Among the educational projects conceived by Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, there are residences for young artists and curators.
6ARTISTA. Project for young artists is a residency program aimed at young Italian artists, conceived by Marcello Smarrelli for the Pastificio Cerere Foundation in 2009.
The project was born out of the desire to address a clear gap in the city of Rome, where—despite the large number of residency programs for foreign artists—opportunities for Italian artists are rare. The goal is to build a solid institutional network that will allow young artists participating in future editions of the program to benefit from an increasingly high-quality and comprehensive opportunity for their research and artistic work.
In April 2026, the seventh edition of 6ARTISTA, supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture and SIAE as part of the Per Chi Crea program, gets underway. For this edition, the residency program evolves and expands, involving all the Fine Arts Academies in Rome. 6ARTISTA. Project for young artists 2026–2027 introduces new collaborations with the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma and NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, while renewing its synergy with RUFA – Rome University of Fine Arts. The artists selected for this edition are: Hinrik Leonard Ingólfsson (NABA); Valerio Pacini (ABARoma); Arianna Pontil Ceste (NABA); Mario Rossi (pseudonym of Erica Gismondi) (ABARoma); Kateryna Sopelkina (RUFA); Claudia Taratufolo (RUFA).
Over time, the award has become an important tool for promoting Italian talent on an international scale. Past winners of the 6ARTISTA Award include: Riccardo Benassi, Tomaso De Luca (I edition); Adelita Husni-Bey, Elisa Strinna (II edition); Francesco Fonassi, Margherita Moscardini (III edition); Davide Stucchi, Helena Hladilová (IV edition); Thomas Berra, Corinna Gosmaro (V edition); Vanshika Agrawal, Emma Brunelli, Micol Gelsi, Davide Miceli, Giulia Romolo, Nadia Vallino (VI edition).
From 2011 to 2013, thanks to the project Curatore in residenza, a young curator, appointed as such by the artistic director, is invited to realize a cultural path for the Foundation. The residency, lasting one year, includes the organization of site specific exhibitions and projects, studio visits, and conference rounds as well as the production of critical essays, monographs, catalogues.
Vincenzo De Bellis (2011), Michele D’Aurizio (2012), Alessandro Dandini de Sylva (2013) have all been residency curators.
