RICOLA ART&NATURE

RICOLA

Ricola, founded in 1930 in Switzerland by Emil Richterich, is now in its third generation as one of the world's most modern and innovative manufacturers, exporting natural herbal specialities to more than 45 countries. At the heart of the Swiss top brand's success is the combination of the traditional values of a family business with a focus on quality and a passion for innovation. Ricola is committed to sustainable business management with a strong attitude of responsibility towards society, its employees and the environment. Since June 2006 distribution in Italy has been handled by Divita srl, a company owned by the Swiss group based in Busto Arsizio, whose managing director is Luca Morari.

RICOLA MAIN PARTNER MA*GA

The partnership with Ricola, which began in 2017 on the occasion of the exhibition Kerouac. Beat Painting with the project LA SCUOLA DELLE ERBE. The garden of Ricola's 13 medicinal herbs at MA*GA, has been consolidated starting with the 2018-2019 autumn exhibition season, espousing in particular Stefano Cagol's artistic research, focused on issues of environmental ethics and sustainability, values at the heart of Ricola's corporate philosophy. In collaboration with the artist, the company promoted the workshop IT'S ALL ABOUT GIVING AND TAKING ENERGY. Ricola, MA*GA's Main Partner, promoted the Ricola Days on the occasion of the major exhibitions, offering free admission to visitors and allowing the public to sample Ricola's beneficial herbal teas free of charge at the MA*GABar.

THE SCHOOL OF HERBS: THE 13 HERB GARDEN RICOLA AL MA*GA

The Ricola Garden of 13 Medicinal Herbs at the Maga is the only example outside Switzerland. The project was born in 2017 with the initiative "La Scuola delle Erbe" (The School of Herbs), addressed to the students of the I.S. Falcone di Gallarate as an educational opportunity to get to know at first hand the 13 beneficial herbs that make up the mixture at the base of the Ricola candy recipe. 
The project promotes environmental and educational values central to all partners involved, finding its fulfilment in the creation of a special botanical garden within a place that enhances education and culture.
The students from the hotel, graphics and photography courses were engaged on several fronts: the architectural and landscape design of the garden, the planting of the herbs in the prepared area, the design of the infographics and the creation of the video and photographic documentation of the entire project.
This small green space represents a virtuous example of synergy between a company that has always been attentive to cultural values, a museum ready to open up to the outside world through a dense network of ever new and diverse collaborations, and an educational institution convinced of the educational value of contemporary arts.

L’IMPRESSIONISMO NELLA MUSICA

On Saturday 19 June 2021, on the occasion of the exhibition Impressionisti. Alle origini della modernità, the concert L'Impressionismo nella musica was held, with violinist Alessandra Sonia Romano and Maestro Bruno Canino at the piano. A great musical event organised by MA*GA and Ricola.

CYANOTYPE

On the occasion of World Earth Day 2023, MA*GA's Education Department proposed a cyanotype workshop to the school public, to discover the evocative printing technique that uses sunlight to create unrepeatable prints in which branches, flowers and leaves leave a white imprint in a sea of Prussian blue.
After collecting the plants in the Garden of 13 Ricola Medicinal Herbs at MA*GA, the participants prepared the paper on which to create the composition to be exposed to the sunlight, and then proceeded to fix and dry it, creating a small herbarium.