Bright, saturated colors found their way into my art, a surprising contrast to the monochromatic work I’d been doing previously.
Director's Report, 2013
Diana Gisolfi, Director
Participants in the 2013 Pratt in Venice program were both thoroughly engaged in the experience and seriously productive in their work. Again a congenial mix of graduate and undergraduate students from various departments and programs at Pratt took part. Art History, Fine Arts, Library Science, Communication Design, Art Education, and Art Therapy were represented. Alumnus Joe Kopta (PiV '07, BFA/MS '10) again joined the team as program coordinator. Early in the program he organized a new, optional, Sunday trip – to Ravenna – to study mosaics earlier than any on the islands of Venice. Chris Wright’s painting class often brought easels outside – to investigate and depict in varied ways the light and reflections in Venice. Jennifer Melby’s printmakers explored etching, aquatint and other techniques. The joint final critique showed abundant, diverse and high quality works of art.
Painting Junior Luke Watson at work (photo: Chris Wright).
In Art History all enjoyed the boat trip to Torcello, where Dorothy Shepard invited Joe Kopta to lecture on the mosaics. Materials and Techniques students were able to mount to the monks’ loft in San Sebastiano and hear from conservators and Amalia Basso of the Soprintendenza about the last phase in the conservation of Veronese’s frescoes.
Special lectures included Stefania Sartori, wood conservationist, Paolo Spezzani in a lecture open to all on non destructive investigation of materials and techniques, and Robert Morgan on the Biennale. The Biennale itself was all over town, not only in the main sites at the Arsenale and the Giardini. What distinguished the Biennale of 2013 was, in fact, its installation in many private palaces around the city. This opened such palazzi to visitors and challenged 21st century artists to create installations that might interact with spaces built in the 15th, 16th or 17th century.
On trips to Padua trip and the villa Barbaro there were innovations. After the visit to the Giotto chapel and the area of the Santo, a few faculty and students went to Sta. Giustina, a 16th century Benedictine church with early Christian remains, recently unearthed. On the villa trip, after Castelfranco and Giorgione we visited Palladio’s Villa Emo decorated by Zelotti before continuing to Palladio’s Villa Barbaro at Maser and to our rustic meal and art-making on the hills outside Bassano. This addition brought universal approval and will be repeated.
Students Lilian Thorpe, Jessie Novik and Anthony Vasquez observing Zelotti's frescoes in Palladio's Villa Emo (photo: Diana Gisolfi).
29th Annual Pratt in Venice Exhibition, 11/4–8
We are very excited to invite you to the 29th annual exhibition. As in past years, the exhibition showcases the work of this summer’s Pratt in Venice program, featuring works in painting and printmaking as well as research projects done by current Pratt students.
The exhibition opens Monday, November 4th, and runs all week until November 8th in East Hall’s Second Floor Gallery on the Pratt Brooklyn campus. We will be having an opening party November 4th from 5-7 pm with refreshments, a slideshow of photos from this year’s program, a silent auction for the works to benefit the scholarship fund, and a chance to meet and mingle with alumni.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Graduate Student Experience, 2013
Pratt in Venice 2012 Exhibition a Success!
Highlights from the show include current junior Max Tovar’s detailed etchings that sold like hotcakes, junior Kaitlin Mazzei’s large oil canvases of realistically rendered scenes from every day Venetian life, and junior Melina DiMarco’s hazy, nearly abstract oils of Venice’s canals and natural features.
Director's Report, 2012
Diana Gisolfi, Director
Pratt in Venice 2012 was a highly productive year with lots of student collaboration and many memorable occasions. Nineteen participants included upperclassmen and graduate students from Art History, Fine Arts, Interior Design, and Architecture. A student from the University of Delaware and two students from Pratt at Munsen-Williams-Proctor (one on her way to Pratt, the other moving on to Maryland) joined the group. Alumnus Joe Kopta (PiV '07, BFA/MS '10) joined as chief assistant and Venice alumnus Andrew Kurczak (PiV '11) continued as communicator extraordinaire. Students Kelly Davis, Regina Dubin, Collin Hewitt and Hannah West served as course assistants.
Pratt in Venice 2012 on Palladio's Bridge, Bassano del Grappa (photo: Joseph Kopta).
Dorothy Shepard, with Joe and colleagues Jennifer and Chris, led the trip to Torcello and the visit to San Marco. All faculty and staff contributed in group visits to the Accademia and the Doges Palace led by Diana. Visiting lecturer Tracy Cooper (Temple University) shared her expertise on Palladio at San Giorgio Maggiore and the Redentore. Materials and Techniques visits to the San Marco mosaic lab, the Orsoni factory, and wood conservation studio with Stefania Sartori were followed by a very special opportunity to mount the scaffold at the church of San Sebastiano in Venice to study, with the help of the conservators Lucia Tito and Egido Arlango, the great range of painting techniques employed by Veronese and his assistants. A special event in the art history class was the lecture by alumna Galia Halpern (MS/MSLIS '07) in the exhibition of early maps at the Marciana Library. The lecture to the whole group by expert Paolo Spezzani on paintings in Venice and Padua studied under X-ray, infrared and ultraviolet shed light on the group trip to Padua and prepared students to understand examples to be seen on the trip to Castelfranco, Maser and Bassano. In Padua, Antonio Stevan, conservation architect, again generously hosted our early morning extended visit to the Scrovegni Chapel with Giotto’s frescoes. At Bassano all enjoyed a delicious meal al fresco prepared by Luisa and Gigi with all fresh local ingredients before seeking perches from which to sketch, paint or etch the countryside.
Tracy Cooper (Temple University) lecturing on Palladio's architecture in the church of San Giorgio Maggiore (photo: Joseph Kopta)
Jennifer Melby’s printmaking students working long hours at the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica and Chris Wright’s painters working at the Università Internazionale dell’Arte and on site produced a wonderful range of work, admired by all participants in the final critique before our “Last Supper” held at Gianni’s on the Zattere after the weekend celebration of the Festa del Redentore accompanied by ceremonies, church bells, boat races and fabulous fireworks.
Colin Hewitt (Painting course assistant) presents his work at the Final Critique (photo: Joseph Kopta).
Graduate Student Experience, 2012
Would You Like to Study in Venice This Summer?
Pratt in Venice will have its first informational meeting for interested students on February 1st !
Need Art History or Studio credits? Want to spend your summer in the city of water looking at art? Pratt in Venice is holding its first informational meeting on Wednesday, February 1st at 12:30 in Main 230. This is a great chance to find out more about the program, meet the professors, and other specifics such as application procedures and dates. The program is running for its 28th year, and has a distinguished reputation among study abroad programs at Pratt. Keep a look out for flyers around campus and feel free to stop by the Pratt in Venice office in room 250B to pick up a brochure and applications.
Pratt in Venice on CBS!
This past summer, Pratt in Venice students were filmed for a CBS segment on American students studying in Venice during the Biennale. CBS met a group of Pratt students at the Arsenale exhibition space, and followed the group while they explored the exhibits. Additionally, the reporter conducted interviews with some of the students. It was shown on the air Sunday, November 27th. To see the full clip, click here!
Art History Graduate Students Aurelia Moser, Jessica Kloville and Alex Watkins were interviewed by CBS reporter Seth Doane at the Arsenale during the Biennale (photo: Chris Wright).
Pratt in Venice 2011
Pratt in Venice 2011
Christina Manzella, Graduate Art History & Library Science Student
I knew from before I was accepted into Pratt that I wanted to participate in the Pratt in Venice program. First, it’s always better to experience art in situ. I’m a contemporary art person, which was a major factor in my choosing a school in NYC to study art history. Why wouldn’t I want to go to Europe to study Renaissance and Baroque art? Second, I’m a contemporary art person, so that Renaissance/Baroque distribution requirement was a bit daunting. I knew that fulfilling that class in Venice would be more fun. What I found out was that going to Pratt in Venice was also the best way for me to actually learn about that portion of art’s history. Taking the two art history courses offered meant a minimal amount of time in the classroom. The majority of our class meetings were field trips, and, when we were in the classroom, we had quite a few guest lecturers. This ‘hands-on’ approach was so engaging and ideal for learning about an area in which I thought I had little interest. Thanks to the program, I also learned that I’m really interested in architecture.
The benefits of participating in one of Pratt’s most established study abroad programs were evident in the art history classes. The benefits of going to a city with faculty who have been year after year became evident in our group outings and free time. Thanks to them, we found out which islands to visit, which areas to go shopping, and at which restaurants to eat. And, though I won’t divulge any of the surprises, there are some amazing group events. Finally, the Festa Redentore is not to be missed. It’s one of the best reasons to go to Venice during July. Do not miss this night!
Director's Report, 2011
Diana Gisolfi, Director
2011 was a special year for Pratt in Venice. The group of participants comprised 21 students, balanced equally between graduate and undergraduate, including degree candidates in painting, printmaking, art history, library science, illustration, art direction, and various combined degrees.
Pratt in Venice 2011 on Palladio's bridge, Bassano del Grappa.
The printmaking studio at the Scuola di Grafica was active overtime with highly determined printmakers tirelessly guided by Jennifer Melby. Chris Wright and his painters labored outdoors and in the Universita` dell’Arte studio, producing a wide range of responses to the experience. Art history students tromped and floated around the city studying the visual arts in situ with Dimitri Hazzikostas, while in Materials and Techniques students were admitted, through the help of Diana Gisolfi’s Venetian associates, to conservation laboratories and sites to learn about ways of making and salvaging art. Visiting lecturers included Tracy Cooper on Palladio, Paolo Spezzani on non-destructive analysis of art works, Robert Morgan’s view of the Biennale, and Stefania Sartori on wood conservation.
In addition to our traditional visits to Padua and to Castelfranco/Maser/Bassano, including architect Antonio Stevan’s lecture at the Giotto Chapel and an outdoor feast at Bassano, there were two unique happenings. The publicity office at Pratt contacted the program to ask if CBS could film some of our students viewing the Biennale. As Hilary Thompson, our wonderfully organized on-site assistant, had already organized the visit to the Giardini part of the Biennale, we set up a visit to the Arsenale part, with CBS in tow. Some segment of the filming should appear on CBS Sunday Morning very soon! The other unique event was in relation to conservation of the church of San Sebastiano, decorated by Paolo Veronese. Materials and Techniques students visited the exhibition of the three ceiling canvases, just cleaned, at the Palazzo Grimani, and they later were able to mount the scaffold in the church with the superintendent of the project, Dr. Amalia Basso as guide, to see up close all the varied painting techniques used by Veronese and his helpers.
Our Pratt in Venice exhibition on campus October 17-22 in the Second Floor Gallery reflects the richness of the program in the range and high quality of work exhibited. The conservation research and on-site photographs shown in the display cases outside the gallery remain on view throughout the year.
Prof. Gisolfi Writes for Veronese Exhibition Catalogue
Professor Diana Gisolfi’s essay, “Veronese’s Unity of Vision in the Story of Esther,” was recently published in the exhibition catalogue Veronese: The Stories of Esther Revealed, at the Museo di Palazzo Grimani in Venice, Italy.
Paolo Veronese, The Crowning of Esther
The exhibition ran from April 21st–July 24th, 2011. It featured three different newly-restored Paolo Veronese masterpieces from the church of San Sebastiano depicting scenes from the Book of Esther in the Old Testament.
Director's Report, 2009
Diana Gisolfi, Program Director
Pratt in Venice 2009 marked the 25th anniversary of our Program. Fittingly it was a stellar year. Twenty-four participants included nine graduate students, from Art History and also Fine Arts and Digital Arts. The undergraduates were majors in Fine Arts, Communication Design, many also completing minors in Art History, and majors in Art History. Graduate TCHADA alumna Gillian Sneed (MS '08) served as on-site assistant and supervised housing matters. She also organized and led a visit of all interested students to the Venice Biennale.
The climate cooperated, so Dimitri Hazzikostas’ Torcello trip started the program off beautifully. Greg Drasler, painting professor and Joe Stauber, printmaking professor, both in their second year with the program, worked wonderfully together and supported and pushed students well. The final crit, and the exhibition in October at Pratt, showed a great range of excellent work in both painting and printmaking/drawing.
Graduate assistants in the art history classes, Hilary Thompson and John Gribowich, undertook helping undergraduates in the intricacies of using the Marciana Library and the Quirini-Stampalia Library. And the nine students in Materials and Techniques came through with excellent research, with topics ranging from Venetian bricks, to early printed books and manuscripts, to meaning and technique in mosaics, to pigments and underdrawings in Bellini and Tintoretto, to sustaining Venice’s ecosystem.
We again enjoyed collaboration from local experts: Antonio Stevan at the Giotto chapel, Stefania Sartori in the wood sculpture conservation lab, Maestro Piero in the mosaic lab, Bernardo Molinas on frescoes, Paolo Spezzani on techniques for showing painting processes.
And we all enjoyed the spectacular fireworks on the Feast on the Redentore.
Painter Reflects on Time in Venice
Reflections on Venice 2009
Pratt in Venice Program Celebrates Its 24th Year
Diana Gisolfi, Director
The Pratt in Venice summer program of 2008 enjoyed several novelties. The printmaking course, developed and taught for years by Clare Romano and John Ross, was turned over to Joe Stauber, now printmaking professor at Pratt and once a student of Romano. Romano and Ross met with Stauber in the spring and the transition was seamless. Greg Drasler taught painting in Venice for the first time. This team received much praise from participants and will carry on in 2009.
The student participants included outside students, graduate students in the MFA and HA masters programs, undergraduates from various studio departments and a strong group of undergraduate BFAs in Art History.
Although it rained for the first few days and the Torcello trip was postponed twice, Dimitri Hazzikostas finally had a fine day to introduce the group to Venetian history and early buildings with splendid mosaics at Torcello. Professor Fiorentin and Massimo Angeletti at the Università Internazionale dell’Arte provided their traditional hospitality and also the new convenience of wireless internet (which worked most of the time) and two computers available to participants. Our in-house library at UIA received some additions, sadly due to a sale at our favorite bookstore, Libreria Sansovino, which was giving up its status as an art bookstore. The libraries at the Cini Foundation, the Marciana (up and running after renovations in 2007), and the Querini-Stampalia were kept busy by our students and the painting studios were fully occupied and open regularly on Saturday. Printmaking at the Scula Internazionale di Grafica took advantage of some full day sessions and the production was impressive.
In our traditional visit to Padua, Architetto Antonio Stevan was again our generous host and expert lecturer on the conservation of the Giotto Chapel. On the trip to the Villa Barbaro at Maser and Bassano Joe Stauber organized a relay race to wake the group up for drawing in plein air after the abundant pranzo and Greg Drasler conducted individual crits. Special lectures included Professor Botter on fresco conservation, Paolo Spezzani on infra-red imaging, X-rays and ultraviolet images in Venetian painting, and Robert Morgan on global art today. In addition to our visits to laboratories such as the mosaic studio in San Marco, Materials and Techniques had a private visit to exhibition concerning the restoration and to the top of the Clock Tower in San Marco, where the bronze Moors again ring the bell and the clockworks again function.
