Florence to Build Artist Residences in City Center

The city of Florence has signed a plan to build seven artist residencies with shared spaces and a workshop in Via Palazzuolo, connected to the Museo Novecento. The project, costing about 900,000 euros and designed by the Comune's Belle Arti service with execution by Cooperativa Archeologia, is set for completion in February 2023. Mayor Dario Nardella cited inspiration from the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, a complex of over 300 residencies hosting more than 1,000 artists annually from 90 countries. The Florence version will also host artists working with digital languages, crypto art, and NFTs, marking a first in Italy and among the first in Europe. The residencies aim to revitalize the area between Santa Maria Novella and the Arno, already home to the new HZero museum with its San Giuliano railway model. Museo Novecento director Sergio Risaliti emphasized the rarity of artist residencies within a museum, noting that young artists may collaborate on future exhibitions. The project complements existing ateliers in Santa Maria Novella and a planned new exhibition space serving as a 'gym' for artists. The initiative is part of a broader urban regeneration of Via Palazzuolo, linking the museum to Piazza Santa Maria Novella.