Studying Fine Arts and Design at MADE means learning from creative professionals, working in top level MADE studio spaces, and drawing inspiration from the Mediterranean Basin. Consider the constantly changing role of visual arts and technological transformations in our culture and develop your understanding of practical techniques and processes.
Subject Offerings
- Art
- Architecture
- Ceramics
- Design
- Fashion
- Graphic
- Interior
- Set
- Sound
- Film
- Music
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Urban Planning
Art & Design Track
MADE aims to work at the crossroads of design, art, traditional crafts, and local culture. Designed for both fine arts & design and non-fine arts & design majors, this program offers the students a multifaceted experience through a diverse array of accredited programs covering everything from Design (including Graphic, Fashion, Sound, Product, Interior, Set Design, and Urban Planning) to Fine Arts, such as Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Videomaking, and Photography. This track is strongly integrated with the MADE BA Programs in Design, Visual Arts, and Fashion, allowing study abroad students to take classes and learn alongside Italian students in English.
Spring 2026 Art & Design Courses
- Graphic Design: Sicilian Traces. Designing a Living Font
- Ceramics: Technique and Intuition in the Art of Making
- Local Craft for Global Product Design
- The Conquer(ing) of Space
- Introduction to Analogue Photography
- Introduction to Digital Photography
- Intermediate Photography
- Advanced Photography
- Video Production
- Sound Design
- Artisanal Fashion and Experimental Design
- Illustration: Find Your Own Voice
- Life Drawing
- Painting: See-Feel Sicily
- Performing Arts: Movement, Sound and Scenic Design
- Performing Arts: Staging Stories
- Costume Design
- Environmental Art: Relational Cartographies
- Sustainable Food Systems in Sicily
- Decolonizing Iconography
Course Descriptions
Graphic Design: Sicilian Traces. Designing a Living Font
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
We all leave traces—whether through movement, communication, listening, eating, or simply living. The traces imprinted in the urban landscape contribute to altering and shaping its identity over time. Starting from the idea that crafting letterforms is deeply intertwined with the memory of a place while holding the potential to develop a new symbolic language, during this course students will collect these traces within the specific urban environment of Syracuse and use them as inspiration to create an original analog typeface. This typeface will then serve as the foundation for poetic and visual compositions that reimagine the identity of a place, making it more coherent with its authentic character.
Through hands-on activities, students will gain the skills necessary to conceptualize and design an original typeface, developing practical notions to design and technical understanding of type as an expressive and functional tool.
Throughout the course, students will develop a series of expressive typographic compositions, showcasing their custom-designed typeface in poetic and pictorial formats. These compositions will explore the interplay between form, space, and meaning, reflecting the identity and character of the urban traces that inspired them.
Ceramics: Technique and Intuition in the Art of Making
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
In this course, students acquire the foundational skills needed to build their own artistic development in the field of ceramics, engaging in a process that is inherently experiential and hands-on. Through the careful selection of clays, mastery of decorative techniques, and skillful interaction with elements such as fire and oxides, students are introduced to a vast spectrum of conceptual and decorative possibilities. These techniques enable exploration and experimentation that are essential to the art of both sculptural ceramics and pottery, allowing students to develop a unique approach that combines traditional craftsmanship with personal artistic expression. This course thus encourages students to embrace ceramics as a functional medium and a dynamic art form that supports both creative freedom and technical proficiency.
Local Craft for Global Product Design
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Sicilian handicrafts have long been linked to folkloric and traditional imagery. However, a contemporary movement is reimagining these cultural symbols, transforming local materials and techniques into products that speak a global language. This course invites students to explore and analyze Sicilian materials and production methods, reinterpreting them through developing a product or a small collection of objects. Students will design and create prototypes that bring fresh relevance to Sicilian craftsmanship in a modern, international context.
Throughout the course, students will learn about Sicily’s rich artisan history by examining traditional creations such as ceramics, textiles, and decorative crafts. The curriculum combines lectures, hands-on workshops, and visits to local artisan studios and museums, including the Ecomuseo di Interesse Regionale "I Luoghi del Lavoro Contadino e dei Mestieri" (The Regional Ecomuseum of Rural Labor and Crafts), offering an ethnographic itinerary through the towns of Buscemi and Palazzolo Acreide. Students will also visit the Mulino ad acqua "Santa Lucia", a historic water mill in Palazzolo Acreide, for an immersive experience in traditional production techniques. Guest lectures from renowned Sicilian artisans will further immerse students in the cultural and technical heritage of the region.
As students develop their own designs, they will learn to balance historical and cultural significance with the demands of contemporary design and sustainability, considering how traditional methods can be adapted for today’s global market. Projects will encourage students to explore sustainable design principles, aiming to create innovative yet culturally respectful reinterpretations of classic Sicilian forms.
* Please note: Counts for the International Migration Studies Certificate
The Conquer(ing) of Space
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Cities are intrinsically linked with their spaces and what happens in them. Starting from the reality of spaces, we see the city as a stage for situations. Situations are a set of conditions: informally, accidentally, or potentially planned. The aim of the course is to question critically the realm of existing realities, changing the perception of the ordinary through an investigation of the anatomy of the space, built or not built, defined or not defined, connected or disconnected. We rely on the potential of design to reconnect broken spaces and reopen them to experience.
In this course, students will consider the unique relationship between spaces and the people who interact with them, analyzing the impact a setting can have on human activity and experience. As a case study, students will examine the spaces around Syracuse, analyzing how they shape their interactions with and impressions of the city. They will contemplate how the spaces in Syracuse interplay with behavior, customs, and daily life for the local community, tourists, and visitors. Students will then create their own designs, proposing adaptations to public spaces that could improve the human experience.
Coursework will involve theoretical context for urban planning as well as practical projects, utilizing critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. Throughout the course, students will continually return to the concept of "design for change," to build a deeper understanding of how creativity can impact society.
Introduction to Analogue Photography
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
How does an analog camera work? How does photographic material work? What do you need to know to develop and print traditional black-and-white films? What is a view camera, and how does it work? We will explore the essential concepts and techniques for using the photographic medium with confidence and in a creative, expressive way. Students will develop a working vocabulary of basic analog photography, allowing them to interface with the darkroom workflow and the technical aspects of their camera. They will cover all basic black-and-white processes, from film development to darkroom printing. A special focus on view cameras will give the students a different approach to photography. In the final part of the course, students will implement their greater technical know-how and more critical eye into developing an individual work exploring the most secret and unknown spots of Siracusa. The final aim is to create a choral project and an end-of-course exhibition.
Introduction to Digital Photography
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
The course covers the fundamental theory and techniques of digital photography, exploring the functionality of DSLR cameras as well as the latest mirrorless models. Students will also learn to use the Adobe Photography Suite, gaining a solid foundation in Photoshop and Lightroom.
Throughout various shooting sessions, the course will introduce the main portrait lighting schemes, which students will learn to replicate in the studio and outdoors. They will also become familiar with essential photographic equipment, such as reflector panels and diffusers.
In the final part of the course, students will apply their enhanced technical skills and refined critical eye to developing an individual project exploring hidden and lesser-known corners of Siracusa. The ultimate goal is to create a collaborative project culminating in an end-of-course exhibition.
Intermediate Photography
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
The course provides a comprehensive understanding of digital photography encouraging students to combine personal aesthetic choices with technical skills to create a personal photography project on a topic of their choosing. Students will expand their knowledge and creative skills through fieldwork, critique, readings, and photography assignments. From concept to capturing to presentation, they will understand the meaning of creating visual stories with photographs while exploring how their work can become a zine.
Advanced Photography
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
This course examines the evolving nature of photography in the digital era, focusing on post- photography and networked images. Through a combination of theoretical lectures and case studies, students will explore how contemporary artists challenge traditional photographic practices, redefining the medium in response to digital technologies and online platforms. The course emphasizes critical analysis and practical applications, equipping students with the skills needed to interpret and engage with contemporary image culture. Assignments will include the creation of a photo book, a conceptual short film project, and a multimedia installation, allowing students to experiment with different narrative structures and presentation formats.
This course is intended for students who have already begun developing an artistic or research- based approach to photography or related visual disciplines. While prior experience in photography is beneficial, the course welcomes students from diverse creative backgrounds interested in expanding their critical engagement with visual media. Participants should be prepared to present one of their project for analysis and refinement.
Taking inspiration from Lars von Trier’s film The Five Obstructions, the course is organized into four key stages, each designed to push students beyond their conventional practices. Assignments will require students to reinterpret and recontextualize their projects through different theoretical frameworks and technical approaches, effectively putting their work through a “stress test” that challenges both conceptual and aesthetic boundaries.
Video Production
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of audiovisual language, guiding students through the technical, conceptual, and artistic aspects of digital video production. Structured in three phases - Research & Concept Development, Production Techniques, and Post-Production & Final Project - it encourages experimentation and the development of a unique artistic voice. Each phase will include a practical assessment to consolidate the skills acquired. By the end of the program, students will have developed the ability to conceive, produce, and finalize a digital video project, integrating storytelling, technical expertise, and creative innovation.
Sound Design
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
The course offers an introduction to the art and practice of sound design, field recording, and the creation of soundscapes. Students will learn how to build sounds and sound effects from scratch, exploring the technical and creative processes involved in capturing, manipulating, and organizing sound to craft immersive audio experiences. Through both theoretical discussions and hands-on projects, students will develop an understanding of the narrative potential of sound across mediums such as art installations, dance, music and film.
Artisanal Fashion and Experimental Design
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Far from Sight, Close to the Heart is a course in Artisanal Fashion and Experimental Design that offers an in-depth exploration of craftsmanship through a hands-on approach, bridging heritage techniques with contemporary design. Rooted in Sicily’s rich textile traditions, the course guides students through an immersive material research process, technical experimentation, and creative development. From the study of Sicilian cotton cultivation to embroidery and historical costume analysis, participants will engage with expert artisans, visit specialized workshops, and experiment with textile manipulation techniques.
During the course, students will be guided through the design process of a personal creation, applying techniques learned from local artisans. The final works will be presented in a collective exhibition, showcasing each student’s creative journey through visual storytelling and material experimentation.
Illustration: Find Your Own Voice
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Taking chances, making mistakes, playing, going beyond your limits, and being free are all essential steps in developing your imagination, language, and artistic voice.
This course is structured around a series of theoretical lectures and practical exercises aimed at building solid technical foundations as a starting point for a deeper stylistic exploration. Find Your Own Voice is designed to help illustrators and designers refine and strengthen their unique artistic identity—both in analog and digital illustration—while also equipping them with the skills to manage a complete project from concept to final presentation.
Through hands-on exercises and research, students will gradually assemble an artist’s sketchbook, a visual diary that documents their stylistic evolution and personal creative process. The final project will focus on designing a music album cover, a piece that will serve as the emblem and culmination of their artistic journey, reflecting the distinct voice they have developed throughout the course.
This structured approach will guide students in refining their artistic expression by working on technique, materials, composition, and color palettes, while also encouraging them to explore new possibilities and push beyond their creative comfort zones. In addition to artistic and stylistic growth, the course fosters essential professional skills by simulating a real commissioned project, allowing students to experience the full process—from conceptualization to final proposal—while learning how to effectively communicate their creative choices.
Life Drawing
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Representation is the primordial tool for translating and visually communicating thoughts and ideas, as well as interpreting reality deciphered through a graphic code. Drawing is an instrument that facilitates understanding the logic of forms, their nature, and the principles defining their essence, allowing their secrets to be translated into additional transmittable codes.
Representation, as a medium of visual communication, is primarily a language - a language enabling experimentation with expressions and attitudes, as well as the dissemination of knowledge, information, and intentions.
This course aims to stimulate students’ progressive awareness of the exploratory potential of representation as a visual expression of ideas and a means of decoding visual data. Beginning with transcribing reality through the practice of hand drawing from life, the observation of the reality of forms provides an opportunity for students to develop abstract thinking in representation. This allows them to transform stimuli, intuitions, and creative tensions into precise project data.
Painting: See-Feel Sicily
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
The "See_Feel Sicily" painting course offers a dynamic and immersive approach to the art of painting, guiding students through the creation of a series of works that will culminate in a collective exhibition at the end of the program.
Starting with the fundamentals of painting and an introduction to essential materials, the course gradually moves towards the development of a personalized artistic series. Inspired by the Syracuse region and its key historical and cultural figures, students will explore these subjects through their own international perspectives, translating their observations into visual expression.
The course is structured in two phases:
1. "Paint What You See" – Focused on technical and observational skills, this phase encourages students to create detailed representations of their surroundings, emphasizing proportion, composition, and precision.
2. "Paint What You Feel" – A conceptual stage that invites students to reimagine their subjects by exploring emotional and sensory responses, allowing for creative reinterpretation and personal expression.
The course will conclude with a collective exhibition in the MADE Program's exhibition space, showcasing the entire body of work produced.
Depending on the student's level of experience, the course will be tailored to include different theoretical, technical, and practical concepts, supporting their artistic and professional growth.
Performing Arts: Movement, Sound and Scenic Design
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
This immersive course explores the concept of "slow life" through the lens of movement-based performance art, focusing on the therapeutic and psychological benefits of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Participants will explore the natural elements of the Sicilian territory, using these resources to embark on a therapeutic journey that connects mind and body. Through movement therapy in open spaces, sound healing in nature, hands-on scenic design using recycled materials, and meditation practices, students will engage deeply with the region's cultural heritage. Exercises such as "Colors of Emotions", "Painting in Movement", "Scenographic Expression", "The Stage as a Three-Dimensional Space", "Performer as a Scenic Element", and "Emotions of Interactive Scenography" will guide participants through a holistic exploration of self and environment. The course culminates in a final performance, integrating all explored elements, to be shared with students of the local academy and the broader community.
Performing Arts: Staging Stories
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
This immersive theatre and storytelling course focuses on the development of creative performance skills through the exploration of personal, contemporary, and historical narratives. Through a collaborative process, participants will construct a collective collage of stories, using diverse local settings to inspire and shape their work.
Activities will take place in various evocative locations, including the Archaeological Park of Neapolis, the historic island of Ortigia, and the coastal landscapes of Siracusa Alta.
The course provides an opportunity to push creative boundaries, engage with diverse storytelling forms, experiment with site-responsive performance techniques in characteristic and historical environments of Syracuse, exploring the intersection of history, space, and narrative in a dynamic creative process.
Costume Design
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the art and craft of costume design, blending historical, theoretical, and practical approaches. Students will explore the evolution of costume through a series of theoretical lessons that delve into the history of fashion and its role in shaping cultural narratives, with a particular focus on its application in Theatre and Cinema.
Through hands-on exercises, participants will be guided in mastering the principles and elements of costume design, learning how to translate ideas into visual narratives. Emphasis will be placed on the development of rendering techniques, as well as research methods, to effectively communicate design choices both visually and verbally.
Environmental Art: Relational Cartographies
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Relational Cartographies is a research-based course that uses sensory art and alternative mapping methods to examine the complex and layered interactions between humans and the environment, focusing on a specifically on the Augusta-Priolo-Melilli area (located just north of the city of Syracuse), home to one of Europe's largest petrochemical complexes, which remains largely unknown to the general public, yet it unveils an invisible Sicily—one that is both fascinating and haunting in its contrasts and paradoxes.
Through participatory and narrative cartography, students will engage with local knowledge to map not only the physical landscape but also the history, collective memories, and sociopolitical dynamics that define the area. Mapping will be used as a critical tool to bring together art and design with social and environmental sciences to explore interdisciplinary ways of documenting, understanding, and reimagining complex territories affected by industrialization and environmental degradation.
Sustainable Food Systems in Sicily
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
Food serves as a fundamental link between the body and the landscape, shaping our understanding of the environment not as something external, but as an intrinsic part of our very composition.
This course offers the students a site-based understanding of sustainable food production practices in contemporary Sicily. Different aspects of sustainability in food systems (local production, zero waste, organic and regenerative agriculture, fair trade and wages, food production as a means for social integration) will be explored through a multidisciplinary and multisensory approach encompassing a historical overview of Sicilian food systems, field visits to local case-studies, artistic laboratories, cooking workshops, theoretical notions related to the multiple dimensions of sustainability.
Through an exploration of personal connections to land, food, and local traditions, students will reflect on their place within a complex, interconnected ecosystem, redefining the landscape as an extension of the self rather than a passive backdrop. They will experiment with their chosen medium to create a poetic and personal interpretation of the processes, field visits, and case studies explored. The course will culminate in a participatory, performative dinner - where eating becomes an act of shared responsibility and transformation - accompanied by the presentation of individual student works.
Decolonizing Iconography
Credit Hours: 6 ECTS
This course investigates visual culture through the lens of decolonial and postcolonial theory, emphasizing the collective dimensions of iconography as a means to interrogate and reinterpret contemporary imagery. Through studying key texts by Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak, students will engage with foundational postcolonial concepts such as cosmopolitanism, diaspora, and the enduring legacies of colonialism in visual representation.
Drawing on methodologies from visual studies—a multidisciplinary field encompassing iconography, anthropology, cultural studies, and media studies—the course examines how images shape and are shaped by histories of power, colonialism, and resistance, offering students the tools to analyze, interpret, and challenge dominant visual narratives.
Central themes include the politics of public art, the resignification of contested monuments, and the global migration of symbols and allegories. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, and critical discussions, students will explore the transformative potential of visual narratives, rethinking their role in shaping collective memory, identity, and cultural power dynamics.