Textile Art Factory - Open Call for Curators

Textile Art Factory is a project by Lottozero, developed with the Prato Textile Museum and Studio Corte 17, and supported by the Tuscany Regional Program FSE+ 2021–2027. It consists of two cycles of artist residencies that merge contemporary art with textile practices, fostering non-formal training, research, and production for Italian-speaking artists and curators under 36, currently unemployed, unoccupied, or inactive, and not enrolled in any study or training courses at the same time.

The first open call will select one curator (requiring at least B1 Italian) for a six-month residency in Prato from February 16 to August 16, 2026. Participants gain access to Lottozero’s textile lab, the Museo del Tessuto’s archives, and Studio Corte 17’s industrial network, engaging with local manufacturers, artisans, and professionals.

The residency includes workshops focused on textile techniques, theoretical sessions (art history, curatorial strategies, cultural project design, conservation and restoration of textile artworks, cultural heritage legislation, and communication for the arts), mentoring, visits to artists’ studios and textile companies of the Prato textile district. The selected candidate will curate a group exhibition with four resident artists and will contribute to the realization of the catalogue.