The Art Monastery Project is a radical contemporary experiment in social sculpture inspired by tradition: to apply the disciplined, contemplative, and sustainable monastic way of living to the creative process.

An Italian non-profit association with an American arm, the Art Monastery Project is a group of artists transforming an historic monastery outside Rome (Calvi dell’Umbria, Italy) into an international arts production center. The vision of the project is to establish a long-term community that applies the collaborative and intentional “social sculpture” of monastic life to art-making rather than religion. Our strategy is to apply disciplined efficiency, contemplative serenity, and ecological sustainability to art production.

Our purpose is to produce art that is relevant to the contemporary world yet is informed and inspired by tradition. The long-term community provides the backbone of the culture while a short-term community (such as traditional artist residency programs, workshops, youth and adult camps, and festivals) punctuate the daily rhythms with new energy, ideas, and collaborations.

Attracting international artists who are inspired to work in a beautiful Italian location, The Art Monastery Project provides an ideal environment for the creation of excellent work. Not only is the artist freed from the concerns of daily life to focus purely upon art-making, but she is also working within a stimulating community of artists and staff that maximize the impact of their work.