Fri 9th – Fri 16th Oct 2026
The Group Residency is devised around the relationships of ‘place, people and time’ and residents will be welcomed to Collemacchia, in Italy’s Apennine Mountains and the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise.
ART and FOOD has been devised by Tracy Mackenna (she/her), artist, educator and curator of The Museum of Loss and Renewal in partnership with artist Carla Smith (she/her). Tracy’s family is from Collemacchia, where the Group Residency is centred, while Carla’s family comes from nearby Santa Maria Oliveto.
ART and FOOD will be led by Tracy and Carla who share a passion for bringing people together over food, to explore what it means to be creative, to gather, collect and share ingredients, materials and matter, and ways of making. Between us we activate a range of skills and expertise when we curate situations and groups of people. Additional subject-specific sessions will be delivered by a range of experts.
We are driven by our Italian heritages to explore the relationships between art and culture and food. Current considerations include how the production of food is changing due to shifting labour patterns, new co-operative production methods, the importance of capturing and passing on local knowledge of land care, growing methods, cultivation, foraging, harvesting, sustainability and meal preparation. The impact of (return)migration is a key focus.
Residency Eligibility
Residency Experience Summary
Application Information
Applications are welcomed from people working in creative practices, food practices, horticulture, farming, land management, agronomy, conservation etc. and for those who have a strong interest in the relationships between food and art as an area of practice. The group will comprise of approx. nine international participants.
The Residency Programme is operated on a non-commercial cost-covering basis, and is financially supported by The Museum of Loss and Renewal in order to keep fees low. The residency fee is €1750 (Euro) paid by the resident. It includes the residency programme, accommodation, full board, collection/return to nearest train/bus station, accommodation in a variety of spacious rooms, excellent studio spaces. Double, twin and single bedrooms are available. Single bedrooms are allocated dependent on access needs. Catering (3 meals each day) includes ingredients that are mainly locally sourced and meals prepared by our cook. Vegan and vegetarian diets can be catered for.
A deposit of 50% is payable within three weeks of being offered a place on the residency programme (non-refundable). The remaining balance is payable eight weeks in advance of the residency start date. In the event that cancellation is required, residents may cancel up to a minimum of six weeks prior to their residency start date. If a resident has to end the residency early due to personal circumstances, a refund cannot not be issued.
You will be responsible for funding and organising your own travel, your own insurances and any visa requirements particular to your country of origin. Detailed travel information will be supplied (closest airports Naples, Rome), and collection/drop-off at a local train station will be arranged.
We do not have external funding for this project, so regret that we are unable to offer assistance with fees, flights, production costs or other subsistence. Typically, successful applicants source funding by applying to their national arts funding bodies, personal fundraising, or through academic institutional support. Formal letters of invitation can be provided to assist in this process.