Who are the Directors? Thursday, Dec 3 2009 

Directors of Tuscany: A Creative Journey.

Curt Labitzke, Associate Professor in the Studio Art Division of the School of Art, is a seasoned traveler in Italy.  He has directed four quarter-long School of Art programs in Rome and has traveled extensively through Italy with these groups.  As an artist and as an instructor, he has worked with a wide variety of media as well as a diverse student population, from those just beginning to develop their skills as artists to advanced graduate students.  Curt’s work is highly influenced by his travels throughout Italy and is characterized by large scale figures whose relationships evoke both the magnitude of the mythological as well as the  nuances of personal intimacy.

Cynthia Caci, who has co-directed seminars in Sicily, Tunisia and Tuscany, has a graduate degree in Art History with a focus in the art of the early Italian Renaissance.  She brings not only language proficiency in conversational Italian but also teaching experience that will provide an historical context to the seminar in Tuscany. Her entire career at the Univeristy of Washington has been involved in undergraduate education and in helping students align their personal, educational and professional goals with opportunities at the UW and beyond. Cynthia is currently the Assistant Director of Academic Services in the Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media.

2009 Explorers Meet at Sisko Gallery Friday, Jun 19 2009 

Our first “field trip” with our 2009 program participants was to Sisko Gallery in Seattle. Gallery owner and artist, John Sisko, hosted us for an evening of light refreshments, good conversations, and a discussion on the bronze-casting process. Sisko, who recently returned from a sojourn to Italy several months earlier, provided insights on techniques, processes and figurative art in general.

Art show and tell — sharing our work Monday, Sep 8 2008 

Mondays have been established as studio days. Given that many students travel ambitiously over the weekend on their free time, we’ve hit a nice rhythm of keeping close to home/hostel on Monday.

We had our first “critique” together today — more of a show-and-tell than a formal critique. Students were asked to bring their Five Faves (five works created thus far) and to talk about their interests, share their processes, and look forward to what they would still like to accomplish. We learned a lot about each other as well as learning from each other. They all reported later that this was a great activity and that they are looking forward to this again toward the end of our program.

The instructors began individual conferences with the students today — just an opportunity to check-in with everyone and spend some quality time talking about his/her experiences thus far, their work, what they still hope to do/see/experience on the program, and to get some solid feedback on the pace of activities, etc. These conferences will continue through Wednesday.

The program dinner was at Il Gatto e La Vulpa (the Cat and the Fox), a restaurant near the Bargello that several students found last week for lunch. Copious amounts of good food, including brushetta, grilled eggplant and zucchini, and a pasta dish of choice. Many plastic containers followed us back to the hostel.

Pre-departure Gatherings Tuesday, Aug 19 2008 

Many of us had the opportunity to get together multiple times prior to the program, including two pre-departure seminars and two informal gatherings that included food and bocce! Here are some photos.