Today we held a group critique to discuss the proposals students have created as a response to the Tempo Zulu project, site-specific interventions in the streets of Siena to bring contemporary perspectives to this historic center. The critique was led by Bernardo Giorgi and Irene Lupi and some of our resident artists attended as well, contributing different points of view and valuable feedback.
Led by instructors Bernardo Giorgi and Irene Lupi, our students explored past meeting present in Siena through a guided walk: discovering contemporary interventions in the streets of Siena through the “Tempo Zulu” project, and seeing how artisans carry out the heritage of local traditions of art and handicraft while also being part of contemporary culture. In particular, we met the master stone-carver Emilio Frati and saw his current exhibition in the loggia of Gli Uniti. We then visited the metal-smith studio of Laura Brocchi, which has been her family’s occupation for many generations! Resident artist Honey Jones-Hughes was able to visit us for the walk as well.
Looking at our Fall 2019 students’ first projects, a great start to the semester at Siena Art Institute & Siena School for Liberal Arts! In the “Walk of Destiny” students were asked to create a response to an unexpected path they followed to an unknown destination according to a coin toss game, embracing uncertainty and non-traditional paths. Projects ranged from photography to poetry to drawings to botany and more! Responses were discussed amongst our students, faculty, and visiting artists including Honey Jones-Hughes, Pamela Lawton, Carlos Estévez, and the resident artist of the Fondazione Musei Senesi Fatlumi Doci. A lot of interesting ideas, already looking forward to the next projects!
This morning we had the chance to visit Siena’s City Hall (Palazzo Pubblico) and the City Archives as well.
In Palazzo Pubblico, we spoke about the structure, admired the view, and looked at the representations of the Allegories and Effects of Good and Bad Government in the remarkable fresco cycle by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (painted between 1338-1339.)
In the City Archives we saw the Biccherne tablets (a unique tradition in Siena’s artistic history) as well as records from the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, other antique books, maps, and scrolls and other highlights from their collections.
Thanks to Fatlum Doci, current resident artist of the Fondazione Musei Senesi, for joining us for the trip and sharing his photos!
Of course a visit to the archives wouldn’t be complete without admiring the view from the balcony!
To kick off the start of our Fall 2019 Semester, on Sept 2 we had a trip to the nearby hilltown of San Gimignano, here in the Province of Siena, for our first orientation excursion with our study abroad students from Siena School for Liberal Arts & Siena Art Institute, together with our current artists-in-residence Carlos Estevez and Honey Jones-Hughes, together with the current artist in residence of the Fondazione Musei Senesi, Fatlum Doci!
We explored how past meets present in this fascinating location, seeing the layers upon layers of historic architecture in the town’s walls, fortress, churches, and iconic towers.
We also viewed the current contemporary art exhibitions on view at Galleria Continua, with work by MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO & PASCALE MARTHINE TAYOU “Una cosa non esclude l’altra – One thing doesn’t exclude the other” and BERLINDE DE BRUYCKERE “A single bed, a single room.”