Visual residency

Italy is renowned for the richness of its art, design and architecture. Our visual residency program gives Australian creative practitioners the chance to engage with this culture.

A collaborative initiative between our centre and Monash Art Design & Architecture, each year an established or emerging Australian creative practitioner spends three months in Prato to undertake a new project or enquiry that relates to the local context.

The resident engages with Monash students during their semester program in Prato from September to November, giving them the opportunity to learn from a current creative practitioner. The resident also shares their work with the general public.

Aims

• provide opportunities for creative practitioners to sustain and deepen their practice and research
• offer and encourage engagement with institutions and industry in Prato
• provide access to significant collections, exhibitions, colleagues and practitioners in Europe
• encourage independent artistic thinking, experimentation and practice

The Prato context

Prato is an interesting location from the perspective of migration studies, cultural studies, inter-cultural communication, and historic and contemporary economic relations.

Prato is home to the Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art, the Textile Museum, and Renaissance art collections.

Prato is also close to Fattoria Celle in Pistoia, home of the important Gori Collection of site-specific contemporary artworks.

We're close to other Tuscan cities, adding potential for visual research, including in Siena and Pisa (medieval religious, intellectual, educational and arts centres) and Florence (Renaissance economic, religious, intellectual and arts centre).

The Monash context

Monash University is Australia’s largest university, and one of the leading research universities in the world, which aims to discover, teach and collaborate with partners to meet the global challenges of the age.

The University’s commitment to excellence is enhanced through deep and extensive international collaborations. The Monash University, Prato campus Visual Residency Program encourages international engagement, through contemporary creative practice and research.

How to apply

Applications usually open in July and close in September for the following year's residency.

More details about the residency (including eligibility, funding and other inclusions, conditions, and the selection process) are available on the Monash Art Design & Architecture website.

The 2026 Visual Residency Program is supported by the Australian Multicultural Foundation.

Past residents

Our residency has supported the following creative practitioners: Damiano Bertoli, Jon Campbell, Maree Clarke, Mel Deerson, Jo-Anne Duggan, Pat Foster & Jen Berean, Cai Kequn, Laresa Kosloff, Hayley Millar Baker, Stuart Ringholt, David Rosetzky, and Charlie Sofo.

Some of their works are on display at our campus and at Monash University’s Australian campuses as part of the Monash University Collection.

Learn more about our past residents.