UNIDEE Residency Programs, originally called “UNIDEE - University of Ideas,” was founded in 1999 by Michelangelo Pistoletto as an international 4-month residency program (1999-2013). It later evolved into diverse formats, focusing on annual themes and different types of residencies: UNIDEE Modules, weekly modules open to artists, art professionals, curated by a Visiting Research Curator and guided by mentors and experts; UNIDEE Research Residencies, research residencies for international artists organized with partner institutions, created to support the practice of artists from the Global South, among others; UNIDEE Connective Residencies, longer-term research and production residencies by invitation, for artists interested in exploring and deepening the themes of responsible social transformation, and creating “transformative connections” with specific territories; UNIDEE Organisations Residencies, workshops for organizations and institutions to explore themes and methodologies central to Cittadellarte.

The residencies are aimed at artists and curators, as well as students, cultural professionals, social entrepreneurs, cultural project directors, and generally members of civil society interested in exploring the themes that Cittadellarte has always worked on through its Offices: social responsibility, urban transformation, participatory artistic processes, demopraxy, alternative models of local economic development, sustainability in fashion and architecture. The program aims to provide tools for “artivators,” individuals working at the intersection of artistic practices, social change processes, and collaborations with communities outside the art world, intertwining moments of interdisciplinary research, knowledge exchange, and practical activities.

Thus, UNIDEE Residency Programs offers a space for the design and development of research on the relationship between art and the public sphere, serving as a reference point for theoretical and practical knowledge exchange within a global community of social agents active in their local contexts.

In 2024, UNIDEE celebrates its 25 years of activity through a rich program of events aimed at reflecting on the past and looking toward the future. Between September and December 2024, the exhibition Ways of becoming: 25 Years with UNIDEE was held, inaugurated during Arte al Centro XXVI, and accompanied by a public program of performances, meetings, and conferences that addressed some of the persistent and emerging issues related to art for social change. Additionally, the program was enriched by a series of UNIDEE Residency Modules reflecting on the transformation of socially engaged artistic practices in recent decades.

The partners supporting and co-designing with UNIDEE Residency Programs are: Regione Piemonte, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, CRT Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, illycaffè S.p.A., Fondazione Zegna, UniCredit Group, Deloitte, Ecotermica ETS. The long-standing international partners of the research residencies are: A.M. Qattan Foundation (Palestine), Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation (India), Istituto Francese (Italy), Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Netherlands), Consortium of Museums of the Valencian Community (Spain). UNIDEE is a member of the Res Artis network.

Click here to access the UNIDEE Residency Programs website.