Organizer Information
The Siena Art Institute (SART) is a non-profit international center for art and creativity based in Siena, Italy, founded in 2010. Its mission centers on fostering artistic excellence alongside cultural awareness and social responsibility, welcoming artists and writers who are interested in connecting individual creative practice with the surrounding community. SART maintains a strong commitment to Deaf accessibility in partnership with organizations such as the Siena School for Liberal Arts and the Mason Perkins Deafness Fund, and collaborates internationally with institutions including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the National College of Arts in Lahore, Ohio State University, and Brandeis University. Beyond its residency and academic programs, SART runs community-facing initiatives on sustainability, urban renewal, and cultural welfare, and operates Art Cloud Greece, an Athens-based platform co-founded with SART alumni.
Title & Description
Siena Art Institute 2027 Residency Program
The Siena Art Institute is accepting applications for its 2027 Residency Program, open to artists and writers working in all disciplines who wish to live and create in Siena. With a single application, applicants may be considered for one or more of three residency categories: the Studio Residency, the Studio/Casa Residency, and the Summer Residency. Selected residents are given uninterrupted time for independent research and artistic production and are invited to take part in the SART and broader Siena community, including through open studios, performances, screenings, and workshops offered to the Institute's summer program participants or local residents.
Categories
- Residency
- All Discipline
- Visual Arts
- Writing
- Creative Writing
- Poetry
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Video/Film
- Multiple Disciplines
Eligibility
- Open internationally to artists and writers of all disciplines, including but not limited to 2-D, 3-D, video, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction
- Applicants may apply to more than one of the three residency categories using a single application and a single application fee
- Summer Residency applicants should hold an MFA or have equivalent professional accomplishment (e.g., extensive exhibition history and/or publications); currently enrolled students cannot apply for the Summer Residency
- Summer Residents must be fluent in English, Italian, American Sign Language (ASL), or Italian Sign Language (LIS)
- Small groups of 2–3 collaborating artists or writers may apply for a shared residency, subject to program-specific conditions (e.g., only one studio space is provided)
Program Benefits & Awards
- A private studio at SART (all three residency categories)
- Uninterrupted time for personal research and artistic production
- Access to an open, international creative community in Siena
- Studio/Casa Residency: includes a private 1-bedroom apartment in Siena (utilities, standard-speed wifi, and heating included; no A/C or dishwasher)
- Summer Residency: includes a private 1-bedroom apartment in Siena and flight compensation of up to $1,200
Application Fee
$50 application fee, covering all residency categories applied for in a single application (no need to submit multiple fees per year).
Note: older, no-longer-linked pages on an earlier version of the SART website reference a $30 fee for the Studio/Casa Residency specifically. Since the current live announcement and the current "Are you an Artist/a Writer?" page both consistently state $50, that figure is treated as current; the $30 reference is flagged here in case it reflects a still-valid legacy rate.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 September 2026
Location
Siena, Italy
Additional Details
- Only finalists are contacted after review; the Institute does not provide individual feedback on applications that are not selected.
- An older, no-longer-linked version of the SART site references a €100 cash security deposit for Studio/Casa and Summer Residency apartments (refundable, pending no damage). This is not mentioned in the current announcement or main application page, so it should be confirmed directly with SART before relying on it for the 2027 cycle.
- Participation in open studios, performances, screenings, or workshops is invited but not stated as mandatory for all categories.