Seeds of Knowledge

Uriel Orlow (CRF 2016) graced the audience with a sneak-preview of his new body of work Theatrum Botanicum last night in the libary.  The film is set in South Africa, and it looks specifically to the botanical world as a stage for both politics and history. We saw amazing footage of traditional healers collecting herbs, bark, and roots; and we witnessed the intimate process they undergo to turn these natural materials into medicine. Further works of Orlow consider plants as both witnesses and actors in history with their own unique stories.

Uriel Orlow describes the garden cultivated by Nelson Mandela and fellow inmates during his time imprisoned at the infamous Robben Island Prison of Capetown. 

Following the screening, senior curator at the Guggenheim Museum, Vivien Greene (DG 2016) joined Uriel Orlow on stage for an 'Artist Conversation' about this piece, and others.

Monday evening, composer Benedicte Maurseth (CRF 2016) and visual artist Mikhail Karikis (CRF 2016) took the floor to demonstrate the communicative power of art in their full-length presentations.

Benedicte Maurseth and Mikhail Karikis share further insight into their work during a Q and A. 

Benedicte Maurseth kicked off the evening with traditional Norwegian pieces brought to life by her Hardanger fiddle, and her beautiful voice.  She played many folk songs, including some religious hymns that have been integral parts of the Norwegian oral tradition for hundreds of years. She closed her presentation with a more contemporary piece that she composed herself. During this concert, the feeling she poured into her music was inspired by and dedicated to those who suffered the ravages of last week's earthquake in Central Italy.

There are over twenty traditional Norwegian Fiddle tunings, and Benedicte compares the qualities of each of them to colors, as they evoke different responses in the spectator. Maurseth stated that her performance that evening was blue.  

Mikhail Karikis followed this stirring performance with a screening of his film "The Children of Unquiet." Set amid the industrial decay of Lardarello in Tuscany, the film depicts a sort of "children's take-over" of the once thriving area. The children are filmed in the abondoned villages and around the crumbling power plant, playing, reading, and imitating the sounds of the geysers and machines; their innocence a stark conterpoint to the economic and ideological ruins we continue to leave for future generations.

Mikhail Karikis gives us a brief history of Lardarello-It  boomed in the 60's with the world's first state-of-the-art geothermal plant and living facilities that attracted many workers to the area. The 80's saw mass unemployment due to automation of labor, and the in 90's began an exodus that in some villages resulted in complete desertion. 

Glass Half Full

After Wednesday's presentations in the chapel, we kept the good times rolling at the castle. Zachary Sussman, a Brooklyn-based wine journalist, and a special guest to Civitella Ranieri, treated us to an incredible evening. He spent the day cruising around Umbria, in search of the finest wines to bring back to the castle for a tasting and food-pairing during dinner.

Sussman leads the group in tasting Arboreus, a macerated white wine, paired with fried zucchini flowers.

The five course meal was lavish, and the flowing wines were carefully paired with each dish. He taught the group about Umbrian wine culture, as he poured a Paolo Bea vintage into each glass. 

Sussman opens a bottle of  Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello,  in preparation for the third course of Pici all'Etrusco.

The atmosphere around the table all evening was jovial. No better way to end the day than to eat, drink and be merry! A big thank you to Zachary Sussman for sharing his passion and knowledge with us. 

We experienced Umbrian viniculture by tasting different wines of the same vintner, Paolo Bea, who produces many traditional varieties on his Montefalco estate. 

Poetic Presentations

Last Thursday, the Civitella Ranieri library became a stage for the Fellows, Director's Guests and visiting artists of this year's third session. 14 artists, writers and composers presented briefly on their works and backgrounds to an audience of their peers, visitors, and Civitella staff. Many members of the community joined us at the castle to learn more about the current residents.

Vivien Greene (DG 2016) addresses the audience as the master of ceremonies for last Thursday's short presentations.

This small glimpse left everyone ready to learn more, and we were happy to attend the presentations yesterday, with readings by American poets Tom Healy (DG 2016) and Rusty Morrison (CRF 2016). Tom Healy read not only from his published works, but also shared a poem he had just written that day; an emotional response to the tragic earthquake that Italy experienced early Wednesday morning.

Rusty Morrison took the stage next with Hardanger fiddle player Benedicte Maurseth (CRF 2016), to offer the viewers a unique multi-dimensional poetic experience. The performance was unrehearsed, and Morrison's verse and Maurseth's melody symbiotically informed one another during the improvisation.

Art and Culture in Perugia

On Tuesday, the Fellows and Director's Guests of Civitella Ranieri enjoyed a day on the town in Perugia, with a series of museum tours organized by Vivien Greene (DG 2016). The first stop was Palazzo della Penna where Massimo Duranti gave us a glimpse into the second wave of Italian Futurist art, most notably the works of Gerardo Dottori.

Vivien Greene translates for Massimo Duranti as he explains the work  'Incendio in città' 

Dottori exemplified the Futurist call to arms with his famous aeropaintings set in the Umbrian landscape that so inspired him. While Futurism screams aggression, velocity and technology, Dottori's works display a communion with peaceful and idyllic nature.  

The Fellows gather to learn about Dottori. To be noted in the background is a depiction of Lake Trasimeno, a setting Dottori often incorporated into his works, as he considered it the meeting point between heaven and earth.  

After a traditional lunch, the group travelled back in time at the Galleria Nazionale di Umbria as curator, Dr. Maria Brucato, led us through a panorama of 15th and 16th century works. The pinnacle of the visit was viewing Piero della Francesca's Polyptych of Sant'Antonio. Groundbreaking for its period, the work features an asymmetrical composition depicting the Annunciation. Along with his innovative use of space and perspective, della Francesca’s naturalistic rendering of figures shines through in this masterpiece, anticipating the work of many later Renaissance painters.  

An Artistic One Night Stand

Friday evening's Vicini di Casa exhibit at the Civitella Ranieri Castle was a huge success.  The collaboration of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, the Friends of Civitella, and the Galleria Grefti resulted in a beautiful show that brought over 300 guests to the castle in honor of the local art scene.

What was markedly unique about this exhibit was the way it incorporated the works of both local Italian artists, and many talented members of the expat community living in the area. The orchestrators of the event were impressed with the number of artists who participated, and the community members who came out for the show. 

With around 40 artists consigning their works to the event, guests enjoyed a medley of medias, themes, and inspirations as they strolled the castle grounds.  The show brought many up and coming artists to the forefront, and highlighted how the surrounding area nurtures the creative spirits of many. 

Everything came together yesterday evening to create a very special event. We thank the artists, the guests, and all who worked to make the show a success and a special experience for our community. 

The following is a list of those who exhibited:

Luca Aglietti 

Alberto Alunni

Claudia Andreani

Christy Astuy

Rebecca Bacchetti

William Balthazar Rose 

Paul Bannow 

Libby Barber 

Peter Bartlett 

Mario Bizzarri 

Adriana Bodrero 

Adriano Bottaccioli 

Sarah Bradpiece 

Francesco Candelori 

Luca Cataldo 

Donna Cehrs 

Robert Chiarito 

Lucy Clink 

Jil Cuthberg 

Gattoroscio 

Chiara Giannelli 

Monica Grelli 

Mirco Guardabassi 

Eva Hausegger 

Frances Middendorf 

Giampaolo Monsignori 

Luisa Nunziati 

Massimiliano Poggioni 

Penny Radford 

Rimateria 

Ginda Simpson 

James Kingdom Smyth 

Martina Stromberger 

Vera Tamburini 

Michelle Thyne 

UmbriArt 

Valeria Vestrelli 

Rachel Williams 

Neal Winfield 

Valerie Zanotto 

Preparing The Show

Tomorrow evening Civitella Ranieri Foundation and the Friends of Civitella Ranieri will welcome all to Vicini di Casa, a special exhibit at the castle. Throughout the week, local artists have been bringing us an array of works including drawings, paintings, sculptures, and digital media.

 Today the orchestrators of the event are hard at work, finding each piece its perfect home on the castle grounds for the show.

 Please join us tomorrow at 6 to celebrate and enjoy the area's local artists. 

Vicini di Casa Art Exhibit

To better explore some of the rich talents of our neighbors, Civitella Ranieri Foundation and Grefti Gallery have organized a 'one night stand' on the grounds of the Civitella Ranieri Castle.
The Exhibition will begin at 6PM and will end at 9PM on Friday August 12, 2016. Wine and refreshments will be served during the event.

La Fondazione Civitella Ranieri, in collaborazione con la Galleria d'Arte Grefti organizza presso il Castello di Civitella Ranieri una mostra per esplorare e conoscere i talenti artistici delle nostre zone.
La mostra inizierà alle ore 18 e terminerà alle ore 21 di venerdì 12 Agosto 2016. L'evento sarà accompagnato da un rinfresco
RSVP news@civitella.org; tel:075.782.5228