Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2026

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The Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture is launching on 15 April 2024 the call for nominations for the first Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for the year 2026. The new award is established to encourage and support the planning and implementation capacity of Italian cities in the field of the promotion and enhancement of contemporary art. The call for bids finances cultural projects involving activities such as exhibitions, festivals and reviews, as well as the creation and redevelopment of spaces and areas dedicated to the enjoyment of contemporary art.

 

The cities, single municipalities or aggregations of municipalities, that wish to apply for the title can submit an application with an attached project dossier, including the title, cultural project, responsible body, economic and financial sustainability assessment, and objectives pursued, with the relevant indicators, by no later than June 30, 2024, to the PEC address dg-cc.ciac@pec.cultura.gov.it, following the instructions in the Call for Proposals and Annex 1.

 

Applications are evaluated by a Jury, composed of five independent experts of proven renown in the field of culture and contemporary visual arts. The Jury reviews the submitted projects and then selects up to five finalist cities, which are subsequently invited to public hearings. Finally, the Jury proposes to the Italian Minister of Culture the application deemed most suitable to be awarded the title of Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2026, which benefits from funding of one million euros for the implementation of the activities outlined in the dossier.

 

To request information, you can write to the standard email address dg-cc.ciac@cultura.gov.it, including the subject line: “Information for Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2026”.

 

The call for the Italian Capital of Contemporary Art is presented on May 2, 2024, during a conference at the Collegio Romano, in the presence of the Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Undersecretary for Culture, Lucia Borgonzoni, and the Director-General for Contemporary Creativity, Angelo Piero Cappello.

 

CIAC-2026 – Directorate Decree No. 77 of 15.04.2024 – Call for Proposals and Annex 1

CIAC-2026 – Application Form Template in DOCX

CIAC-2026 – Video of the Presentation Conference on 02.05.2024

CIAC-2026 – Short Presentation Video of the Initiative

CIAC-2026 – Press Release of 02.05.2024

CIAC-2026 – FAQs Updated as of 27.06.2024

 

UPDATE 03.08.2024 – CANDIDATE CITIES

 

There are 23 Italian cities competing for the title of Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for 2026, established for the first time this year. Below are the 23 applications: Aielli (AQ), Bolsena (VT), Carrara, Cassano allo Ionio (CS), Catanzaro, Fabriano (AN), Gallarate (VA), Gibellina (TP), Lignano Sabbiadoro (UD), Mantua, Moliterno (PZ), Nichelino (TO), Palazzolo Acreide (SR), Palmi (RC), Peccioli (PI), Pescara, Quarto (NA), Quattordio (AL), Reggio Calabria, Rionero in Vulture (PZ), Todi (PG), Venice, Vigevano (PV)

 

CIAC-2026 – Press Release of 03.08.2024

 

UPDATE 19.09.2024 – APPOINTMENT OF THE JURY

 

The Italian Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, appoints on September 19, 2024, the Jury for the awarding of the title of Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for the year 2026, through a call launched on April 15, 2024, by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity. The President is Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, while the members are: Sofia Gnoli, Walter Guadagnini, Renata Cristina Mazzantini, and Vincenzo Santoro.

 

CIAC-2026 – Press Release of 19.09.2024

 

UPDATE 04.10.2024 – THE 5 FINALISTS SELECTED

 

The Italian Ministry of Culture announces that the Jury for the selection of the Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for the year 2026 has chosen the 5 finalist projects after reviewing the 23 submitted applications. The following municipalities proceed to the final selection phase, with the respective dossiers listed below:

 

– Carrara (MS): “Carrara – Contemporary for 2000 Years”
– Gallarate (VA): “The Culture of Making. The Making of Culture”
– Gibellina (TP): “Bring Me the Future”
– Pescara (PE): “Pescara Contemporary City – A Gateway to Dreams”
– Todi (PG): “Contemporary Bridge”

 

CIAC-2026 – Press Release of 04.10.2024

 

UPDATE 18.10.2024 – FINALIST HEARINGS

 

Friday, October 25, 2024, in Rome, at the Spadolini Hall of the Italian Ministry of Culture, the hearings of the five finalist projects take place for the designation of the Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for the 2026 edition. Each city has 30 minutes to present its application, followed by an additional 30 minutes for questions from the Jury, according to the following schedule:

 

– 11:00-12:00 – Carrara (MS) “Carrara – Contemporary for 2000 Years”
– 12:00-13:00 – Gallarate (VA) “The Culture of Making. The Making of Culture”
– 13:00-14:00 – Gibellina (TP) “Bring Me the Future”
– 14:00-15:00 – Break
– 15:00-16:00 – Pescara (PE) “Pescara Contemporary City – A Gateway to Dreams”
– 16:00-17:00 – Todi (PG) “Contemporary Bridge”

 

Participation in Public Hearings: free entry until seats are filled, with prior registration required via email by writing to dg-cc.comunicazione@cultura.gov.it or by following the live streaming on the MiC YouTube channel.

 

CIAC-2026 – Press Release of 18.10.2024

 

UPDATE 29.10.2024 – THE PROCLAMATION

 

On Thursday, October 31, 2024 (10:30 AM), in Rome, at the Spadolini Hall of the Italian Ministry of Culture, the proclamation ceremony for the city awarded the title of Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for the year 2026 takes place. Participants include the Italian Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, the Director-General for Contemporary Creativity, Angelo Piero Cappello, and the President of the Jury, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo.

 

Accreditation Procedure: Journalists and photo-video operators interested in attending can send an accreditation request via email to dg-cc.comunicazione@cultura.gov.it by no later than 4:00 PM on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. The request must include name, surname, place and date of birth, media outlet, document number, and press card number (email subject: CIAC2026).

 

CIAC-2026 – Press Release of 29.10.2024

 

UPDATE 31.10.2024 – THE WINNING CITY

 

Gibellina is the Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for the year 2026.

 

Gibellina was proclaimed the Italian Capital of Contemporary Art for 2026 on Thursday, October 31, 2024, by the Italian Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, during the ceremony held in Rome at the Spadolini Hall of the Collegio Romano. The event was attended by the Director-General for Contemporary Creativity, Angelo Piero Cappello, and the President of the Jury, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. Representatives from the five finalist cities—Carrara, Gallarate, Gibellina, Pescara, and Todi—were also present. Thanks to the state funding of one million euros, the winning city will have the opportunity to showcase cultural projects over the course of a year, including exhibitions, festivals, and artistic events, as well as the creation and redevelopment of spaces dedicated to contemporary art.

 

Here are the Jury’s reasons for the selection, formulated at the end of the selection process conducted with full autonomy by its members: As the first ‘Italian Capital of Contemporary Art,’ this city's candidacy presents our country with a comprehensive and solid project, offering today’s Italy an exemplary model of cultural intervention. It is based on values and actions that recognize art as a social function and culture as a common good. For its design capacity in reactivating its extraordinary artistic heritage, blending memory and future, conservation and enhancement, local focus and international ambition in the present; for its ability to engage new generations and the entire community, reaching out to a broader territory through a shared civic awareness, forging alliances with public and private institutions, both national and transnational; for being a pioneering city in what we now define as urban regeneration, and for its unique ability to be both a city-as-an-artwork and a livable city. For its project, which will transform the city into a vast laboratory where the practices and energies of contemporary art will come together to share ideas and solutions on public space, community, landscape, sustainability, and the broad concept of heritage. For all these reasons, we designate Gibellina as the ‘Italian Capital of Contemporary Art’ for 2026.

 

SUMMARY OF THE WINNING PROJECT > Bring Me the Future: an ambitious project that unfolds through initiatives related to contemporary art and creativity, spanning cultural planning, urban regeneration, restoration, and, above all, the construction of a vision for the future that embraces beauty as a shared and revitalizing value.

 

 

Ultimo aggiornamento in data 27 January 2025