Nocefresca 2024 takes place in Milis, Sardinia (Italy)

Nocefresca is the first active and permanent artistic residency program in Sardinia. As a home for visual artists, designers and digital creators, Nocefresca offers solo artists, collectives or small groups a growth retreat experience for a period of one to three months on the island of Sardinia.

Stemming from an exploration of the artists' practices and interests, Nocefresca designs a tailored programme of activities that reflects the unique locations and creative opportunities available in Sardinia. This allows participants to delve into their work as a self-directed experience with weekly opportunities to engage with the other residents and local community through collective activities, conversations, workshops, explorations of the local cultural scene, visiting guests and much more.

By inviting a limited number of artists in areas far from the tourist coasts, Nocefresca creates a sustainable experience able to contribute to the territory and support it in the periods when it experiences less tourist flow and it is, therefore, more authentic and calm.

The 20245 Open Call is for a residency spot. Your stay takes place between March and December 2024 and is primarily self-directed and, as an artist, you are expected to be self-sufficient in your practice. However, Nocefresca organizes some activities to help participants fuel their artistic process:

• Presentation of each one's practice to the group
• Individual and group meetings with the curator for assistance and feedback
• Opportunity to propose site-specific projects, talks, and workshops
• Final open-studio event, open to the public
• Outdoor excursions and explorations, screening of films, visiting artists, and social activities with the local community are extra activities that can happen spontaneously during the residency
   

(NEWS 2024: the activities will include a one-day trip to Cagliari for each group of residents)

After an online chat with each participant, the curator builds a monthly residency plan tailored to the interests of the whole group. During this chat, she is also available to discuss in detail any needs participants have regarding their studio space, accommodation, equipment, and so forth.

The assistant curator is always present in Milis functioning as the main reference point. Their role is essential if participants need support in finding specific kinds of equipment or materials, navigating conversations with someone who doesn't speak English, and much more. They both pay regular visits to participants' studios to support them through conversations and feedback.

At Nocefresca, artists are free to develop their own projects without any restriction regarding topic or outcome. As a curatorial choice, every year they pick a theme upon which they establish a plan of activities. On one hand, this helps share with the artists and the public a coherent one-year-long experience; on the other, it allows the organizers to create an inspiring and harmonious program. The topics focus always on the relationship among humans, nature, and the future and intertwine both local and universal interests, such as botany, agriculture, food, landscape, community, sustainability, history, anthropology, culture, and more.]

The artists in residence will have access to the following amenities and facilities included in the residency fee:

• Housing
• Equipment and gears
• Curatorial assistance
• Studio and meeting room
• Insurance
• Planned activities and events
• Use of the outdoor courtyard
• Bike
• Archive publication

Through Nocefresca, participants have the chance to become authentic temporary inhabitants of Sardinian rural villages thanks to the network of locals supporting the project. By providing their vacant dwellings during periods of less tourist flow or closure, they give participants enormous help in organizing extended stays.

Both shared and private apartments are available according to participants' needs. They may elect to live with other international artists and have many opportunities for sharing, collaborating in creativity, building international friendships, and professional associations. They may also choose to live independently and establish a private work studio at their residence.

The houses are equipped with full amenities: kitchen, hot water, WiFi, and washer. Bed sheets and towels are provided, as are basic kitchen necessities and appliances. The hosts do a general cleaning at the beginning and at the end of the participants' stays. Each artist is responsible for recycling. Free parking is available on the street.

Their studios are located on three different premises. Casa Bagnolo, Casa Oaxaca, and Studio Cottage.

The fee depends on the accommodation, ranging between 1650 and 1860 euro.

An open call is published annually to select the resident artists of the following year. This timing is necessary to better design the experience tailored to the needs of each participant. It also allows the artist to have time to find the sources of funding. However, it is possible to apply at any time if one already has specific funds to cover the costs of participation.

The selection of participants aims at creating a harmonious group. Selection criteria are mainly based on artistic quality, feasibility of the project, length of stay, impact on the group and on the local community as well as the secured budget.

The application steps are the following:

1. Read carefully the open call information before applying.

2. Fill in the application form (it will take at least 20 minutes).

Deadline: September 15, 2023. Is the open call expired? If there are available places, you can still apply. If not, you can either wait for the next call or check the available places on their short-stay programme Nocefreschissima.