Residenza Lago Scuro — Quinta Residenza 2026

Residenza Lago Scuro is an 11-day self-directed interdisciplinary residency held at Cascina Lago Scuro, a working biodynamic farm in Stagno Lombardo, near Cremona in Northern Italy. Now in its fifth year, the residency brings together 11 international creatives from across disciplines — fine arts, design, writing, film, music, education, ecology, and beyond — to live, make work, and learn alongside one another in a beautiful and deeply nourishing environment.

The residency runs from 20 September to 1 October 2026 and emphasises the exchange between cultural and agricultural practice. Participants are encouraged to engage with the life of the farm — harvesting vegetables, milking cows, making cheese and bread — and to let that experience inform their creative work. The concept of 'site as quarry' is central: residents are invited to draw on the farm's materials, spaces, and rhythms as creative inputs, rather than relying on outside resources.

Workspaces available include an industrial kitchen, a letterpress studio, a ceramics studio, gardens, a large barn, stables, a dairy, and multiple rooms within an 1800s villa. Residents share accommodation in twin rooms with bed linens, bathrooms, laundry, and a shared kitchen provided.

Breakfast and lunch are provided daily by the farm's talented chefs using organic, farm-grown produce. Dinners are collaborative — residents take turns cooking together. A curated 'Human Library' series brings visiting artists, researchers, and practitioners from across Italy and Europe to share their work and engage with the cohort.

The Scholarship for Regenerative Creativity covers all core residency costs — accommodation, shared meals, materials, offsite activities, visiting speakers, and local transport. Residents are only responsible for their own international travel to and from Italy. The scholarship is made possible through a partnership with Ilegal Mezcal, the support of the Cascina Lago Scuro farm and family, and the organisers' ongoing commitment to accessible, meaningful creative exchange.

Applications are open from 5 May to 7 June 2026 (11:59pm EST). A non-refundable application fee of USD $30 applies. The residency closes with an open-house celebration, inviting locals and friends to meet residents and share in the outcomes of the experience.