A Tuscan Residency. April 2009
I had planned the residency at La Meridiana (http://www.lameridiana.fi.) since the Portland, Oregon (200?) NCECA conference where I had met Claudia Bruhin (the administrator). On our initial drive through Italy in February we had stopped at La Meridiana for a few days to confirm residency dates and identify housing. Initially, the residency was to be six weeks in length and include a project with Pietro Maddalena (the resident artist) where he works with a group of High School kids and I would work with elementary children doing my whistle project. Prior to our departure, I received and email from Claudia that the building the project takes place had been designated for restoration so Pietro was cancelling till next year. Still the residency portion was still available.
Having had an Italian residency experience in Deruta, I came to La Meridiana (located near Certaldo) with expectations but also comparisons from Deruta. Like the differences between the provinces of Umbria and Tuscany, so are the differences between Scuola d’Arte Ceramica “Romano Ranieri” (http://www.schoolofceramics.org/) in Deruta and La Meridiana (http://www.lameridiana.it) in Tuscany.
After a rainy (fairly cold) weekend, I arrived in studio where Pietro provided a space in the corner of the community studio, a block of stoneware and a block of raku clay and a nod of approval for a creative endeavor. He was off to his private studio located on the other side of the farmhouse or to attend to the various chores of maintaining the property.
I have continued to explore the landfillart.com project in various clay bodies, made several simple pots with those same varieties and a couple of “rasta whistles” just for good measure. I usually arrive early in studio after a brisk mile walk along the country road overlooking the fog filled valleys of the rolling Tuscan hills. Pietro is usually the first to greet me in the studio and the other days I asked if he had a set of letter punches because I traditionally stamp my name of initial on the bottom of my pots. Pietro asked how I choose initial or name and I replied it was probably just of matter of whim. Because there were no letter stamps, I had the option to scribe my name with my favorite tool, the wooden vegetable skewer, and hence have been scribing same poems or thought of the day (often in Italian) on the bottom of the bowls.
During the second week of my reisidency at La Meridiana, a porcleian paperclay workshop began begin taught by Luca (last name). There were seven participants from various locations in the world with all speaking English in which the instructions were given. I was able to observe the process from my “residency corner” and also use the paperclay to make one mold for my landfillart.com project. It was enjoyable have a group of artist-students milling around the studio and re-captured the spirit of the Deruta studio.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuscany
April into May. Tuscany. 2009
With hearts sad, we moved on a rainy Saturday morning from our comfortable abode in Deruta to a rural farmhouse apartment in Tuscany. The small town is called Bagnano and is located about half way between the towns of Certaldo and Barbarieno. The night of our arrival the house was cold and damp and we longed for the warmth of Deruta. Fortunately, our British landlady Sally came to the rescue with some firewood for the kitchen stove and the warmth of the fire changed our spirits.
The next few weeks will revolve around my doing a residency art project at La Meridiana while the boys put a major push in cyber school with “MamaG” as head school master.
With hearts sad, we moved on a rainy Saturday morning from our comfortable abode in Deruta to a rural farmhouse apartment in Tuscany. The small town is called Bagnano and is located about half way between the towns of Certaldo and Barbarieno. The night of our arrival the house was cold and damp and we longed for the warmth of Deruta. Fortunately, our British landlady Sally came to the rescue with some firewood for the kitchen stove and the warmth of the fire changed our spirits.
The next few weeks will revolve around my doing a residency art project at La Meridiana while the boys put a major push in cyber school with “MamaG” as head school master.
High School Arts Program
A High School Exchange Program
Nicola Boccini (www.boccini.it )who is Director of Scuola d’Arte
Ceramica “Romano Ranieri” (http://www.schoolofceramics.org/)where I am
doing a residency took me to visit and tour the local high school. It was
incredible and speaks to a town of 8 thousand people that has nearly 3
hundred pottery studios. The high school specializes (go figure) in
ceramics for ages 15 to 19. (I have attached a compressed file with some
photos of the school so let me know if you are able to open the pictures)
The school's enrollment is approx. 200+ students which come from the
entire region. Students who wish to study science or medicine go to a
different High School. I would compare the level of artwork and
instruction equal to some college programs. First year students study
principles of ceramic design, mold construction, restoration, ceramic
history. They were doing print making on tiles, lamp design and
construction, a room with a 6 X 6 foot mold for an installation piece at
the local ceramic art museum. We visited the room where “Vinny” who had
shown me how to use the side seated European potters’ wheel was working
with “special needs” kids putting clay into molds for mural construction.
It was amazing and reinforced my understanding of why a town of 8 thousand
people can embrace nearly 3 hundred pottery studios. And they have been
doing it for centuries !!!
Although there remains an issue with language, primarily my not being able
to communicate in Italian, the director of the High School asked (via
Nicola) if I would explore the possibility of an exchange program for
their students back in America. We plan to meet again to discuss some
options. I have sent emails to both Shirley Micheals (Keystone's
Study Abroad person),Catherine Cullen (@ NEIU) and Nancy Sanderson (at Wyoming Seminary) to explore possibilities.
With hope and faith in the art of possibilities.
Nicola Boccini (www.boccini.it )who is Director of Scuola d’Arte
Ceramica “Romano Ranieri” (http://www.schoolofceramics.org/)where I am
doing a residency took me to visit and tour the local high school. It was
incredible and speaks to a town of 8 thousand people that has nearly 3
hundred pottery studios. The high school specializes (go figure) in
ceramics for ages 15 to 19. (I have attached a compressed file with some
photos of the school so let me know if you are able to open the pictures)
The school's enrollment is approx. 200+ students which come from the
entire region. Students who wish to study science or medicine go to a
different High School. I would compare the level of artwork and
instruction equal to some college programs. First year students study
principles of ceramic design, mold construction, restoration, ceramic
history. They were doing print making on tiles, lamp design and
construction, a room with a 6 X 6 foot mold for an installation piece at
the local ceramic art museum. We visited the room where “Vinny” who had
shown me how to use the side seated European potters’ wheel was working
with “special needs” kids putting clay into molds for mural construction.
It was amazing and reinforced my understanding of why a town of 8 thousand
people can embrace nearly 3 hundred pottery studios. And they have been
doing it for centuries !!!
Although there remains an issue with language, primarily my not being able
to communicate in Italian, the director of the High School asked (via
Nicola) if I would explore the possibility of an exchange program for
their students back in America. We plan to meet again to discuss some
options. I have sent emails to both Shirley Micheals (Keystone's
Study Abroad person),Catherine Cullen (@ NEIU) and Nancy Sanderson (at Wyoming Seminary) to explore possibilities.
With hope and faith in the art of possibilities.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
DERUTA
Deruta . April 2009.
Deruta (the majolica capital of the world) in the province of Umbria has been a pleasant surprise. About an hour and half drive north of Rome, this small town of eight thousand people hosts nearly three hundred pottery studios. In February, we visited Nicola Boccini, Director of the Romano Ranieri School of Ceramic Art (http://www.schoolofceramics.org/) on the advise of Bruce Dehnert at Peter’s Valley Craft Center. Nicola, a well know Italian artist in his our right has opened his studio to me and helped find the family a beautiful apartment in the historical district of Deruta. We plan to stay in Deruta a few weeks before Certaldo and my art project at La Meridiana (http://www.lameridiana.fi.it/).
I have been spending virtually day and evening in the studio working on my contribution to the Landfillart Project (http://landfillart.org/). Susan and the boys after mornings of cyber school have been coming to the studio in the afternoon to learn a little bit of the art of majolica from master Romano Ranieri who doesn't speak a word of English but occasionally busts into opera. Yesterday the boys bought their instruments to the studio to play for master Ranieri.
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