- The pilot project will select European and international artists to undertake residencies in Extremadura during 2026
Cáceres 2031 has launched the international call for Rural Labs, a pilot program of artistic residencies that will connect European and international artists with rural communities and cultural spaces in Extremadura. The initiative is part of theprogramming promoted by the Cáceres European Capital of Culture 2031 Consortium and seeks to strengthen the dialogue between contemporary creation, territory, sustainability, and European cooperation.
The call for applications will remain open until May 31, 2026, and will select artists to develop research, creation, or artistic mediation processes in various rural and peripheral locations in the province of Cáceres between July and November 2026.
Rural Labs was created as a commitment to decentralizing culture and activating European connections from the Extremadura region, in line with the Cáceres 2031 cultural strategy and the principles of the European Capitals of Culture. The program focuses on situated artistic practices that are sensitive to the landscape, memory, local communities, and contemporary rural ways of life.
The Venues
After receiving more than fifteen applications from cultural spaces in the region, an international committee of experts has selected three host venues for this first edition: Ras de Terra, in La Vera; Mudarte, in the Aldea Moret neighborhood ofCáceres; and La Sindicalista Estudio Cáceres.
The residencies will offer selected participants accommodation, meals, workspace, production support, and curatorial and community guidance. Each artist will also receive a stipend of 800 euros per residency and funding for internationaltravel.
The call for applications is open to visual artists, performers, sound artists, researchers, cultural mediators, and professionals in interdisciplinary practices interested in working within the context of cultural exchange and rural areas. Completely finished projects are not required; proposals open to dialogue with the territory and local communities will be especially valued.
Among the selected venues are Ras de Terra, a cultural center located in the La Vera region that works at the intersection of art, sustainability, and rural territory, and is part of the New European Bauhaus movement. Also participating isMudarte, a socio-cultural space located in Aldea Moret focused on the performing arts, music, and community processes linked to the neighborhood’s working-class and mining history. The program is completed by La Sindicalista EstudioCáceres, a space dedicated to contemporary visual arts and to the processes of artistic creation and research from a critical perspective.
As part of the residency, each artist will carry out a free public activity in dialogue with the local context, which may take the form of workshops, open presentations, community gatherings, conversations, or process demonstrations.
Applications can be submitted through the following link: https://tinyurl.com/opencallrurallabs
Toda la información se puede encontrar en el siguiente enlace: https://tinyurl.com/inforurallabs
For any questions or inquiries, artists can write to hello@caceres2031.org
