Nocefresca
Nocefresca is the first active and permanent artistic residency program in Sardinia. It is a house that welcomes creative professionals from all over the world to the rural villages of Sardinia for research and creative experimentation, involving both participants and local communities in a cultural exchange experience. 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 the most authentic and beautiful.
The residency 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 you fuel your 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
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 to share with the artists and the public a coherent one-year-long experience; on the other, it allows them 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.
Through Nocefresca, the artists have the chance to become authentic temporary inhabitants of Sardinian rural villages thanks to our network of locals supporting the project. By providing their vacant dwellings during periods of less tourist flow or closure, they give them enormous help in organizing extended stays for the artists.
Both shared and private apartments are available according to your needs. You may elect to live with other international artists and have many opportunities for sharing, collaborating in creativity, and building international friendships and professional associations. You may also choose to live independently and establish a private work studio at your 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 your stay. Each artist is responsible for the recycling. Free parking is available on the street.
Equipment is available.
Mills is located 100 km from Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, 20 km from the town of Oristano and from the beaches of the west coast. It is an ancient village situated in the western part of central Sardinia, with 1500 inhabitants and many useful services: markets, cafes, bank, chemistry, pastry shop, artisanal pasta factory, pizzeria and sports fields. It is famous for its orchards of citrus fruit planted by the Camaldolite monks in the 13th century. The orange groves surround the town and spread their scent during the spring flowering period. It is extremely vibrant with plants, figs and pomegranates growing freely around the town.
Both the studio building and the accommodations are located in the very centre of the village of Milis. This allows the participants to join a rural community still deeply connected to nature and traditions. Thanks to the locals, artists will exchange skills and values with the territory and its resources. Through workshops, social activities and the final open-studio event, the artists have the chance to really engage with the community and create new connections. Our local partner Pepebianco Association plays an important role in this, functioning as a catalyst for different kinds of initiatives and services.