Every Wednesday is market day in the area surrounding #Siena’s Lizza Park and Fortress.  We had a chance to check out this area with students from the Siena Art Institute and Siena School for Liberal Arts and Italian Language instructor Valeria Indice!

After a busy first week in the Intro Unit, our Fall 2018 students have created their first responses to the “Walk of Destiny” project!

Visit their personal blog pages to see more about our remarkable group of young artists:

• Mariam Arshad
• Daniel Beers
• Kate Brock
• Annie Elbadawi
• Feroza
• Chris Loeber
• Shahnur Shahzad
• Molly Sheffield
• Emma Waligory

During our Intro Unit walks we’ve  had the chance to explore some hidden corners of Siena, including the Vicolo degli Orefici, a quiet alleyway filled with potted plants tended by the neighborhood residents.  We also stoppedy by the Miseriocordia headquarters (a historic organization providing emergency medical care for the community) and Siena’s synagogue and walked through the historic Jewish neighborhood.

At Siena’s City Archives, we were able to see a wealth of historic tomes, scrolls, tablets, illuminated manuscripts as well as the unique Biccherne panel paintings.  Of course a visit to the archives isn’t complete without enjoying the view from their balcony!

In our Exploring Siena walks around the historic city center, we had the lucky chance to see the Museum of the Leocorno Contrada, which the neighborhood volunteers kindly opened for us.  It was a great opportunity to see some of the costumes and memorabilia from the neighborhood’s history, as well as the Palio banners they have won over the years and the beautiful chapel where the blessing of the horse ceremony is performed.

In the theme of Orientation and Disorientation, we’ve had the chance to take several walks around Siena, exploring its multi-layered history and the structures of the cityscape, including traces of the earlier precursors to the city walls and gates, as well as historic fountains, which were vital for the survival of the city and became important hubs of community activity.

We had the chance to visit the Biblioteca Briganti, seeing the Librartis collection of contemporary artists’ books as well as some gems of their collection like books of prints by Piranesi! Many thanks to library staff for taking the time to meet with our students.

For more info and opening hours about the Biblioteca Briganti:

https://www.santamariadellascala.com/en/services/#fototeca

As part of our orientation activities to kick off the Fall Semester, we had the privilege to see the current contemporary art exhibitions on view at Galleria Continua (https://www.galleriacontinua.com/) in San Gimignano:

• Daniel Buren & Anish Kapoor
• Carlos Garaicoa
• Ornaghi & Prestinari

We also had a chance to explore the historic city center and see several of the site-specific contemporary artworks installed there. 

Our Fall 2018 semester on Sept 1st, with our group of international students arriving for the start of our busy autumn program!

The semester program is grounded in the Art & Society course, which is divided into three main project units: the 3-week Introductory Project Unit, the 5-week Mid-Term Project Unit, and the 6-week Final Project Unit. Through the progression of these projects, students are guided through the production of a strong personal body of work, fostering their ongoing portfolio development.

Students’ work on their individual artistic projects is augmented by an exploration of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory as a complex historical and social setting to which students are asked to respond artistically. A variety of activities, including collaborative projects, research, visits to cultural/artistic spaces, and other locations in the local area, presentations from guest artists and creative professionals, and discussions of assigned readings contribute inspiration and context for students’ projects.

For more info about our semester schedule, visit:

https://www.sienaart.org/Undergraduate-Study-Abroad-Program/Calendar/