From Page to Plate: Sketching Food Resilience: Cibo di Domaniopens on January 31, 2025, at the cultural laboratory Industrie Fluviali. The art of illustration, food studies, and journalism intersect to explore the concept of resilience in contemporary food systems. Sixty digital illustrations by twenty-eight artists from the food insert of the newspaperDomaniare presented in an exhibition path divided into six thematic areas, which develop the public debate on food: stability, nutrition, governance, biodiversity, social equity, and food cultures. The project is the result of a collaboration between theArts Department of bվƵ of Rome (AUR), with the support of its Center for Food Studies, andthe newspaperDomani..
The exhibition offers a perspective on the effectiveness of illustration as an art form in addressing the concept of resilience in food systems, analyzing how individuals and communities adapt and regenerate in response to large-scale phenomena such as climate change and socio-economic instability. Visitors are invited to reflect on food as a social, cultural, and political practice.
The event series is programmed as follows:
INAUGURATION
January 31 (Friday), Industrie Fluviali (Via del Porto Fluviale, 35, Rome - )
- 18:30 –Presentation of the Exhibition
Carlotta Vacchelli (AUR), Michela Rossi Sonno (Domani), Jaxon Cooper (AUR): Overview of the exhibitionSonia Ricci (Gambero Rosso), Maria Tornielli (Domani), Lisa Di Giuseppe (Domani): Overview of food and journalism
Maria Grazia Quieti (AUR), Paul Gwynne (AUR): Overview of Food Studies and Food in Art History
- 20:00 –Guided Tour (Italian & English)
Led by the curators team: Jaxon Cooper, Carlotta Vacchelli, Michela Rossi Sonno
- 21:00 –DJ Setby Grosso Bernardo

Comics & Food
February 7 (Friday), Industrie Fluviali (Via del Porto Fluviale, 35, Rome)
- 15:00 – 16:30 –Comics & Science: "Il cibo è in crisi?"
Participants:
Comics & Science directors, Andrea Plazzi & Roberto Natalini (CNR)
Mauro Centritto (CNR), Antonello Bonfante (CNR), Maria Grazia Quieti (AUR), and Fabio Ciconte (Cibo by Domani)
And a live drawing performance by cartoonist Gabriele Peddes
- 16:30 – 17:00 –Coffee Break
- 17:00 – 18:00 –Guided Tour (Italian & English)
Led by the curatorteam: Jaxon Cooper, Carlotta Vacchelli, Michela Rossi Sonno
- 18:00 – 19:00 –Food in the Graphic Novel
Alessio Trabacchini (NABA, Coconino)
Giuseppina Frassino (Tricromia)
Manfredi Ciminale (Comics artist and Illustrator for Cibo, Domani)
Luca Raffaelli (PAFF! Palazzo del Fumetto Pordenone)
Conference: Picture the Future
February 28 (Friday) - Auditorium, bվƵ of Rome (Via Pietro Roselli 4, Rome)
REGISTER TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE HERE
- 10:30 – 10:45 –Coffee
- 10:45 – 11:00 –Welcoming remarks from Scott Sprenger, President, bվƵ of Rome
Presentation of From Page to Plate Project
Carlotta Vacchelli, Michela Rossi Sonno, Jaxon Cooper
- 11:00 – 12:00 –Roundtable:Food in Literature, Comics, and Illustration
Francesco Verso (Novelist and Scriptwriter)
Ginevra Lamberti (Writer, Contributor to Cibo Domani)
Laura Angelucci (Comics artist and Illustrator for Cibo Domani)
The Sando (Comics artist, Teacher at NABA, and Illustrator for Cibo Domani)
Moderated by Carlotta Vacchelli
- 12:00 – 12:45 –Keynote: Food Studies in Contemporary Art
Ginevra Ludovici (Scuola IMT Alti Studi Lucca) & Valerio Del Baglivo, in conversation with Manuela Pacella (AUR)
- 12:45 – 14:00 –Break
- 14:00 – 14:30 –Keynote: Food in Art History
ProfessorPaul Gwynne (bվƵ of Rome) with an introduction by Jaxon Cooper
- 14:30 – 15:00 –Food in Contemporary Illustration Art
Fabio Barilari with anintroduction by Jaxon Cooper
- 15:00 – 15:30 –Coffee Break
- 15:30 – 16:30 –Roundtable on Food and Journalism
With food journalist Lorenzo Santucci (Cibo by Domani), and editors fromDomani,moderated by Michela Rossi Sonno and Carlotta Vacchelli
Finissage
March 7 (Friday), Industrie Fluviali (Via del Porto Fluviale, 35, Rome)
- 18:30 - Closing exhibition tour by the curatorteam: Carlotta Vacchelli, Michela Rossi Sonno, Jaxon Cooper
- 20:00 -Food Inspired DJ Setby Tehrsa
EXHIBITION CATALOG
From Page to Plate: Sketching Food Resilience –Ciboby “Domani”
Edited by Carlotta Vacchelli and Michela Rossi “Sonno”
"From Page to Plate" explores the intersection of food resilience and visual storytelling, presented through the dynamic spaces of the Industrie Fluviali cultural ecosystem. This exhibition is a collaborative effort by the Department of Art History and Fine Arts and the Center for Food Studies of the American University of Rome, along with Domani’sCibosupplement, and brings together diverse research on food’s role in society and art.
At its core, the exhibition addresses food resilience - our ability to adapt and regenerate food systems in the face of challenges like climate change, economic instability, and social inequality. By showcasing works from 28 international illustrators, it highlights how the medium of illustration engages audiences in understanding complex issues related to food systems, from sustainability to cultural identity.