Master in Etching Techniques

Project location: Italy, Rome
Project start date: October 2009 - Project end date: October 2010
Project number: 2009-35
Beneficiary: Fondazione “Laboratorio 2RC – Officina Contemporaneo”

In July 2009 the Municipality of Viareggio granted the 2RC Foundation - Contemporary Art Workshop an ideal space to carry out their activities at the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art located in the historic Palazzo delle Muse. The uniqueness of the place and the local presence of international relief prints led the Foundation to establish a new headquarters in Viareggio for the Master in etching technique.
The project now therefore has 4 locations: Rome, Viareggio, Florence and Beijing. The Rome office is still the reference point for artists and students who do not have the opportunity to move to Tuscany, and the headquarters in China continues to prepare young talents on the eastern base of etching techniques.

The space at the Palazzo delle Muse is under construction and funding were received by the PIUSS (Sustainable Urban Development Plan) which will help to complete its work by December 2010, in time for the 2010/2011 academic year. The studio is currently located in the courtyard of the Galleria and outer space has been renovated to better accommodate the needs of the Foundation. The equipment is ready to be installed while the two presses will be available as soon as operational. Inside the building a residence was also set up that could accommodate international artists hosted by the Foundation.

The Foundation is currently busy to set a different course, at a Master's level, in English, which lasts one academic year in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. The designated premises for the laboratory as a place of teaching practical techniques will be Viareggio, and the Florence location will be for strictly educational training.
The course will be open to students from all over the world who specialize in the history and technique of etching press. Admission to the Master course will be possible after completing the first degree.

2010 was a particularly fruitful year for the workshop held by the Foundation 2RC in Beijing. The experience has allowed dozens of Chinese students to successfully study alongside Valter and Eleonora Rossi, learning the art of Acquaforte engraving and assisting the Chinese artist Liu Ye in the implementation of two recently published prints.
After the first two years of testing in China, the leaders of the workshop are now able to acquire on-site raw materials in order to avoid the costly importation of such materials from Europe. The third year workshop (2011) will be carried out with less uncertainty and lower costs, which will extend the program to a larger number of apprentices in a study of adequate size and with the facilities now fully operational.