Organizer Information
La Macina di San Cresci is an internationally celebrated cultural residency and research center located in Greve in Chianti, Italy—situated within the world-famous, sun-drenched vine topography of Tuscany. The residency is anchored inside the historic architectural complex of the Pieve di San Cresci, a sacred structure under the strict heritage protection of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage. Administered in close collaboration with the Municipality of Greve in Chianti, the organization provides a slow, community-centric sanctuary designed to preserve historical spaces while driving international, multi-disciplinary fine art creation.
Title & Description
La Macina di San Cresci Artist Residency and Retreat.
This self-funded residency program offers emerging and established creators an immersive opportunity to work for extended blocks of time in an environment rich in Mediterranean cultural history. Combining a relaxed countryside pace with professional, round-the-clock working spaces, the program provides an inspiring space for deep artistic focus. The selection committee explicitly encourages free-form, process-oriented experimentation across all disciplines, openly recognizing that a project proposal may dynamically evolve or pivot entirely under the influence of the Tuscan landscape.
The Creative Infrastructure & Spaces:
Laureates enjoy full access to a centralized complex, including:
- 24/7 Studios: Private, inspiring production studio rooms accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- The Church Apparatus: Musicians and composers gain rare access to a beautifully restored, fully operational historic organ located in the adjacent parish church.
- Outdoor Ecology: Direct access to natural walking paths, historic gardens, and local agricultural routes. The facility provides two mountain bikes on-site for immediate territory exploration.
Categories
- Visual Arts (Drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, installation)
- New Media / Film / Video
- Writing / Literature (Fiction and nonfiction, poetry)
- Performing Arts / Dance
- Music / Sound Art
- Design, and Architecture
- Interdisciplinary Practices
Eligibility
- Global Scope: Open to contemporary visual artists, writers, musicians, designers, and performers worldwide.
- Career Milestones: Welcomes applications from both emerging grassroots practitioners and highly established professional figures.
- Previous Alumni: Past participants face an abbreviated application loop—returning artists are exempt from filing full dossiers and must submit only a new project description to secure a slot.
Program Costs & Financial Model
- Application Fee: None (Completely free to submit your initial portfolio for review).
- Funding Architecture: Self-funded. La Macina di San Cresci is unable to provide direct cash stipends or travel grants. To assist selected creators in securing independent funding, the committee provides official institutional letters of acceptance to back grant applications with home-country ministries, universities, or crowdfunding campaigns.
- Residency Fee Structure:
- €550 for the first week of residency.
- €380 for each subsequent week of stay.
- Payment Milestones: A non-refundable €200 deposit is required immediately upon receiving your formal acceptance notification. The remaining balance must be paid in full no later than one month before your arrival date.
What the Fee Includes:
- Shared historic apartment accommodation (Private Bedroom) inside the Pieve di San Cresci complex.
- Continuous use of dedicated studio workspaces and on-site production facilities.
- Direct staff support for arrival orientation and general administrative assistance.
- Baseline utility overheads (Electricity, water, and wireless internet access).
- Essential home assets, including bed linens, towels, and a professional final housecleaning service.
- Direct visibility: Inclusion in the official yearbook, The Artistic Time, and a digital feature on the main website domain (curated at the panel's discretion based on project development).
What the Fee Does NOT Include:
- Heating and Gas Utilities: Calculated based on individual consumption and paid cash on-site the day before departure.
- Food, groceries, and personal studio materials.
- International round-trip travel fares, entry visas, and personal health insurance coverage (mandatory for attendance).
Application Requirements (Rolling/No Expiration)
Dossiers must be compiled in English. If the total file weight of your application materials exceeds 5 MB, you must transmit your files via a secure WeTransfer link directed to the review desk. Submissions require:
- Completed Application Form: Outlining localized identity and contact paths.
- Proposed Project Brief (One Page): A brief narrative description tracking the material concepts or thematic focuses you intend to test while on-site.
- Professional Resume / CV: Summarizing academic training, past exhibitions, teaching history, publications, or honors (Maximum 1 page).
- Artist Statement: Defining your overarching creative vision and technique (Maximum 2,000 characters / approx. 400 words).
- Representative Work Portfolio: A curated selection of recent high-quality images or media document sheets showcasing your discipline.
How to Apply?
Download the official registration form from the main site node, compile your visual portfolio assets and text files into a single folder, and email your submission package directly to the administrative desk.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: Ongoing / Open Year-Round. There is no fixed expiration date.
- Notification Turnaround: Portfolios face continuous evaluation by a rotating review commission (composed of the founders, representatives of the Municipality of Greve in Chianti, and rotating professional artists). Applicants receive formal status notifications within 7 to 10 days of file receipt.
Location
Italy, Greve in Chianti (Province of Florence, Tuscany; approximately 2.5 km from the main town center).
Additional Details
The commission assesses candidates based on resume compatibility, professional commitment, and how clearly their artistic intentions align with a slow-paced, historically protected rural retreat. The €200 deposit required upon admission is strictly non-refundable; cancellations must be delivered in writing, and any cancellations executed 21 days or less prior to your scheduled check-in date will forfeit the entire residency balance.