Open Studios 2026
The American Academy in Rome invites the public to experience the work of its Rome Prize and Italian Fellows during Open Studios 2026. This special event offers a rare opportunity to step inside their studios, discover the McKim, Mead & White Building and take part in performances.
One will discover a wide range of projects—from the effects of rising temperatures in Rome to petrification fountains; from submerged vessels to volcanic shores. The natural world is featured prominently through detailed taxonomies of fishes in ancient Rome and tactile encounters with natural materials to search for shade. Works also explore social tensions within public spaces and record sonic reverberations of ancient sites, marble quarries and Yup’ik Masks, while experimenting with etchings techniques, fragments, and performative objects. Research includes navigating the ideas of belonging and diaspora; acknowledging our fragmented self. Scale, gesture and composition will be constantly renegotiated.
Open to the public and shared globally through the Academy’s social media channels, the event marks the culmination of a dynamic year of creativity and exchange. It is both a celebration of artistic accomplishment and a window into the vibrant community fostered by the Academy’s 2025–26 Rome Prize winners and Italian Fellows.
Open Studios
18.00 – 22.00
Architecture
Mirko Andolina
Akima Brackeen
Cory Henry
Design
Heather Scott Peterson
Ginny Sims-Burchard
Environmental Arts and Humanities
Chuna McIntyre and Sean Mooney
Katharine Ogle and Adam Summers
Historic Preservation and Conservation
Claudia Chemello and Paul Mardikian
Landscape Architecture
Tameka Baba
Sean Burkholder and Karen Lutsky
Literature
Musical Composition
Lembit Beecher
Marta de Pascalis
Oswald Huỳnh
Visual Arts
Jennifer Bornstein
T.J. Dedeaux-Norris
Andrea Fraser
Liz Glynn
Heather Hart
Jefferson Pinder
Bass Garden Live Acts
19.30 – 20.45
Marta de Pascalis (Musical Composition)
David Keplinger (Literature)
Chuna McIntyre (Environmental Arts and Humanities)
Oswald Huỳnh (Musical Composition)
Maya Binyam (Literature)
Lembit Beecher (Musical Composition)
For access to the Academy, guests will be asked to show a valid photo ID. Backpacks and luggage with dimensions larger than 40 x 35 x 15 cm (16 x 14 x 6 in.) are not permitted on the property. There are no locker facilities available. You may not bring animals (with the exception of seeing-eye/guide dogs).
The Academy is accessible to wheelchair users and others who need to avoid stairs. Please email us at events@aarome.org if you or someone in your party uses a wheelchair or other mobility devices so that we can ensure the best possible visitor experience. If you are someone with a disability or medical condition that may require special accommodation, please also email us at events@aarome.org.