M'arte and Rave: Artist Residencies Revitalize Italian Villages

Two Italian artist residencies, M'arte in Tuscany and RAVE in Friuli, launch in early June 2017, using contemporary art to revitalize rural areas. M'arte, a biennial founded in 2006, holds its sixth edition in Val di Cecina, featuring artists Alessandro Amaducci, Laura Cionci, Eleonora Manca, Franco Menicagli, and Tom Mùller, curated by Maurizio Marco Tozzi, with critic Christian Caliandro and philosopher Leonardo Caffo. The theme "La natura delle cose" explores art and landscape, with a site-specific work in Montegemoli. RAVE, founded in 2011 in Trivignano Udinese, focuses on art and the animal world, hosted in a farmhouse with rescued animals. Croatian artist Igor Grubic is this year's resident. Past residents include Adrian Paci, Ivan Moudov, Regina José Galindo, Diego Perrone, and Thomas Saraceno. The residencies aim to attract tourists and professionals to off-the-beaten-path locations.