CASTRO offers a studio program for visual artists and curators, providing them with a workspace and pedagogical guidance. The emphasis at CASTRO lies on individual practice and close contact with a community of distinguished visiting lecturers – artists, writers, curators, and scholars. It is conceived as a small-scale alternative platform to explore critical education and community. At any time CASTRO can hosts up to five artists and one curator.

Click here for the application / registration

Deadline: 5 Sept 2018

Artists may apply to participate for a duration of four months (periods: from November to February; from March to June) or eight months (from November to June). Curators may apply to participate for a duration of four months (periods: from November to February; from March to June).

The studio program selection panel is composed of international visiting lecturers from a variety of backgrounds. After evaluation and careful deliberation based on the submitted portfolios, the committee decides upon the admission of the applicants before end of September. This year’s selection panel will be Michael Archer, Will Benedict, Barbara Casavecchia, Maria Adele Del Vecchio, Alberto Di Fabio, and John O’Doherty.

Artists in residence studio program provides

• Tutorials: 50 minute one-to-one meetings in the studio with artists and other specialists in the field in order to talk about the artist in residence’s work.
• Studio visits: supporter’s or other’s (curators, artistic directors of foundations and museums, gallery owners, and collectors) private/guided visits in the artist’s studio in order to see and talk about his most recent work in an informal environment.
• Open studio days: whole days during which artist studios are open to the public.
• Excursions and guided tours of the city.
• Workshops with local artisans to deepen traditional Roman practices such as working with marble and cast ghisa (iron).
• Online blog hosted on CASTRO’s website.

About CASTRO

CASTRO is a multifunctional space founded to support artists, curators, and researchers. It promotes an experimental, versatile, and highly collaborative learning model both for the arts and the local community. This organization is the only non profit in Rome which offers a studio and program for free to artists and curators. It is independent from any other art organization and program. The studio spaces are in the neighborhood of Trastevere, in Rome’s historical center. CASTRO is connected with other projects in Italy and abroad. This offers residents the opportunity to enter into a network and start exchanges. This ensures the program maintains vital close contact with current issues in contemporary art. The project aims to expand this network from year to year.

Public programs include:

• Artist talks: conferences with artists invited to talk about their work and their journey.
• Curator’s round tables: monthly round tables moderated by a young curator with three experts in the field to intervene on a chosen theme.
• Project presentations: founders of projects related to contemporary art are invited to talk about their activities and their experience.
• Cineforum: screening of a film and subsequent public debate.

CASTRO’s main activities are crits. Crits are day long sessions to discuss works. Each artist’s work is usually shown for up to an hour to allow a conversation. Presenting artists can either sit back and listen to the feedback or answer questions. Any artist in Rome can sign up on CASTRO’s website to present their work. Anyone can participate to the discussion. This activity fosters exchanges between artists in residence in CASTRO, those in residence in foreign institutions in Rome, and Roman artists.

For more information, contact info@castroprojects.it.