS Albert Einstein in Vimercate
• From November 16 to December 30, 2023, the exhibition stopped at the Paolo Giovio State Linguistic and Scientific High School in Como
• From March 10, 2025, to April 11, 2025, at the W. Tobagi ICS Cairoli school in Lainate
• From April to the end of May 2025, at the Pascal Donatelli High School in Milan