Under the guidance of Witty Books publisher Tommaso Parrillo, designer Giulia Boccarossa and PhMuseum curator Rocco Venezia, a selected group of photographers will be followed through the advanced phase of their projects with the goal of concluding a body of work and having it ready for publishing.
At the end of the 7-month masterclass, all participants will be ready to present their work to an international audience in the form of a dummy or a photobook. Furthermore, Witty Books will select one of the participants’ work to be published as a 500-edition photobook as part of its catalogue. Production will be fully financed by Witty Books, with a contribution from PhMuseum. The program will be conducted online, with one final gathering at PhMuseum Days International Photography Festival (Bologna, Italy) where photobooks and dummies will be exhibited.
To participate, simply fill in the form with your personal details, share a link to your portfolio and apply for free. If your application is successful, we will guide you to enroll in the program.
During 6 online group classes Tommaso Parrillo, Giulia Boccarossa and Rocco Venezia will give you a general grounding in the contemporary photobook world, editing strategies and design techniques to develop your project into a photobook.
The 2 online 60-min individual coaching sessions will give you time to engage in specific discussions aimed at working on your assignment ideas and improving your methods. Sessions are tailor-made according to your specific needs and that of your practice.
To grant you industry insight and offer complementary information, we have invited expert practitioners to host 12 interactive studio visits. They will disclose the methodologies behind their work and offer you a better understanding of their role in the industry. Scroll down to discover who they are. These sessions will also be joined by Criticae and Mediae Masterclasses participants.
At the end of the program, you are invited to your projects live on PhMuseum's Youtube channel. All the dummies produced by the participants will be displayed at PhMuseum Days. Moreover, Witty Books will select a work to be published in the form of a book. All participants will further benefit from dissemination opportunities through PhMuseum channels and connections.
Giulia Boccarossa (b. Pesaro, 1995) is an independent graphic designer and art director specializing in photography and art books based in Milan. She graduated from the faculty of Industrial Design at the UNIRSM-IUAV University of San Marino. Then she achieved a Master's Degree in Communication and Design for Publishing at ISIA in Urbino with a thesis entitled "Designer's role in the photo publishing industry: graphic designer's influence on the Italian photobook". Her projects obtained recognitions including the HISTORICAL BOOK AWARD 2020 by Les Rencontres d’Arles (winner), the ADI Index Catalog 2020 (finalist), the Marco Bastianelli Award 2020 (finalist), the Fedrigoni Top Award 2020 (finalist) and the PHotoESPAÑA Awards 2023 (finalist).
Tommaso Parrillo is an Italian publisher and founder of Witty Books, a publishing house founded with the name of Witty Kiwi in 2012, that aims to promote photography and visual arts. Since 2016 he is also co-founder of JEST, an independent space dedicated to enhancing culture and photography in Turin. He also teaches photography in institutions as IED Torino, private school and workshops.
Giuseppe Oliverio (Bologna, 1985) is the founder and artistic director of PhMuseum and PhMuseum Days. Since 2012, he has led workshops in Brazil, Italy, and Saudi Arabia and he has been a juror of awards such as Lucie Photo Book Prize, Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward, Blow Up Press Book Award, LensCulture Critics' Choice, United Photo Industry The Fence, and Cortona - Happiness OnTheMove. He has worked as a portfolio reviewer at festivals such as Unseen, Photo Vogue Festival, Fotografia Europea, and Visa Pour L'Image. He has written for TIME magazine and L'Uomo Vogue.