Studio Arts College International - Late Spring Study Abroad Session May 18-June 28, 2016
Recipient of SACI Jules Maidoff Best Student Artwork Award
Late Spring and Summer Studies at SACI are open to: students enrolled in US institutions who are seeking accredited summer study; independent non-credit students; mature students; students from institutions outside the US interested in art, art history, art conservation, design, and Italian language. This Late Spring session included approximately 200 students and where at the end of the term, one student is selected to be the recipient of the Jules Maidoff Best Student Artwork award. I had the honor of receiving this award after an already extremely rewarding study experience.
Fresco Painting ARTS400
Fresco painting is a class where the fascinating and time-proven process of painting on fresh plaster is taught. Beginning with the drawing of the first cartoon, students learn to prepare and apply calce (lime), execute a fresco, and then how to remove it for transportation. This class is of great value not only to studio art majors, but also to art history majors, and persons interested in conservation.
The class includes trips to Renaissance and modern frescos in Florence.
A minimum of three frescos including the underlying preparatory strappo layer (dimensions 30x40 cm or 38x38 cm).
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During my study abroad time at the Studio Arts College International (SACI) in Florence I had the opportunity to take two classes that truly praised Tuscany and its artistic treasures. Fresco Painting taught the traditional techniques used by the Old Masters. From fresco technique, to mixing plaster, applying color "dry way," arabic gum, yolk, casein, Sgrafitto, gold leaf, and more, all these techniques I incorporated into my final piece and added my own artists touch. On my final piece I decided to intertwine fresco painting and Sgrafitto by cutting away sgraffito plaster and spreading fresco plaster in between. Merging the fresco painting technique and sgraffito together which even my professor had never seen before. I also chose to paint very traditional Italian works such as a piece by Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, Libyan Sibyl, and my final piece, an interior of a dome by Benozzo Gozzoli in San Gimingnano.
Beginning Ceramics ARTS271
The aim of the course is to guide the students through a progressive understanding of the complex nature of the ceramic medium. Ceramics deals with materials and processes that are quite complex and the nature and behavior of clay, glazes and temperature need to be fully understood to be able to express one's creative ideas freely.
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All the basic techniques of clay forming will be explored including some instruction on the potter’s wheel. We will glaze and decorate our fired pieces using various techniques (underglaze decoration, overglaze decoration, majolica painting etc.).
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The program of the course includes a series of practical demonstrations, lectures on essential theoretical information on the nature of clay and of glazes and on firing clay, slide shows on historical and contemporary ceramics and field trips to visit musuems and ceramic studios. We travelled to Mario Mariani's Ceramic studio and also travelled to a hillside town to perform traditional Raku firing.
More about Florence!
Florence, which combines some of the world's greatest artistic treasures with a surrounding countryside of remarkable beauty, is the ideal place for summer studies. Florentine weather is at its very best in these months, providing an ideal environment for what many students have defined as a "life-changing experience." SACI's facilities are located in the heart of Florence, just steps away from Michelangelo's Medici Chapel, Fra' Angelico's masterpieces in San Marco, the colorful central market, and Florence's Duomo.
Students benefit from the wide range of study possibilities offered during these short terms to make their time at SACI a season of growth and fulfillment. Art History course field trips visit all the major museums of Florence (including the Uffizi, the Bargello, and the Pitti Palace) as well as masterpieces in the churches and monasteries in and around the city. Field trips to Pisa, Arezzo, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, and Fiesole are a regular part of the program and are open to all Late Spring and Summer students.
During the summer months, Florence offers a remarkable range of cultural and popular events and activities such as: the famous Calcio in Costume, during which the different quarters of the city compete in what is considered to be the ancestor of modern soccer; outdoor evening film and music festivals; and the Estate Fiesolana, which includes concerts, film, and theater held in a Roman amphitheater.
