Organizer Information
The programme is organized by Institution (operating publicly as "Institution School"), an Italian startup founded in 2024 by contemporary art curator Fabio Cavallucci together with an international team of young professionals working across art, culture, and economics. Institution S.R.L. is based in Santa Sofia, Italy (Piazza Garibaldi, 12), and describes its mission as rethinking art as a tool for building sustainable cultural models through courses, forums, and research. Cavallucci has directed several major contemporary art institutions in Italy and elsewhere in Europe and currently teaches Contemporary Art History at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara. The institution also manages cultural infrastructure locally, including the Vero Stoppioni contemporary art gallery and sculpture park in Santa Sofia, and has run prior online workshop series with artists such as Stefano Arienti and Marinella Senatore. This specific course draws heavily on faculty affiliated with the European Graduate School (EGS), a private graduate school founded in 1994 in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, operating today between Saas-Fee and Valletta, Malta, known for its Philosophy, Art and Critical Thought division.
Key Information
- Official program title: Course for Non-Curators: New Roles for a Changing Art Field
- Program type: Non-degree advanced graduate-level programme; participants receive a Certificate in Expanded Curatorial Practice upon completion — not stated in the source as an accredited MA/MFA/MSc/PhD
- Institution name: Institution (Institution School), in collaboration with European Graduate School faculty
- Country / City: Online (organizing entity based in Santa Sofia, Italy)
- Academic field: Curatorial Studies, Contemporary Art, expanded/transdisciplinary cultural practice
- Language of degree: English
- Number of open study places: 27 selected participants (source figure — not "max. 24," which does not appear in this source)
- Application Period: Reviewed in three rounds — 1st: August 23, 2nd: September 13, 3rd: October 4, 2026
- Second phase remote interview date: Not specified in the source (source only states shortlisted candidates "may be invited for an online conversation," with no fixed date given)
- Announcement of admissions result date: Not specified in the source (source states only that selected participants "will be notified shortly after each review process is complete")
- Application Deadline: Final round closes October 4, 2026
- Start of studies date: October 27, 2026
- Tuition: €5,500, payable in installments
Field of Study & Eligible Disciplines
- Accepted academic backgrounds: Not specified as a formal degree requirement in the source
- Preferred disciplines: Curating, visual arts, philosophy, technology, ecology, design, education, social research — framed as fields the programme deliberately intersects rather than as admission prerequisites
- Interdisciplinary acceptance rules: The programme explicitly targets "professionals from diverse disciplines," not curators specifically
- Portfolio relevance: A portfolio or documentation of relevant projects is accepted but marked optional in the application requirements
General Eligibility
- Open to artists, curators, researchers, educators, designers, cultural producers, and professionals from diverse disciplines seeking to engage with art's expanded field
- No nationality restriction is stated; the source describes the resulting cohort as "a carefully selected international group"
- No age restriction is stated
- No formal academic degree is stated as a prerequisite — eligibility is framed by professional/creative engagement with the field rather than credentials
- Required language: English (course language)
Tuition
- Fee: €5,500, payable in installments
- Fee waivers/scholarships affecting tuition: Two full need-and-merit-based scholarships are available; applicants must indicate interest in financial support directly on the application form
Funding & Financial Support
- Scholarships: Two full need-and-merit-based scholarships (full tuition coverage implied, not itemized in the source)
- Studio/production funding: Not specified in the source, though three participant projects will receive support for realization with partner institutions between Fall 2027 and Spring 2028
University Services & Academic Support
- Studio/lab access: Not applicable — online format
- Research supervision: Mentored workshops and tutorials, with feedback from faculty and invited practitioners
- Mentorship programs: Yes — individual and collaborative mentored project development throughout the course
- Career services: Participants are "actively introduced to museums, biennials and cultural organisations looking for new profiles"
- Exhibition/realization opportunities: Three selected participant projects will be realized in partnership with external institutions (Fall 2027–Spring 2028)
Application Requirements
- Completed application form
- Curriculum Vitae (max. 3 pages)
- Statement of Interest (max. 1,000 words) outlining motivations for joining
- Portfolio or documentation of relevant projects (optional)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Deadline & Timeline
- Application Deadline: 4 October 2026
- Application rounds: August 23, 2026 / September 13, 2026 / October 4, 2026 — places allocated progressively at the end of each round
- Notification date: Not specified as an exact date — participants notified "shortly after each review process is complete"
- Second phase remote interviews date: Not specified in the source — conditional and informal ("may be invited")
- Start of studies date: October 27, 2026
- Programme end date: February 18, 2027
Location
Online
Additional Details
- Applying earlier does not guarantee admission but allows consideration while more places remain open
- The course is structured around seven thematic study trajectories treated as interdependent, not siloed: Time, Fieldwork, Language, Materiality & Embodiment, Speculative Platforms, Alt-Economy, and Instituting
- The programme culminates in the production of experimental "non-exhibitions"; three participant projects will be selected for realization with partner institutions between Fall 2027 and Spring 2028
- Faculty/contributors include Hou Hanru, Charles Esche, Suzanne Lacy, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Ute Meta Bauer, Miwako Tezuka, and philosophers Christopher Fynsk, Sven-Olov Wallenstein, and Vesna Madžoski of the European Graduate School faculty, among others
- Full detailed programme document is linked from the source but not reproduced here