College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2020 78 launCh of The oPen worK CenTre Over the past three years, the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management has established a relationship with Cittadellarte. This interdisciplinary organisation and foundation, established by the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, occupies the historic buildings of the wool mill in the city of Biella which gave birth to the First Industrial Revolution in Italy. Cittadellarte aims to inspire and produce responsible change guided by a performative instrument in the form of a symbol representing rebirth/renewal/restoration. Inspired by Pistoletto’s philosophy the UJ art Gallery hosted an online art exhibition, CURE, in September 2020 while the Covid19 COVID-19 pandemic was raging. The Department sponsored 17 artists who explored and interrogated the curative and restorative nature of art. The exhibition included videos of the artists producing their work. During the exhibition, the Department invited stakeholders to participate in the reimagining and rebranding of the Department’s Centre for Work Performance as the Open Work Centre. They were encouraged to visit the online exhibition prior to taking part in the reimagining/ rebranding exercise in the form of a participative action research inquiry which was facilitated on 1 and 2 October by Prof Freddie Crous, Head of the Department. Over the two days, the participants collaborated in a structured and appreciative process of inquiry, imagination and innovation to design an architecture and deliver an action plan for the Open Work Centre.
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