MADE Program - Accademia di Belle Arti Rosario Gagliardi, based in Siracusa, Italy, is pleased to announce the 2026 edition of its International Artist Residency.
The residency will host four selected international artists or collectives. The residency period runs from May 7 - May 27, 2026, and artists are invited to spend the entire 20-day period developing individual projects and contributing to the final collective exhibition.
Conceived as an open platform for research, experimentation, and exchange, the residency offers time and space within an academic environment situated in the Mediterranean context of Siracusa - a city marked by rich historical layers, environmental complexity, and contemporary social dynamics.
Rather than being theme-driven, the program is structured as an invitation: a temporary space for reflection, process-based exploration, production, and dialogue between artists, students, and the local context. The residency culminates in a final collective exhibition showcasing the work and research developed by all participating artists.
CONCEPT
The International Artist Residency is conceived as a space for situated practice, a temporary inhabiting of context. Siracusa, as a Mediterranean city shaped by multiple temporalities and cultural crossings, becomes both backdrop and active interlocutor.
There is no specific thematic requirement. Artists are encouraged to bring their own research trajectories, using the residency as a moment for deepening, questioning, testing, or reconfiguring their practice. Production of new work is welcome but not mandatory. The residency equally values research phases, work-in-progress presentations, process visibility, and critical reflection.
Particular attention is given to proposals that activate exchange - with students of the academy and/or with the local community - fostering dialogue across artistic practices and the pedagogical environment of MADE.
FOCUS & METHODOLOGY
The residency is open to artists or collectives working across disciplines, including but not limited to Visual Arts, Performance, Moving Image, Sound, Design, socially engaged practices, and research-based or transdisciplinary approaches.
Projects including workshops, talks, open studios, or public events with students and/or the local community are particularly encouraged. Artists will have access to MADE Program’s spaces and facilities and are invited to engage with students and faculty through structured activities such as workshops, lectures, or presentations.
The residency period supports an intensive, self-directed process within a shared academic framework, balancing independent research with opportunities for exchange and public engagement. The working language is English or Italian.
WHAT WE OFFER
Selected artists will receive:
- Travel reimbursement
- Accommodation in Siracusa for the duration of the residency
- Production/material costs covered up to 500 euro
- Access to the academy’s spaces and facilities
- Curatorial and institutional support
- Inclusion in the final collective exhibition
This residency program is supported by the project:
“Digital and International Arts through Augmented Reality and Research for Young students (artists) – D.I.A.R.Y.” financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under M4C1 - Linea d’investimento 3.4, sub-investment T5 “Strategic partnerships/initiatives to innovate the international dimension of the AFAM system” within the PNRR.
WHO CAN APPLY
Open to international artists and collectives, as well as Italian artists currently residing abroad, across all disciplines. There are no age restrictions or formal educational requirements.
Selection will be based on:
- Portfolio
- CV
- Project or research proposal
- Feasibility within the 20-day residency period
PARTICIPATION CONDITIONS
Selected artists are expected to fully commit to the entire 20-day residency period. Workshops or public activities included in the proposal must be coordinated with the academy.
Artists are invited to contribute to the final collective exhibition with new works, research developments, or work-in-progress generated during the residency.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications must be submitted by April 6, 2026 via the following form.
Applicants must provide:
- CV
- Portfolio
- Project proposal (outlining intentions for the 20-day residency period)
- Optional: proposal for workshop or public event
Selection criteria:
- Quality and coherence of artistic research
- Clarity and feasibility of the proposal
- Potential for dialogue within the academy context
- Motivation and engagement with the residency framework
INFO
For any further information, please feel free to contact us at:
r.esposito@madeprogram.it
This residency program is supported by the project:
“Digital and International Arts through Augmented Reality and Research for Young students (artists) – D.I.A.R.Y.” financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under M4C1 - Linea d’investimento 3.4, sub-investment T5 “Strategic partnerships/initiatives to innovate the international dimension of the AFAM system” within the PNRR.
