THE CONTEMPORARY MEETS SICILIAN IDENTITY
CALL FOR ARTIST RESIDENCIES AT TENUTA RASOCOLMO 2026
For two years now, Tenuta Rasocolmo has dedicated one of its areas as a temporary residence for Italian and international artists (sculptors).
In 2025, by will of the Reitano family, the MuRc (Rasocolmo Museum of Contemporary Art) was established with headquarters at the Rasocolmo Estate, with the precise desire to protect and bring together all the present and future works of the family collection.
Historical Background of the Estate and Objectives of the Residency
On an estate of over 10 hectares that had long been abandoned, Francesco Reitano revived in 2004 what had once been a flourishing agricultural activity since the early 20th century, restoring new life to the promontory of Capo Rasocolmo, on the Tyrrhenian coast of the municipality of Messina, overlooked by the lighthouse of the same name. The Capo Rasocolmo vineyard, cultivated exclusively with Faro DOC, extends over three hectares. In a dominant position with respect to the surrounding landscape, it consists of an ancient rural farmhouse used for tourism/residential purposes and other service buildings, located in the southern part of the property. The entire farmhouse is surrounded by vineyards and faces north towards the Tyrrhenian Sea and, in the distance, the Aeolian Islands. Today, it represents the vibrant heart of a broader cultural system serving the local population, with a wide range of initiatives across multiple cultural fields.
In promoting the activation of the residency, Tenuta Rasocolmo aims to:
• provide artists with a space for work, research, reflection, and artistic practice;
• facilitate exchange and communication, fostering dialogue among artists;
• encourage the relationship between resident artists and the surrounding nature, in an osmotic and meditative practice that can spark new projects, perceptions, and creative action;
• promote connections between resident artists and the small, little-known local museums and collections of Contemporary Art.
THEME OF THE RESIDENCY: IMPERMANENCE, Art and Migrations
The Strait of Messina, together with the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts to the east and north of Sicily, is one of the world’s major crossroads for the migration of birds, numerous marine species, and large cetaceans.
But migration is also a human phenomenon that has always existed, from which Sicily itself has benefitted by intertwining cultures, languages, materials, and artifacts.
Movement, whose freedom is among the fundamental rights of every living being, is above all a natural state, before it is an uprooting. Change and impermanence are the only constants of life.
Type of Applicants Sought
The call is open to artists of legal age, Italian and foreign, working in the field of SCULPTURE and SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION (without any restriction on techniques and materials, provided they are suitable for outdoor placement in open countryside, in an area exposed to wind and sun near the sea) and who are willing to reside at Tenuta Rasocolmo for the entire period assigned.
Applications may only be submitted by individual artists or, at most, by a duo.
Required Documentation
To participate in the selection process, each applicant must submit:
• completed and signed application form (Annex A);
• a valid identity document (or equivalent);
• an artistic curriculum vitae (max. 1 page / 1,800 characters), with links to personal presentations or the artist’s website, if available;
• a project summary and sketches of the work to be realized during the residency, including the materials intended for use (this requirement is mandatory and failure to comply will result in exclusion).
The submitted documentation will remain on file at Tenuta Rasocolmo and will not be returned.
Residency Periods
The residency period covered by this call is 7–10 days, to be held in the second half of February 2026.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted to TENUTA RASOCOLMO – CANTINA GIOSTRA REITANO no later than 12:00 pm on 31 December 2025, under penalty of exclusion.
The email subject line must read: “CALL FOR ARTIST RESIDENCIES AT TENUTA RASOCOLMO 2026”. The body of the email must include the applicant’s name, telephone number, and email address.
Applications that are incomplete, received after the deadline, or not compliant with the guidelines will not be considered.
Applications must be sent simultaneously to:
• info@tenutarasocolmo.com
• mtzagone@gmail.com
It is also possible to apply via certified email (PEC) within the same deadline (the sending time is binding) to info@pec.cantinagiostrareitano.com. In this case, the original application must be attached in PDF format and may be digitally signed.
The required artistic documentation, as well as any additional material the candidate wishes to present, must be attached in commonly used file formats (Microsoft Office® or OpenOffice). Late submission will result in exclusion.
Selection and Assignment of Residencies
The selection of candidates will be carried out by a Committee composed of three specialists (Mariateresa Zagone, art critic and head of Visual Arts at Tenuta Rasocolmo; Roberta Guarnera, gallerist and director of Foro G Gallery; Mario Bronzino, curator) and the commissioner.
The Committee will select the winning artists at its sole discretion, based on the evaluation of the following criteria:
1. Relevance to the proposed theme
2. Originality
3. Emotional connection with the place
4. Dialogue between materials and context
5. Aesthetic quality
6. Durability of the work
7. Technical feasibility
Artists Selected Will Receive:
• Board and lodging (food expenses covered by the Estate, while cooking is managed independently by the artists);
• Logistical support.
Note: Travel expenses are not covered by the Residency.
The Estate will award resident artists a gross sum of €1,000.00 (one thousand) as occasional compensation for the artistic proposal and its production costs.
During the residency, each artist:
• may, if desired, organize an exhibition at Tenuta Rasocolmo (transport of works at the artist’s expense);
• must be available to participate in meetings and activities possibly organized by the Estate in connection with the residency;
• must provide all necessary tools for their artistic practice (the residency is not equipped with professional equipment).
At the end of the residency, each artist will donate the work created or completed during the stay, contributing to the creation of a Contemporary Art Collection that Tenuta Rasocolmo is establishing on site (Sculpture Park).
Winners must read, sign, and strictly comply with the regulations for the use of facilities and furnishings, which will be delivered at the start of the residency. Artists must also commit to respecting the environment and the principles of civil coexistence.
The names of the selected artists will be published on the Tenuta Rasocolmo website. Selected artists will be promptly contacted at the details provided in the application form to activate all Residency procedures.
Program
Selected resident artists will receive a calendar with the start and end dates of their 7–10 day residency, as well as the regulations for the use of the facilities assigned.
The Estate may also organize exhibitions presenting works produced during or following the residency.
Disclaimer and Privacy
The Estate declines all responsibility:
• for the use of material covered by copyright or other rights;
• for data or files sent but not received;
• for damages caused within the residence, to the environment, or to third parties, which will be charged directly to the artist.
The data provided will be processed in compliance with Legislative Decree no. 196 of 30 June 2003, “Code on the protection of personal data.”
HEAD OF VISUAL ARTS SECTION
(Mariateresa Zagone)
APPLICATION FORM