Zanele Muholi's Presentation

On September 26th, Zanele Muholi (CRF 2012), a visual artist from South Africa, helped us understand her work as a black lesbian activist.  She showed us her award-winning documentary Difficult Love (2010) which led into a discussion about the issues at hand and the role of her photography to promote change.  

 

Mo Abdulla's Presentation

On Monday, September 24, Mo Abdulla (CRF2012) presented his work to his colleagues and to various Friends of Civitella. Mo, a visual artist, is the Foundation's first Fellow from Iraq.

 

Civitella Podcast: Carolyn Forche (CRF 2012) reading

In today's Civitella podcast, Carolyn Forche (CRF 2012) reads two poems: "The Light Keeper" and "Exile".

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"The Light Keeper" was first published in The New Yorker.
"Exile" was first published in Salmagundi.

Recorded at Civitella Ranieri, September 2012

Book Presentation- Sustenance: Food Traditions in Italy's Heartland

On Friday evening, September 21st, Civitella presented local resident, Elizabeth Wholey, and her new book, Sustenance. Sustenance explores the food traditions of the Upper Tiber Valley. Nearly 100 people attended the presentation which then included several local vendors and farmers sharing samples of cheese, wine, olive oil, tartufi, and vin santo.

Call for Interns for the 2013 Season

Interns at Civitella are invited for a minimum of six weeks during this period of May through November. Arrival and departure dates should coincide as much as possible with the arrivals and departures of our Fellows; however, often we ask an intern to arrive a week or two earlier and to work an extra week or two at the end of the season to help us close. Priority is given to candidates with longer periods of availability to avoid too much turnover while in session. Ideally, we seek two to three interns to cover the entire season as outlined below.

2013 dates are as follows:

May 2 – June 14
June 17 – July 30
August 12 – September 20
September 23 – November 5
 
Role and Responsibilities:

- preparing rooms and equipment for Fellows’ arrival
- picking up and dropping off Fellows and Guests at train stations, bus stations and airports
- giving orientation information
- assisting Fellows (visual artists, writers and composers) in their work
- running errands
- greeting guests and giving tours of the Castle to visitors
- general office work and assistance
- preparing for events, including technical assistance and cleaning  up
- communicating with the kitchen for meal planning
- helping to clear tables and set up for receptions
- re-shelving and cataloging books, videos and DVDs in the Library
- cataloging and organizing the art collection for the Civitella Gallery
- planning, researching and presenting historical and cultural information for field trips
- general assistance to the Executive Director, Fellows’ Coordinator, and Office Manager
 
Skills and Requirements:

Working knowledge of English and Italian is necessary, as is a valid driver’s license and international driver’s license. Interns must be able to drive a large standard stick shift vehicle. We prefer interns who have advanced computer skills, some experience in the arts, in study or work abroad, and who are self-motivated, independent, work well in a group/team environment, have the flexibility to deal with the unpredictable set of tasks which vary from day to day, and are able to deal with an intensely motivated community in an idyllic but somewhat isolated place of work. An ideal intern should maintain a positive, willing and helpful attitude among co-workers and Fellows, and should be open and diplomatic in his/her interactions with people from diverse backgrounds and ages.
 
Compensation:

We offer selected candidates roundtrip airfare/transportation (from place of residence to Civitella), lodging and meals for the period of internship, and a stipend for incidental expenses of $150 per week. Means of payment is coordinated through the New York office.
 
To Apply:

Send a complete CV including the names of two references, their relationship to you and their telephone numbers. We request a cover letter explaining why the internship would be meaningful work experience for you. How might you best contribute to the Civitella community? What past experiences have helped prepare you for working at Civitella? Do you meet all the above requirements? All applications are due by December 31, 2012 and should be e-mailed to the Fellows’ Coordinator at diego@civitella.org.

We review the applications in January and begin telephone/Skype™ interviews in early February.  A committee will choose the finalists by the end of February, and notification is sent to all candidates in early March.

For more information see our website at www.civitella.org.

Civitella Podcast: Obi Nwakanma (CRF 2012) reading

In today's Civitella podcast, Obi Nwakanma (CRF 2012) reads selections from his book, The Horsemen and Other Poems.

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Recorded at Civitella Ranieri, July 2012

Francine Prose Article

In the New York Review of Books blog, Francine Prose (Juror, Advisory Council member) has written this essay about Marina Abramovic, Caravaggio, and personal responses to art.

Third Group Graduation Lunch

On Thursday, September 6th, all of the Fellows, Directors Guests, staff members, and a few Friends of Civitella sat down for a celebratory lunch. The Fellows of this third group were handed commemorative certificates and each person gave a toast of thanks to the group.  

Frasassi Field Trip

On Saturday September 1st Civitellians visited the Frasassi caves in the Marche. 

Yan Maresz' Presentation

On September 3rd we gathered in the galleria to listen to French composer, Yan Maresz (CRF2012), share his work.  He skillfully broke down the computer technology he uses to create his music, and helped us visualize the sounds in several different ways.  As an example, we saw the chords that represent the squeaks and groans of our front gate here at the castle.

Sue Gosin's Presentation

On September 12, the newest addition to the third group, papermaker Sue Gosin (Director's Guest 2012), gave a presentation. She showed us with slides and physical examples the history and craft of papermaking as well as the extensive variety of art that is created at the Dieu Donné paper workshop in New York. 

'Civitella Time'

This gorgeous time-lapse and stop-motion video of Civitella was made by Sam Spaeth, a visitor to the castle in August.




More information about the video is available on its Vimeo page.

Mary-Beth Hughes' Presentation

Last Friday, August 31st, we enjoyed a presentation by American writer Mary-Beth Hughes (Director's Guest 2012).  We sat in the pews of the castle chapel while Mary-Beth read to us the entirety of "Pelican Song"- a heart-wrenching short story from her book Double Happiness.  

Richard Roth's Presentation

Richard Roth (CRF2012), an American journalist, gave his presentation at Civitella on August 30th.  He talked about fact, truth, and fiction and read to us excerpts from articles, from journal entries, and from his current project.