Scuola Piccola Zattere welcomes applications from artists and cultural practitioners, including curators, researchers, architects, choreographers, performers and writers, for the selection of 2 participants to the thematic-based fellowship program, which will take place during the third season of activity, titled Living Document. The purpose of the open call is to select 2 fellows who will be able to carry out their artistic and/or research activities, for 3 months, either during the slot from early January to early April 2027, or the slot from mid-April to mid-July 2027, at Scuola Piccola Zattere in Venice, Italy.
ABOUT SCUOLA PICCOLA ZATTERE
Scuola Piccola Zattere is a non-profit space for continuous education and research in the expanded field of contemporary arts. Its activities encompass exhibitions, commissions, residencies and fellowships, workshops, seminars, discursive and performative events, following an integrated methodological approach that encourages mutual influences among formats of study, production, and fruition. To learn more about the institution's mission and identity please visit the "About" section of our website.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The international fellowship is an opportunity to focus on one's research and ongoing projects, while coming into contact with the artistic community of the Scuola, and experiencing the rich cultural offerings of the city of Venice, right before or during the months of the 2027 Architecture Biennale. The program allows participants to both receive and offer mentorship and education, work with other practitioners from different cultural contexts and disciplines and contribute to the Scuola's public programs. Fellows are invited to share their research through different formats, such as by way of example, workshops, presentations, seminars, screenings or performance events. This will help initiate a circular, iterative approach to the research process, opening new areas of exploration, to the benefit of subsequent phases of study, development, and production.
Rather than being conceived as isolated annual themes, the proposed areas of enquiry evolve organically from the previous research seasons, pursuing a continuity while opening up new trajectories. The season 2026-2027, titled Living Document, will focus on:
- the practices that revisit or reactivate archival traces, regulatory documents and principles, revealing their nature as living, processual, and constantly evolving devices;
- the rule as a generative tool of customs, collective rituals, and games, but also as a constraint to be circumvented in order to disclose unexpected possibilities;
- the forms of aggregation, conflict, and negotiation that characterize social dynamics, examined through the relationship between space and the body, architecture and performativity, instruction and action.
These research themes will be at the center of a common reflection across the various disciplines and the different formats of residency, study, and programming, informing a collective research process extended over time.
CALENDAR
The first fellowship will run from early January to early April 2027. The second one from mid-April to mid-July 2027. Applicants must indicate whether they are applying for the first slot, the second slot, or both (if they have no preference).
WHAT IS OFFERED
- Individual study space located in a shared studio in the Scuola Piccola Zattere building for 3 months;
- A grant worth a total of €5,000, covering the total fellowship period;
- A research budget of €2,000;
- Accommodation in Venice;
- Round trip to Venice.
WHAT IS REQUIRED
- Continuity of presence at Scuola Piccola Zattere studios during the duration of the fellowship;
- Participation in the institution's activities;
- Proposals for the public program;
- The granting of reproduction rights for images and texts resulting from the fellow's authorship for communication and promotion activities and for the possible publication of a publication at the end of the project;
- Candidates are responsible for obtaining any visas, residence permits, or insurance possibly required for the period abroad. Scuola Piccola Zattere can provide a letter of invitation if needed, and cover reimbursement of visa fees.
ELEGIBILITY
- There are no age restrictions. There is no age limit, but the program is especially intended for those who are in the post-academic phase of their career (typically under the age of 40);
- A good knowledge of the English language is required to facilitate the successful execution of the research activities and public programming;
- Applicants of any nationality are admitted, provided that, if they are non-EU citizens, they hold a valid passport for foreign travel.
Applications from collectives or duos are welcomed but the grant amount remains the same. Similarly, the accommodation remains the same. All participants or members of a collective/duo must meet the requirements listed above. In the case of a collective, the application must be submitted by a member of the collective holding a proxy signed by the other members.