Sculpture – Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technology Programme

Learning Objectives

The second-level academic diploma course in Sculpture builds upon the three-year course. It offers research-focused training enriched by experience in the field of environmental sculpture, specifically aimed at wider enjoyment in urban and natural spaces. The course of study is tailored to the knowledge and use of the most advanced technologies, both in terms of design and technical implementation.
The second-level Diploma in Sculpture offers two specific training programmes, but addresses the most pressing environmental issues relating to ecology and sustainability, responding to the social and cultural urgencies of the world from an international perspective. Accordingly, it develops both manual sculpting methodologies and high-tech tools applied in various fields of science and industry and adapted to artistic research. Students acquire strategic knowledge through interdisciplinary projects and workshops, both at national and international level. During the training programme, students will find multidisciplinary opportunities aimed at learning about the most advanced technologies applied to materials for the creation of large-scale works and those with a high technical and expressive finish. The learning objectives are divided into two specific areas: Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technology; and Environmental Sculpture and Lapis Tiburtinus. The Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies course aims to offer a study programme focused on the poetics of space, understood as a relational place and environmental habitat interpreted through sculptural works. The training programme provides knowledge of sculptural technologies applied to public spaces, the study of the requirements of public sculpture in its environmental function, and knowledge of the basic rules for participating in public art competitions where the inclusion of sculptures, commemorative monuments, and other landmarks capable of characterising public buildings, urban spaces, gardens, and other public places is required. The sculptures designed for these locations must serve as important references on a social, relational, economic and environmental level. In keeping with these qualities, students will be able to apply their knowledge by taking advantage of opportunities in Italy provided by specific laws such as the 2% law. The aim of the course is to create a network of knowledge and establish active contact with innovative industries in the production of materials, and the expertise of professionals from different sectors and skills in order to achieve high production quality and artistic design expertise. The high level of training offered by the workshops contributes to the student’s education even beyond the Academy, allowing students to gain hands-on experience and experiment with sophisticated tools used in industrial centres in line with technological developments, as well as advanced applications of research in terms of materials. The subjects covered in the training programme offer an extremely flexible educational path that is open to the type of research most relevant to the student’s interests, but also highly cutting-edge if the student requires advanced knowledge in the application of new technologies associated with the artistic process. The learning objective of the two-year course in Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies is the knowledge and application of advanced research methodologies, which are particularly strategic in the application of new materials and in the sustainable evolution of sculptural projects, with a well-structured model for the development of artistic projects promoted in external laboratories and workshops.
Students are involved in a number of exhibitions, public competitions and institutional projects of a public environmental nature, in parks, museums and urban locations, both nationally and internationally, with alternative research-based learning projects within the Erasmus or Interinstitutional International programmes. The many international projects offered as part of the educational programme aim to broaden the students’ horizons beyond national borders, encouraging a relationship of trust between art and knowledge, between learning and experience. An openness to internationalisation is a key feature of the advanced training course in Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies. The second-level Academic Diploma course specialising in Environmental Sculpture and Lapis Tiburtinus aims to define a pathway of environmental sculpture in the city and landscape, offering a study programme aimed at creating permanent sculpture trails, and to focus attention on the stone of Rome, Lapis Tiburtinus, or Roman travertine. A tangible proposal to promote a resource in the Lazio region in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts in the Capital. The objective of the course is to prepare students for direct engagement in the field with landscape design and with the aid of specific
stone materials, promoting workshops, art trails in nature, participation in public and private competitions, and the creation of urban furnishings. Research activities and agreements with external bodies are encouraged, especially in parks, gardens and art forests. Another unique feature of the course is the study of historical and archaeological environmental heritage, with a programme of learning and training in the conservation of stone sculptures, looking at works from the past and the present day, focusing specifically on stone and Lapis Tiburtinus, enabling students to carry out their work directly and independently and/or to follow the work competently. The study and knowledge of the place where the sculpture will be created is fundamental for enhancing the landscape. Its purpose is to offer students the opportunity to create works of art in permanent cultural trails in nature, which are in perfect harmony with their surroundings.

Final assessment

The final assessment consists of the presentation of a project with an original artistic piece, consisting of the production of an artistic project in the form of an environmental installation documented by project research and two other projects/or three unpublished sculptural works. The final artistic project demonstrates the student’s ability to develop artistic awareness and workshop skills. The artistic production project incorporates materials that illustrate the methodological and analytical aspects of creative language in comparing the aesthetic values that characterise artistic products from the past to contemporary art. The student must produce a theoretical, historical-critical thesis on a specific topic agreed upon with the supervisor.
The theoretical-practical exam is carried out under the guidance of specialist lecturers.

Career prospects

Graduates of the School will pursue professional activities in a variety of fields: in freelance artistic work, in the field of visual arts research and creative activities as structured in higher education institutions, as well as collaborating, in relation to various fields of application, in the planning, design and implementation of sculptural interventions and research of various kinds and applications, with particular attention to architecture, urban planning and natural, public and private spaces. Working with the right organisations, the Academy will set up the best work placements and apprenticeships to help students develop the skills they need for the job market. Through its two training programmes, the School of Sculpture offers students the opportunity to channel their career goals into their training, with the chance to pursue a specific path. Interested students can outline their professional profile, following training models that cover knowledge of technologies, materials and applications. With a view to advanced knowledge, it will be possible to undertake interdisciplinary research in the fields of design, architecture, urban planning, science and environmental communication, with the aim of specialising in expressive language using the most advanced technologies and skills. Students wishing to pursue professional training in stoneworking skills can enrol in the two-year course in Environmental Sculpture and Lapis Tiburtinus. Alternatively, they can choose the two-year course in Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies, which offers advanced training with specific preparation and the acquisition of professional skills that can be applied in the field of public and non-public sculpture.

Knowledge and understanding

Students enrolled in the two-year sculpture course must acquire knowledge and demonstrate through practical exercises their ability to understand and develop new research processes. Considering both sculpture courses in Public and Environmental Sculpture and Sculpture and Lapis Tiburtinus, the following training criteria are guaranteed: knowledge of the criteria relating to environmental, public, social and humanitarian space, in order to develop pieces in step with the times and demonstrate a comprehensive professional approach to work with depth of insight and knowledge. The Course in Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies provides students with cutting-edge tools and skills tailored to the needs of public clients, both for the creative design of works that interact with public spaces and for the resolution of technical problems, while respecting the highest standards of art, imagination and contemporary vision. Comprehension skills are developed during the Environmental Sculpture and Lapis Tiburtinus course through specific field experiences in quarries or symposiums dedicated to environmental sculpture in stone.

Applying knowledge and understanding

Graduates must have the ability to observe and analyse works of art. The Course in Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies showcases the work of contemporary artists, helping students to apply the knowledge they have acquired to create original works using advanced technologies. Experimentation and research provide suitable tools for the individual development of artworks, with a sensitive and analytical approach to cultural and environmental heritage. Knowledge of a wide range of materials, from the most traditional to the most technological, redesigned with an innovative flair, enables the best possible application of original ideas.

Independent thinking (making judgements)

The Diploma course in Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies focuses on a high degree of freedom, creative autonomy and independent thinking. Educational experiences help to develop individual awareness, enabling students to form independent, critical judgements, including the ability to find solutions and interpretative answers to public and environmental issues, social and ethical topics, or ecological and scientific questions.

Communication skills

The aim of the two-year specialist courses in sculpture is to develop specific language skills through carefully selected specialisations in sculpture. The aim is to offer students the opportunity to express their expressive and communicative skills to the fullest from different points of view: artistic sensitivity, technical ability and interaction with the user. Furthermore, with regard to communication skills, the two-year sculpture course prepares students for interaction with the outside world, by engaging in various activities and opportunities outside the academic setting. With its numerous academic activities, workshops, symposiums, art courses and exhibitions, the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome is reaching out to the wider community. Many initiatives have been established over the past decade involving sculpture and its inclusion in outdoor environments, with both temporary and permanent projects. The two-year course acts as an incubator for art communication, with a particular focus on sculpture in the context of the environment, the city and the landscape. The objective is to design and understand the location where the sculpture will be created. A study project aimed at creating works of art by the students, in harmony with the location. The course in Environmental Sculpture and Lapis Tiburtinus specifically aims to focus attention on Rome’s stone, Lapis Tiburtinus, or Roman Travertine, as a potential resource not only for the Lazio area, but also for the Academy of Fine Arts in the capital itself. Over time, many Italian and foreign students have left their mark on the Academy by creating permanent works of art in Lapis Tiburtinus at places of art and nature. The course in Public Environmental Sculpture and New Technologies has also collaborated over time with local authorities, public institutions, public gardens and urban parks, national and international museums, and botanical gardens, thereby highlighting its research work with pieces that have been praised both in Italy and abroad. The aim of the Sculpture Course in each of its forms is to prepare students to compete in public and private competitions, creating works of urban art and more. Hands-on experience enables students to carry out their work independently and/or follow the work competently. Furthermore, professional communication skills include dialogue with: the Habitat, the user and the material. During the two-year course, students attend workshops and participate in artistic production projects in collaboration with La Sapienza University, the Lazio Region, local authorities and public venues. Projects open to experimentation and exchange through the art of sculpture, creating artworks in nature trails, public parks, gardens, and art forests with both national and international projects. Owing to this wealth of experience and research, students become ambassadors of ideas through sculpture. Graduates must be able to communicate and present their work professionally, with design ideas, solve technical problems with creative thinking and seek solutions by engaging with stakeholders, public and private clients, specialists and professionals. Ability to manage independent and joint projects responsibly. Interdisciplinary study and fieldwork with external projects prepares students to communicate their creative work with growing professional awareness.

Learning skills

Graduates must have developed the learning skills and experience necessary to undertake professional work and artistic research, laying the groundwork for further studies such as master’s degrees and research doctorates, with a high degree of autonomy and maturity.