Torta al Testo and Bringoli

 On Monday, June 23rd, Joan Nathan, American chef and cookbook writer, came to Civitella to see our garden and kitchen operation. Romana gave a cooking demonstration of two local specialities, torta al testo and bringoli, which we then all enjoyed for lunch. 

Piero in Sansepolcro and Monterchi

St. Julian in Sansepolcro's Museo Civico

Group two enjoyed beautiful weather and beautiful frescoes in Tuscany yesterday, June 24th.

In the shade after having seen la Madonna del Parto in Monterchi

Fred Hersch Trio's 'Floating'

Fred Hersch (Director's Guest 2013) and the Fred Hersch Trio will release their new album, Floating, on July 8, 2014.  

Fred wrote many of the songs featured on the album during his time at the Castle last fall.  Additionally, the cover art on the album is from Maaria Wirkkala (CRF 2013), who was in residence at the same time.  In the notes on the album's original compositions, Fred writes:

"A Speech to the Sea (and the cover photograph) was a site-specific art installation on the Sea of Japan by Finnish artist Maaria Wirkkala; we met at an artists' residency in Umbria in the fall of 2013 and I found her work to be very inspiring."

He also acknowledges Civitella in the Special Thanks section:

"Special Thanks to... Dana, Diego and Paola and everyone at Civitella Ranieri in Umbria for the priceless gift of a residency where this music was written."  

Group 2 Short Presentations

Honor Moore (Director's Guest 2014) and Friend Laura Bradley

Blake Bailey (CRF 2014) and Friend Martin Stephenson

Gina Ruggeri (CRF 2014)

Last evening, June 17, Group II of our Fellows treated the public and each other to short presentations on their lives and work.  We were joined by many Friends of Civitella.

Assisi with Group 2

 For their first excursion, the Fellows of Group 2 enjoyed a beautiful day in Assisi on Monday, June 16. They first visited the church of San Damiano, then the Basilica of St. Francis, and ended with a hearty meal further up Monte Subasio.

                                                      

Ingrid Rowland's Lecture

Yesterday evening, Thursday June 12th, Dr. Ingrid K. Rowland spoke on her new book

 “From Pompeii- The Afterlife of a Roman Town." 

Maaria Wirkkala (CRF 2013): Dream Screen

Here is a timelapse video of the creation of Maaria Wirkkala's 'Dream Screen' for her current exhibition at the Helsinki Art Museum.

Visit to MacDowell Colony

Civitella's Executive Director Dana Prescott and Senior Program Associate Tina Summerlin visited the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire on June 5 and 6.  They were hosted by MacDowell's Resident Director, David Macy, pictured below with Dana.  

David Macy and Dana Prescott

Dana and Tina enjoyed meeting the many Fellows who are currently in residence at MacDowell, with whom they ate dinner and breakfast during their overnight stay.  They were also treated to a tour of the Colony and a movie screening.

One of the studios at MacDowell

Civitellians visit 'Futurism' and 'Phoenix'

As part of the ongoing 20th Anniversary celebrations, Civitellians visited the Guggenheim Museum and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City to view their current exhibitions.

Fortunato Depero, Skyscrapers and Tunnels, 1930 (detail)

On Friday, May 30, Vivian Greene, the Guggenheim's Senior Curator of 19th- and Early 20th-Century Art, led a group through Italian Futurism, 1909-1944: Reconstructing the Universe.

Xu Bing's (CRF 1999) Phoenix, 2008-2010 (detail)

On Tuesday, June 3, Civitella Program Associate Mia Michelson-Bartlett led a group on a vertical tour of Phoenix: Xu Bing at the Cathedral and architectural highlights at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Fellows and Friends on the roof of the Cathedral

Frances Itani's (CRF 2009) 'Requiem'

In the acknowledgements in her new book, Requiem, Frances Itani (CRF 2009) writes,

"Many thanks to the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in New York, which generously provided me with a fellowship and residency at an Italian castle in Umbria: a wonderful retreat where I had the support of director and staff, and the company of fine artists in residence at the time."

Ken Ueno's (CRF 2013) 'Gallo' in Boston

Miguel Syjuco (CRF 2013), center, and Orlando Garcia (CRF 2013), right, were in attendance at The Zack Box Theater at the Boston Conservatory last weekend to view Ken Ueno's (CRF 2013) new opera, Gallo.  The opera takes its name in part from Civitella's Gallo wine pitchers.

Orlando made the trip to Boston from his residency at the MacDowell Colony and sent us this photo of the three Civitellians.