Spotlight: Photography

Sara Kerr, Photography Instructor:

“Photographers have had a very busy week!

After working on their street photography assignment (and photographing the market and the street life of Spoleto) they moved on to their next mini-project: portraiture. The portrait project was aimed to get each photographer out of their comfort zone. They had to talk to someone they didn't know in the SSA program and ask them a variety of questions. They then had to make a series of portraits of that person using the rules of composition that we learnt about in class. We talked about cropping, framing and ways to make portraits more interesting. We also finished exploring how to organize and edit photos using Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw and Photoshop.

As if that wasn't enough, photographers had to come up with a pitch for their final portfolio project! They will be asked to make a series of 10-15 images on a topic of their choice. On Friday we had one-on-one meetings about each pitch; the students were given ideas and recommendations about the best way to photograph their final project. Today, photographers have been hard at work shooting and editing in preparation for their final exhibition!

Here are a couple of images from the collection!”

Abby (Portrait)

Grayson (Reflections)

Olivia (Street Life)

Student Focus: Photography and Visual Arts

Due to the rainstorm this morning the weather has really cooled off, making for an enjoyable and relaxing Sunday. Today we are going to focus on the Photography and the Visual Art students and ask them a few questions : 1) What has inspired you in Italy?
2) What artist are you interested in?

3) What has been the most tasty dessert/food you’ve had in Italy?

NAOMI -VISUAL ART

1) What has inspired you in Italy? “The colors and shapes in the environment and how they make you feel”

2) What artist are you interested in right now? “Degas (painter)”

3) Whats your favorite dessert? “Dark chocolate gelato in a cone!”

OLIVIA- Photography

What has inspired you here in Italy? “The Scenery”

What artist are you interested in? “Wes Anderson, movie director.”

Whats your favorite dessert? “Pistachio gelato”

RAUL- VISUAL ART

1) What has inspired you here in Italy? “The Scenery: the Vegetation is lush.”

2) What artist are you interested in right now? “Chuck Close (Painter and drawer- hyper realism)”

3) What’s your favorite dessert? “All flavors of gelato!”

Ellie- Photography

1) What has inspired you in Italy? “The culture. How the Italians eat together and take time to enjoy and appreciate the things around them.”

2) What artist are you interested in? “Joel Meyerowitz - (Street photographer) and Henry Cartier-bresson

3) Whats your favorite dessert? Strawberry Gelato

GRAYSON- PHOTOGRAPHY

1) What has inspired you in Italy? “The Mountains”

2)What artist are you interested in? “Luigi Ghirri”

3) Whats your favorite food/dessert in Italy? “Strawberry and Lemon Gelato”

HOLDEN- holding a redbull! -PHOTOGRAPHY

1) What has inspired you during your trip to Italy? “The interactions between people, the narrow streets, and the walkways.

2) What artist are you interested in at this time? “Erick Rubes and Parker Wallbeck “

3) What has been your favorite food in Italy? “Pizza in Florence”

Elinka- Visual Arts

1) How have you been inspired here in Italy? “The churches and the way the colors accentuate different parts of the portraits.”

2) What artist are you interested in as of now? “Willem Dekooning.”

3) What is your favorite food/pasta here in Italy? “Pizza.”

ABBY- PHOTOGRAPHY
1) What inspires you here in Italy? “The friendly people.”

2) What artist are you interested in right now? “Cartier-bresson”

3) What is your favorite dessert/food in Italy? Nutella and Strawberry Gelato.”

The day was filled with fun and joy. Before dinner we had a thrilling staff performance and after dinner we finished the night with a talent show! Thank you so very much for the staff art performances, it was truly an experience to see the artists glowing and doing passionately the things that they love!

-Brant

Follow Lorenzo to... Firenze!

What a fantastic day in Florence!

Our first stop was the Convent of San Marco, where the preacher Savonarola lived, and where there are many frescos by Fra Angelico. We were even able to see the very small rooms in which the monks lived, as well as a room full of Savonarola’s possessions (clothes, desk, etc.).

After some free time, we headed to Santa Maria Novella, where we saw the Strozzi Chapel, the Tornabuoni Chapel, and Masaccio’s Holy Trinity, which was a masterpiece of perspective, launching us into a new age of art.

Even though we were rained on, Florence’s beauty shone through!

Spotlight: Music

Vocal Music

Terry arrived at the beginning of this week, so the vocal music students have been especially busy this week. On Monday, all of the singers performed a solo piece and their scenes in progress for Terry, which was a great way to check in on their progress thus far. Now, at the end of the second week, all of their music is memorized for scenes, and we’ve added staging to the mix. This week, we really dug into character work, particularly focusing on the word-for-word translations of the Italian texts so that all of the singers are able to express the meanings fully as they perform. We have an absolutely fantastic group of singers this year, and it has been wonderful to observe them working together beautifully in their duet pairings. Each singer brings something unique to their performances, and those unique qualities are then shared with their duet partners, so that each singer is inspired by their partner to stretch in new ways. This evening, two of our singers will present solo pieces in Italian on our student showcase, sharing what they have been working on with students from other disciplines.

This week, all of our musicians had the chance to learn about the history of opera from Lorenzo and continue their movement classes (including a challenging yoga practice Monday morning!). They also continue daily choir rehearsals, and they are beginning to develop a lovely sound as a group. In the first week, we did lots of sight-singing of new pieces, so this second week has involved more polishing work as we prepare for the final performance.

The string players have been spending their second week in Spoleto exploring the many technical aspects of playing, such as standing with healthful posture, addressing tension and how it effects expressivity, and practicing with mindfulness, i.e. maintaining an impartial evaluation of their progress. We have also been working to construct a beneficial practice regimen. Time spent in the practice room is precious and fleeting, and a player must constantly push herself to approach concepts from different angles, in order to avoid mindless repetition. Patience is essential when practicing, as the brain needs time to organize this new information, and pervasive negative criticism will only hinder the process.

We have been considering the idea that the instrument is our means of calling upon our innermost thoughts, and to not shy away from sounds or gestures that are conventionally ugly or distasteful. By embracing the grotesque quality of nature that coexists alongside beauty, we can come to a more complete sense of who we are, and how we can find that identity through music. 

Spotlight: Creative Writing

AJ Fitzgerald, Creative Writing Instructor:

“Since last week’s update, the creative writing students have dived deeper into additional elements of storytelling: namely place, narration and time. On Monday we studied different modes of narration, and the ways in which narrators can be classified beyond the usual categories of first, second or third person. We talked especially about the term aesthetic distance, and how an author can create varying degrees of physical, intellectual, moral, emotional or cultural distance between characters, narrators, readers, and the author’s own crafted persona.

To punctuate this lesson on distance and point of view, the creative writers took a trip up to the Rocca, a medieval fortress that sits upon Spoleto’s highest point. The entire valley is visible in 360 degrees from the foot of the Rocca, and so the students were able to get a unique perspective on the town they’ve called home for the past 2 weeks. Before the end of the lesson I asked students to look west, toward the United States, and reflect upon how distance from home can help develop a fresh perspective on the places most familiar to them.

On Tuesday we studied time: how time gives our stories stakes and therefore meaning, how to effectively characterize the passage of time, and how to juggle multiple timelines in a single story. As an example of artful time management, we read It’s Bad Luck to Die by Elizabeth McCracken, a story that spans a 20+ year marriage from start to finish in only 20 pages.

Today I will be meeting with each student individually to discuss the direction of their final projects. They’ll have through the weekend to produce a rough draft, and while that’s a tight schedule, deadlines are often the student writer’s greatest muse!”

Travel Day to Orvieto!

Change of plans! Originally the plan was to visit Florence, but due to transit trikes we moved the Florence travel day to Saturday and the trip to Orvieto for today. The ancient city of Orvieto is located in the southwest part of Umbria, Italy on the summit of a large volcanic tuff. Like most ancient cities in Italy, Orvieto was built high up on the mountaintops to protect themselves from invaders. So you can imagine the ride up was quite arduous for the bus driver, but it made for a terrific view when we arrived to the top! The first stop was the archeological museum. This museum offers an exhibition of Etruscan pieces, which was an ancient Greek civilization that once lived in this region. Professor Lorenzo walked us around showing various different clay artifacts, statues, and a recreation of an ancient tomb. Really painting a picture of the life in the region before the Romans invaded. After the museum the students took some free time and had the chance to walk around, get gelato, and see the everyday life in Orvieto. The next stop was the cathedral of Orvieto. This was a 14 Century Italian gothic Cathedral dedicated to the assumtion of the Virgin Mary, and known as one of the most important Cathedrals in Central Italy. It is overwhelmingly beautiful, some may say a masterpiece of the post middle ages. It has one of the most magnificent facades in the world, and when you walk inside you are taken over by the vast spacious beauty. Lorenzo walked the students around, explaining the architecture and the biblical stories that were painted on the walls. The trip to Orvieta was wonderful, and after the tour through the Church we made our way back home.

Visual Art - Blog #2

This week visual art students are focused on one of their major projects, the development of their self-portrait drawings and how they see themselves situated in Spoleto. Working in their medium of choice, they are considering composition, personal character, the use of color and it’s meaning, depth of field, and issues of abstraction where appropriate. Raul is working on a realistic portrait using oil on canvas, Naomi is working with pastels for the first time and Orlinka is developing an abstract self-portrait using acrylics and then oils.

During an evening class we also walked around Spoleto stopping at various sites to make on the spot pencil sketches of street or landscape views.

Professor Riding asked Naomi, Raul and Orlinka what they are enjoying in Spoleto.

Naomi

“I am enjoying learning new skills and experimenting with different media.”

Orlinka

“I am enjoying time for thought, away from the chaos of Miami.”

Raul.

“Spoleto is a great environment for visual art.”

Spotlight: Photography

Spotlight: Photography “Street Life”

Sara Kerr, Photography Instructor:

“Photographers have spent the last few lessons learning about the rules of composition and putting these rules to use. Today we started our first big project: street photography. We started with a lecture that covered seminal figures in the history of photography that photographed street life. Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helen Levitt and Paul Strand, to name just a few. We then spent the afternoon practicing. How can we capture a scene, the characters and the dynamic nature of life in a photograph? How do we make sure that the image is also well exposed and well composed? We talked through ways to observe the street and notice the background, middle ground and foreground. And we covered a few tricks for blending in and making photographs in public space. We will continue working on this project in Florence.”

Student Spotlight: Vocal and Instrumental Music

On a beautiful Sunday here in Spoleto, the students had a day off from classes and travel to relax and enjoy some time around Spoleto. A group of students and faculty braved the hike up the mountain next to Spoleto, Monteluco, which was well worth the effort for the beautiful views at the top. Students also had the chance to head to the pool in the afternoon.

Now, it’s time to get to know our music students!

Ainsley

Strings

Favorite Gelato: Nutella

Favorite Piece She’s Working On: Haydn Concerto No. 2 in G

Favorite Spot in Spoleto: The Park at 10:22

Sarah

Strings

Favorite Gelato: Limone

Favorite Piece She’s Working On: Bruch Violin Concerto

Favorite Spot in Spoleto: Piazza del Mercato

Abby

Voice

Favorite Gelato: Cookies

Favorite Piece She’s Working On: Pur ti miro from L’incoronazione di Poppea

Favorite Spot in Spoleto: The Juice Bar

Callie

Favorite Gelato: Fragola

Favorite Piece She’s Working On: Aprite, presto, aprite from Le Nozze di Figaro

Favorite Spot in Spoleto: The fountain in Piazza del Mercato

Alex

Favorite Gelato: Pistacchio

Favorite Piece She’s Working On: O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi

Favorite Spot in Spoleto: Piazza del Mercato

Nick

Favorite Gelato: Cioccolato e Caffè

Favorite Piece He’s Working On: Pur ti miro

Favorite Spot in Spoleto: Crispini Gelateria

Spotlight on Vocal and Instrumental Music

Instrumental Music

The frenetic chattering of Italian goldfinches as they flit above the ancient comune has been a cheerful daily fanfare as the students delve into their musical studies in Spoleto. The string students are strengthening their skills in the art of sight-reading — playing through a piece of music that is completely unknown to them. This is no easy task: it requires a musician to make lightning-fast decisions while “letting go” of any mistakes that may occur. It’s a similar process to becoming fluent in a foreign language in that confidence, not perfection, is the objective; the students are already showing improvement after just a few days!

The string students are also rehearsing a chamber piece by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák entitled Miniatures, a four-movement string trio for two violins and viola. They had a successful run-through of the first movement at Thursday evening’s performance class, where the entire Study Abroad program was in attendance. The students have been learning to elucidate abstract ideas on phrasing, dynamics (volume), articulation (the percussive attack and clarity of notes), matching colors and blending of individual sound, etc. The collaborative nature of chamber music can sometimes be challenging, as it requires several musicians to make collective decisions on the interpretation of a piece, as opposed to the solitary study of a solo work, such as a concerto.

In addition to chamber music, the instrumentalists continue to practice their solo repertoire, sing in the choir along with the voice students, and participate in movement and music history classes. It will be exciting to see how the coming weeks unfold.

-Sara

Vocal Music

In the first week together, the singers have been getting to know each other both personally and as musicians. Although each of the students receives private lessons, the bulk of our work together is collaborative, so this first week is an exciting time of discovery and growth.

Morning movement classes have been focus on connecting with the body and breath to free them as performers to communicate with one another and with the audience. Our afternoon work begins with choir rehearsal (with all of the music students), where we are working on music from a wide range of eras and developing some of the fundamentals of vocal technique. The rest of the afternoon is spent in individual and duet work. Each singer has three duets, some from the Italian operatic repertoire and some from Broadway musicals. This week, we have been solidifying the fundamentals of the duets (particularly Italian pronunciation) and thinking through the character work for each scene.

Two of the singers performed individual pieces on the first student showcase to share with students from other disciplines what they’ve been working on so far. The choir also performed a “work in progress” - an Alleluia canon by William Boyce. This has been a wonderful group of students so far, and we are looking forward to observing how far they will have come by the final performance!

-Laura

The Marvelous Ville d'Este!

Today we travelled about two hours south to the city of Tivoli to take a tour given by Professor Lorenzo. Tivoli is a city located about 45 minutes outside of Rome, and it is home to the famous Ville d’Este. The Villa was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este in the early 16th Century. He was one of the wealthiest cardinals of all time, and you can recognized his wealth after taking a stroll through the Villa. The Villa is comprised of a lavish art collection and decorative walls, but the villa is most famous for its extravagant landscape, statues, and fountains.

The students had a great time taking in the breathtaking views and enjoying the beautiful landscapes. After Tivoli we made our way back to Spoleto, and had a lovely dinner outside of Hotel Clittuno. Here are some pictures of the trip to Tivoli! Hope you enjoy.

Creative Writing Blog #1

In our first few days of class, the creative writing students got to know one another and the town

that will be hosting them.

We began the course on Sunday evening with an essay from Jhumpa Lahiri. In the introduction

to her recently published anthology Italian Short Stories, Lahiri recounts the journey that led her

to discovering first Italy, then the Italian language, and ultimately Italian literature. We used this

as a jumping off point to discuss the students’ own hopes for their time in Italy, some of whom

had never before left the United States.

On Monday, we began our module on craft with lessons on very fundamental principles of

language and storytelling. We read essays on the difference between representation and the thing

being represented, on the nature of words, symbols and icons, and how these acquire meaning.

We spoke about the realm of experience vs. the realm of storytelling: how some events and

objects bring baggage with them when transferred into writing or other media, while others leave

a piece of their significance and meaning behind when stripped of their real-world contexts.

Translation and intercultural exchange were central topics in these conversations. We spoke

about the ways that language and culture can pressure or influence the ways we think and write.

Meanwhile, multilingualism, translation and travel emerged as keys to seeing and writing about

the world differently. To this end, we will read stories from both American and Italian authors

throughout our 3 week class, in the hopes of discovering the ways in which representation,

aesthetic and even genre can vary across different languages and cultures.

The town of Spoleto has been invaluable as a living text supporting our daily lessons. A walk

around the centro storico on Monday revealed a myriad of symbols and icons that collectively

make up the vocabulary of daily life in an Umbrian hilltop town. A trip to the park on Tuesday

made us question the very nature of something so simple as trees, and all of the ideas and

feelings that we subconsciously attach to them.

Today’s lesson centers on characters and characterization, and a claim from author Charles

Baxter that writing is really an art of match-making. To help practice this essential art, students

will return to town this afternoon to observe and record some of the characters that populate the

background of their daily life in Spoleto.

All the while, I’ve been asking students to brainstorm ideas and notes toward their eventual final

project. Students will begin drafting these projects in earnest next week, and I look forward to

seeing what they’ve come up with!

- AJ

AJ and the creative writing students in the park of Spoleto

A Beautiful Day in Siena

Today we left bright and early for our day trip to Siena! After a long drive, we headed into the center of the city for a tour led by Lorenzo. Our tour began in Piazza del Campo, a shell-shaped piazza at the center of Siena. Each year, this huge piazza turns into the site of the Palio, a horse race between representatives of the different neighborhoods of Siena (the contrade). Lorenzo then took us into the Palazzo Pubblico, the center of Siena’s government. This building is decorated with elaborate frescoes that depict themes of justice and the effects of good and bad government. 

Next, students had free time to explore the city in smaller groups. They were challenged to take pictures with their contrade (for our Spoleto Study Abroad Palio, they’ve been divided into teams) in the neighborhood of their contrade. Many students enjoyed some of the local cuisine, gelato, and shopping.

We came back together as a group to visit Siena’s Duomo, which is beautifully decorated outside with sculptures and inside with mosaics. The Duomo also includes a beautiful library full of chant manuscripts with ornate illustrations.

Visual Arts with Professor Lynne Riding.

“First two days in the studio!

Students were asked initially to reflect and make notes of their observations and thoughts after their first 2 days experience in Spoleto, including an outing to Assisi. In response to these thoughts the students painted swatches of color, and using these started composing an abstract painting.

As a means to studying ways to portray form, depth and atmosphere while u sing local produce for observation, the class then moved onto contour line, tonal drawing and mark making methods.”

A Full Day of Classes and Spotlight: Photography

Students experienced a regular weekday schedule of classes, which includes an hour of their discipline, Italian language, and Art & Architecture/Art and Ideas in the morning and three hours of their discipline in the evening.

Art & Architecture at the Duomo with Lorenzo

Throughout the duration of the program students will be competing against one another in contrade (teams) in the Spoleto Palio.  Each contrada has a name and emblem based on Siena’s infamous contrade.  Tonight the contrade participated in a scavenger hunt around Spoleto!

Since we would like to highlight each discipline, we are going to designate themes for each day’s update.

·      Monday: Photography

·      Tuesday: Visual Arts

·      Wednesday: Travel

·      Thursday:  Creative Writing

·      Friday: Vocal and Instrumental Music

·      Saturday: Travel

·      Sunday: Student Focus and Life in Spoleto

Spotlight: Photography

Sara Kerr, Photography Instructor:

“Photographers spent their first day of class getting to know each other and learning about the history of their medium. We talked about the origins of photography, about how photography developed, and about all of the amazing scientific experimentation that was needed to get us to where we are today: an era where we have digital cameras in our cell phones and millions of photographs are made and shared every minute. In our second class we got straight down to business. Students learned about the basic operations of their cameras and about the three essential components of an exposure: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. For their first assignment, students were tasked with learning to understand shutter speed. In pairs they explored Spoleto looking for interesting ways to use shutter speed to freeze and blur movement. Stay tuned for the results!”