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OUTit Art Lab 2025

Passion, Profession, Performing

If you’re an emerging artist, a cultural operator or a sector professional aiming to expand or refine your skills to work effectively in your target market, OUTit Art Lab offers a structured course of training materials and hands-on experiences. Delivered in an innovative asynchronous and repeatable format, this intensive program equips you with the tools needed to succeed both nationally and internationally. While the curriculum includes specific modules on public-space creation, the content is also tailored to support those working deeply in a single discipline or indoor contexts.

What is OUTit Art Lab

OUTit Art Lab is an innovative professional training format designed for the performing arts sector, building on experiences from FNAS LAB. The program aims to broaden the vision and abilities of artists and cultural operators who wish to specialize in both creative and managerial roles, seeing them as a unified “body” that, despite having different roles, must act in coordination and synergy. It offers dedicated pathways and a shared program that guarantees an essential professional grammar. The program unfolds along two main directions:

2 Contexts × 2 Formats × 2 Complementary Experiences

The structure of the program is tailored to two specific contexts. Artistic training is aimed at artists, it expands their vision and tools for working in public spaces, fostering new artistic identity and greater visibility. It offers immersive experiences in the creative process. Cultural management training is aimed at intermediate cultural operators, it cultivates professional development in cultural management, providing specific tools to find one’s role in the performing arts ecosystem.

These directions take form through two complementary experiences. A digital experience delivered via the outdoorarts.it platform, with asynchronous webinars and training materials that remain permanently available to participants. An Analog” in-person experience that includes the core of the former FNAS Lab, an artistic creation residency where artists develop performative projects for public spaces, each supported by a high-level artistic tutor. Additionally, there is a professional mentoring component within organizations and companies in the sector, mostly via national and international mobility at significant events for deeper understanding.

Modules & Matter & Teachers

This module provides preparatory skills for working in the performing arts sector, with a focus on outdoor arts. It provides a basic overview of the sector, explores the dynamics of artistic production and key roles, and analyzes the responsibilities of production managers. The goal is to contribute to the professionalization of cultural workers, providing them with the tools needed to manage performance organization, understand the chain of responsibilities, learn how to balance hard and soft skills, and explore the agile or traditional approach through specific work tools.

Matter: 

  • Overview of the Arts Sector and Types of Performances
  • Working in Arts Production
  • Roles and Responsibilities of a Production Manager

Teachers: Giuseppe Boron, Federico Toso, Napoleone Zavatto.

This module provides specific tools and fundamental knowledge for working in the performing arts sector in public spaces. It explores cultural design, project planning and organization, and the management of creation, production, and sustainability. It focuses on economic and financial skills (budgeting, fundraising), time/resource management, project management tools (including nonprofits), and cultural economics. Its goal is to accelerate professionalization and build a solid network of contacts, preparing students for contemporary challenges.

Matter: 

  • Project manager for performing arts
  • Basic organization tools
  • Fundraising for culture and economic sustainability
  • Project planning and organization
  • Budgeting and financial management
  • Time and resource management
  • Project management tools
  • Free tools for nonprofits

Teachers: Eleonora Ariolfo, Napoleone Zavatto, Michela Pollone, Federico Toso

In collaboration with: Reve srl, Doc Servizi - OCA Doc 

The module focuses on acquiring essential strategic skills to effectively promote artistic projects, particularly those related to performing and outdoor arts in public spaces, a constantly evolving sector that requires new professional skills. It explores specific marketing strategies for the artistic events sector and delves into the fundamentals of communication and promotion, including cross-media to reach diverse audiences. The training program guides students in the use of web profiles and free tools, teaching them how to best manage social media and digital marketing techniques. Students will learn how to create effective communication plans, manage public relations, and develop strategic networking, essential for the visibility and circulation of their works nationally and internationally. A practical component includes the preparation of a Press Kit Lab, providing concrete tools for interacting with the media and promoting their initiatives. The primary objective of the module is to equip cultural professionals with the skills needed to successfully position and disseminate their projects in the contemporary cultural landscape, significantly contributing to their professionalization.

Matter:

  • Marketing strategies for artistic events
  • Promotion communication
  • Cross-media
  • Web profiles and free tools
  • Social media and digital marketing
  • Communication plans
  • Public relations and networking
  • The Press Kit Lab

Teachers: Valentina Barone; Aldo Macchi, Federico Toso, Manuela Martignano

In collaboration with: Rete Doc 

The module provides essential skills in legal and safety aspects essential for working professionally in the performing and outdoor arts sector, an evolving field requiring new skills, exploring entertainment legislation and the relevant regulatory framework. Contracts and copyright are addressed, providing tools for legal protection and managing professional relationships. A crucial focus is placed on safety regulations for events, vital knowledge for organizing performances and projects in public spaces. The goal is to equip cultural professionals with the technical and specialized skills necessary to ensure compliance and safety for their initiatives, significantly accelerating their professionalization.

Matter:

  • Entertainment legislation
  • Contracts and copyright
  • Event safety regulations
  • Public entertainment

Teachers: Chiara Chiappa, Fabio Fila, Barbara Alberti 

In collaboration with: Centro Studi Doc, STEA Coop 

The module aims to provide artists and cultural practitioners with the fundamental knowledge and tools to design and implement artistic interventions in public spaces, with a particular focus on their social impact and urban regeneration. The program explores the relationship between art, anthropology, and the urban context, delving into the dynamics of community engagement and strategies for effective collaboration with local stakeholders. The goal is to develop a renewed vision of performing arts in public spaces, empowering them to create projects that activate processes of transformation and restitution to the community.

Matter:

  • Anthropology and public space
  • Urban planning and urban regeneration
  • Working with local stakeholders
  • Community activation and engagement

Teachers: Michele Cerruti But, Isadora Bigazzi, Matteo Lanfranchi, Paolo Pezzana

In collaboration with: Accademia Unidee, Effetto Larsen

The module provides essential skills in legal and safety aspects essential for working professionally in the performing and outdoor arts sector, an evolving field requiring new skills, exploring entertainment legislation and the relevant regulatory framework. Contracts and copyright are addressed, providing tools for legal protection and managing professional relationships. A crucial focus is placed on safety regulations for events, vital knowledge for organizing performances and projects in public spaces. The goal is to equip cultural professionals with the technical and specialized skills necessary to ensure compliance and safety for their initiatives, significantly accelerating their professionalization.

Matter:

  • Strategie di diffusione degli spettacoli di circo e teatro di strada
  • Strategie di diffusione degli spettacoli di teatro e danza
  • Network internazionali e partnership
  • Gestione delle tournée e logistica

Teachers: Valentina Barone, Napoleone Zavatto, Eleonora Ariolfo, Giulia Guiducci

In collaboration with: Teatro Necessario 

This module aims to provide cultural professionals and artists with the fundamental skills to effectively integrate video and multimedia tools into their activities. The course explores various design approaches aimed at using multimedia to optimally convey one's artistic work, supporting objectives in terms of impact and visibility as well as communication and promotional activities. It will explore aspects of narrative construction, exploring the various stages of production, and technical production (frame composition, fields, scale, camera movements, lighting, editing, audio) essential for amplifying the impact and visibility of initiatives, particularly in public spaces. Finally, there will be a focus on the core elements of copyright. The goal is to equip participants with advanced communication and promotional tools, accelerating their professionalization in the use of digital technologies and contemporary languages for artistic creation.

Matter:

  • Storytelling and communicating through images.
  • Creating audiovisual content
  • Audiovisual documentation of events/performances
  • A brief introduction to copyright

Teacher: Giulio Pedretti

This module explores the integration of sustainable practices in artistic creation, with a particular focus on outdoor arts. It delves into the environmental impact of production and promotes the adoption of eco-friendly solutions, including the use of eco-sustainable and circular economy materials. It is structured around content on sustainable creation, eco-friendly production, and concrete case studies, offering essential tools for artists and cultural practitioners working in public spaces. Its goal is to develop fundamental skills for a sector increasingly focused on sustainability.

Matter:

  • Sustainable Creation
  • Eco-Friendly Production
  • Case Studies of Eco-Friendly Production

Teachers: Alessandra Biti, Francesco Biti, Luca Zanetti

In collaboration with: Studioventisette, STEA Coop 


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What skills will you acquire

The primary goal of OUTit Art Lab is to develop and enhance the professional capabilities of artists and cultural operators working in public spaces. The project forms professionals with specific and advanced skills, preparing them to face contemporary challenges and fully seize creative and career opportunities in the field.

The training pathway is designed to cultivate a broad spectrum of abilities, in line with the most current frameworks for professional development such as the European EntreComp model. This framework defines entrepreneurship as the capacity to act upon opportunities and ideas to create (social, cultural, financial) value in any context. The competencies you’ll acquire at OUTit Art Lab reflect this holistic vision and will enable you to:

  • Technical‑specialist skills
    Gain solid knowledge in artistic event management, budgeting, project management, marketing, industry regulations (including workplace safety), and production techniques.
  • Transversal (soft) skills
    Develop teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, time management, and interpersonal skills.
  • Innovation and adaptability
    Enhance your ability to innovate, respond to emerging challenges, and diversify your professional opportunities.
  • Interdisciplinary knowledge
    Benefit from input by experts in anthropology, urban planning, and urban regeneration—essential for creating artistic projects that respond to community needs and integrate performing arts in public spaces.
  • Networking and mobility
    Build national and international professional networks, facilitating entry into key sector hubs and mobility experiences.
  • Sustainability
    Learn how to integrate sustainable practices into creative processes, reflecting on the environmental impact of productions.

Picture these skills as a versatile tool kit: you’ll not only learn to use the traditional tools of your art or cultural management but also how to build new ones, adapting to new ground and anticipating future needs.

Who is it primarily for

OUTit Art Lab is open to 30 participants, namely:

Emerging artists and performing arts professionals (theater, dance, music, contemporary circus, street arts) who wish to specialize in public space creation—ranging from young talents to established artists seeking to expand their repertoire.

Cultural operators and sector professionals, event and festival organizers, cultural space managers and others interested in specializing in the management and promotion of socially impactful public art projects.

How to apply

Applications for OUTit Art Lab follow a curriculum-based selection process aimed at ensuring inclusivity and awarding scholarships covering international mobility costs. To apply, simply fill out the online form below.

Who is supporting it

OUTit Art Lab is an initiative supported by the Compagnia di San Paolo’s Training Guidelines, co-funded by:

  • Italian Ministry of Culture via MIC FNSV
  • Piedmont Region
  • Fondazione CRT

The project also benefits from PNRR funding (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) for digital transition, which enabled the development of the online platform.

Declaration of Interest

Welcome to the declaration of interest form for OutIT ARTLab. Imagine this form as a filter for an exploration: we are not yet asking for a full registration, but we are providing an interactive map of our "training territory" and asking which paths, as a traveler, you might want to take. Every selection, from your profile to the module, is a sign on the map that helps us better guide the explorer towards their training destination. If you are interested, you will be contacted directly for a brief orientation interview and to discuss technical and economic aspects in more detail.

If you are a freelancer, leave this field blank.
Select the profile that best describes you.
You can choose to follow the entire program or select specific modules of your interest.
Select the modules of your interest.

I consent to the processing of my personal data in accordance with privacy regulations (EU Regulation 2016/679 - GDPR) for the purposes related to this declaration of interest and the sending of communications regarding the OutIT ARTLab program. The data collected will generate a lead in our CRM.

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