SEMINAR

The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera presents the seminar Artistic Research in Italy: Current Developments and Perspectives, curated by Domenico Quaranta
IartNET Academic Coordinator WP4 | International Hub for Artistic Research. 
In 2024, the introduction of doctoral programmes within the Higher Artistic and Musical Education (AFAM) sector brought into sharp focus, within the Italian cultural debate, the urgent need to address key issues essential to the effective implementation of doctoral cycles: How should artistic research be defined? By what criteria should it be evaluated? What institutional frameworks, best practices, protocols, and networks must be established to ensure the successful completion of doctoral research and to foster a productive relationship both with the broader academic research community and with the spheres of enterprise, creativity, and innovation?

 

Over the three-year period 2024-2026, this debate has been fostered, enriched, and sustained by a number of projects funded by the European Union (Next Generation EU) within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which have been crucial in consolidating both the recognition and the infrastructure of artistic research in Italy. More specifically, EAR - Enacting Artistic Research (lead institution: Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma) was designed to strengthen the strategic role of research in the internationalisation of the AFAM sector by promoting the use of advanced technologies and fostering collaboration with scientific institutions to safeguard and expand access to cultural heritage.
IartNET – an international platform for artistic research and cultural heritage at Italian higher arts education institutions (lead institution: Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera) promoted the digital accessibility and international visibility of artistic research and AFAM heritage, encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue, innovation, and collaborative excellence among higher arts education institutions at the global level.
P+ARTS - Partnership for Artistic Research in Technology and Sustainability (lead institution: NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) advanced excellence in artistic research in Italy by supporting emerging talents through an innovative ecosystem centred on ecological transition and digital transformation.
Finally, INAR - International Network of Artistic Research (lead institution: Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti Torino) focused on mapping research-creation activities across AFAM institutions to develop an interdisciplinary lexicon of practice-based research, strengthen cooperation across artistic fields, and further promote the internationalisation of the sector.

The seminar invites these projects, now approaching completion, to present their work by sharing experiences, initiatives, and outcomes, and to strengthen an ongoing dialogue aimed at realising a goal common to them all: the establishment of a network–hub–centre for artistic research in Italy. This platform is intended to enhance and connect the diverse practices of creation, education, and research within Italian institutions of higher artistic, musical, and dance education, while positioning itself as a key interlocutor in exchange with analogous platforms at both European and extra-European levels.

The initiative is part of the PNRR project INTAFAM IartNET – an international platform for artistic research and cultural heritage at Italian higher arts education institutions funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, Mission 4, led by the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and coordinated by Nicoletta Leonardi.