Open call: Study trip Milan & Florence
Crafting Relations in the Arts: Curating in an Ecological Economy
(27–30 November 2025)
Offered by the Centre for Continuing Education, Zurich University of the Arts
Organization: Dr Ronald Kolb in collaboration with Lynn Guo
Fees: 850 CHF (reduced), 1050 CHF (regular)
Application deadline: 20 October 2025
The intensive course is awarded with 2 ECTS points.
Further information: https://direc.to/nr68
What to expect
This four-day study trip to Florence and Milan invites participants to explore artistic and curatorial practices that rethink the role of art beyond the object – towards situated production, ecological thinking and collective processes of artistic production
We will visit museums, exhibitions and independent projects and meet artists and scholars, with a particular focus on projects that challenge the separation between “high art” and “low art”, explore alternative economies and create space for transdisciplinary learning between art, craft and livelihood.
Florence, long associated with the Renaissance ideal of the autonomous artist – embodied by Leonardo da Vinci – provides the historical framework for questioning the role of art and craft in contemporary art. Milan, as an important centre for design, fashion and material innovation, offers a complementary perspective: it highlights craft, technology and production as central elements of the cultural economy.
In this study trip, we focus on ecological, site-specific and community-based artistic strategies and highlight craftsmanship, technology and production as central elements of the cultural economy and contemporary art. We explore spaces where art, production and activism interact and engage with post-industrial forms of making.
Together, Florence and Milan form a dynamic field for investigating how artistic and creative practices respond to ecological, economic and epistemological challenges – not through spectacle, but through embedded, collective and sustainable forms of work.
Application form here.
For inquiries, get in contact: ronald.kolb@zhdk.ch
Information on the next Study Trip to Lisbon in 2026, see here.
Please note: the program is subject to change.
Dr. Ronald Kolb (PhD) is Artistic Director of M.1 at the Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung, Hohenlockstedt, for the 2025/26 cycle. As an independent curator, transdisciplinary researcher and lecturer, he focuses on curatorial practices at the intersection of art, knowledge and society. He teaches curatorial practice in continuing education at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and is co-editor of the web journal On-Curating.org. His practice is characterised by the choreography of exhibitions and teaching formats as participatory spaces of knowledge.
Lynn Guo
Lynn Guo is a Chinese-Australian artist and curator born in Inner Mongolia and currently based in Florence, Italy, where she co-founded TIAC (The International Arts & Culture Group). Trained in classical figurative painting, her practice has evolved toward contemporary expression, exploring the essence of humanity. Alongside her artistic work, she deepened her expertise in curatorial practices at the Zurich University of the Arts, positioning herself at the intersection of creation, exhibition-making, and cultural mediation. Her dual identity as both artist and curator allows her to navigate the global art ecosystem with a unique perspective. Over the years, she has participated in and curated exhibitions and cultural projects across Europe, Australia, and China, fostering dialogue and building bridges between diverse artistic communities.
Captions: Study Trip Lugano & Milan, alongside via Padova with Francesca Marconi, March 2025.
