Funding & creative support2 open opportunities listed
About the foundation
Scuola Piccola Zattere is an independent, not-for-profit institution based in Venice, Italy, dedicated to supporting artists and cultural practitioners at pivotal moments in their careers. Founded on the principle of fostering critical dialogue and material experimentation, the school operates without a permanent faculty or fixed curriculum, instead inviting a rotating group of internationally recognized artists, curators, and thinkers to lead intensive seminars, workshops, and public programs. Its mission is to provide time, space, and intellectual companionship for individuals whose work challenges conventional boundaries and engages with the urgent questions of our time. The institution occupies a modest yet historically resonant space near the Zattere, a site that has long been a crossing point for artists and writers. This location informs its ethos: a commitment to hospitality, conviviality, and the slow, often invisible labor of artistic development. Rather than producing exhibitions or events for public consumption, Scuola Piccola Zattere prioritizes the process of making and thinking, offering fellowships that are as much about retreat and reflection as they are about production.
Funding opportunities
2 listed
Application guidance
Applicants should approach the fellowship as a proposal for a period of research and development rather than a project to be completed. The selection committee looks for clarity of intent, a willingness to engage with uncertainty, and an awareness of how the residency's context—Venice, with its layers of history, tourism, and environmental precarity—might inform one's work. There is no required output; however, a thoughtful articulation of what you hope to explore and why this specific environment matters to that exploration is essential. The application process is straightforward: a statement of purpose, a work sample, and two references. Deadlines are firm, and late or incomplete applications are not considered. It is advisable to read the full call carefully, as the parameters shift slightly each cycle. Above all, the institution values honesty and specificity over polished rhetoric.