the bau institute otranto & new york
Fall 2010 Newsletter
Cari Amici, Buon Autunno!
We have big plans for the future and lots to report. Since the last Newsletter, BAU Institute hosted two arts residencies in Otranto, with 40 creative residents and 4 prestigious critics. Luccio Pozzi and Stephen Westfall joined us this year. In ten years, over 400 fellows and students have participated in BAU programs to transform and rejuvenate their work. We love to hear the news of their accomplishments: books published, art exhibited and buildings created. Please scroll down, read and respond.
Editions Initiatives Sirch Holl Westfall Peacock
Pozzi Cego AAA Sara Vision Benefit
Table of Contents 2011 Initiatives Short Questionnaire BAU Editions Print Portfolio Otranto Residency 2009 Otranto Residency 2010 AAA Exhibition, Castle of Otranto Steven Holl Exhibition, Castle of Acaya Carlo Cego Exhibitions, Otranto and Lecce Thank You 2011 Initiatives
The June 2011 Otranto Residency is open for applications with options for two week or one month stays. There will be housing and studios for seven residents this season. Apply now! For information
An experimental intaglio printmaking workshop is being offered by an exciting young Gallery in Lecce called Primo Piano Livin Gallery. They will make special arrangements to acommodate BAU residents. See their post on Resartis:
We achieved an important goal set last year. We have been approved for our 501(c)(3) pending some minor details for NY State. BAU Institute is grateful to Fractured Atlas for their five years of fiscal sponsorship and guidance. As an independent non-profit, BAU can apply for grants to grow new programs and receive direct donations on line. Test the new Donate Here button
We have updated the BAU Website with a new webmaster, Beth Netelkos. She is trading her web expertise for a painting residency. Check out the new navigation, more pictures and new pages, including one under construction for Fellows and Critics with links to their websites.
An exciting new program is being planned to open in 2012, only 30 minutes from Otranto. Under the auspices of BAU Institute, two young architects from Lecce University, are renovating their family’s historic palazzo in Sternatia. With its stables for studios and orangerie gardens it will house the Italian arts residency for an additional 6 months, after June in Otranto. This will increase the possibilities for longer projects.
We are continuing the informal symposium, tentatively titled, The Origins of Abstraction. It is a flexible platform for presentations and performances to partner with other funded programs. Please contact Marthe to discuss your ideas.
The BAU Institute Board is now comprised of Paola Iacucci, President, Marthe Keller, Director, Jay Lonschein, Treasurer, Beverly Nelson, Robin Noble, and Araby Smyth, Secretary. Board building is a continuing process with a goal of 9 members.
Araby Smyth, our beloved administrator, will leave to go to graduate school. Araby will be hard to replace, but we are grateful that she will be available to train her successor. We have begun the search for a new administrator who will start immediately.
Short Questionnaire
The President of the region of Puglia, Nichi Vendola, spoke in New York recently. We were inspired by Vendola’s vision for the future of Italy and the South. He said, “people are like angels with only one wing, they need to be joined together to fly.” As founders of BAU institute, Marthe and Paola share his idea that connection with each other may take root in a particular place, but it can reach out to the world. This narrative about ties and memory made us want to hear from you!!
Please take a moment to respond: • Beyond the residency do you see yourself as part of an on-going community? • How can the bau institute continue to be a vital part of your creative life? • Does Building Arts and Urbanism offer a platform for your ideas and projects? • What would excite you about continuing to be a part of BAU Institute? • Include the link to your website here to be added to a new Fellows list on our website. Email your answers and comments here
BAU Institute Editions 2010 was created to offer artists a mini printmaking residency and support BAU Institute with print sales. The portfolio of 25 archival pigment prints was made by 25 notable artists and architects. They worked with master printer, Katy Martin in her NY studio to create the collection which
honored Michael Goldberg (1924-2007), a dear friend and important member of the New York School of painting. Boxed editions were completed in 2010 and are for sale on our website
Writing fellow, Hilary Reyl hosted a Pugliese dinner at her loft in NY in the Fall of 2009 to introduce the print collection. Everyone loved seeing the prints in person.
The BAU Institute Editions were on view in April in a two-day exhibition at Art Finance Partners Gallery in the Fuller Building on 57th Street. The reception was packed with art world friends of BAU Institute enjoying the prints and a jeroboam of vintage Pugliese wine donated by artist and wine expert, Donald Alberti. Knoedler Gallery and Lynn Umlauf loaned a terriffic Michael Goldberg watercolor as centerpiece of the exhibition. Thanks to Art Finance Partners for donating their gallery space.
The second night, there was a live auction of Italian Luxuries and Experiences with our Honorary Fellow, auctioneer George MacNeely of Christies. Fellows donated their autographed best sellers and design objects and Costume Nationale, rooted in Otranto, donated high fashion. Aros Communications co- organized the benefit. We thank everyone who bid including the couple who won the trip to Otranto where they got engaged!
In May, Michael Goldberg’s print from the BAU Editions was on view in Knoedler Gallery for his historic exhibition of major paintings from the 60’s.
In November, Tom Lollar and Paul Limperopulos of Benefit Print Projects, showed our boxed collection at the Editions /Artists Books Fair in New York. We are thrilled that they are offering the collection at Art /Basel/Miami Beach in December. We look forward to more collaborations with Benefit Print Projects.
Thanks to Meghan Carleton of Art Finance Partners, a boxed edition of the prints was sold on ART NET auctions and will be posted again periodically.
On December 21, 2010, the BAU Editions will be featured at a meeting of the Print Connoisseurs Society of NY with the artists invited. The printmaker, Katy Martin and a few artists will give presentations.
With only two more boxed editions to sell, we will have covered the costs of publishing and can begin to raise money for BAU programs. Please help us sell two more editions. Call Marthe for availability (212) 431-6923.
Otranto Residency 2009
In 2009 the Residency was especially international. We hosted 22 visual artists, writers, designers and architects from the USA, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea and Italy. The critics were of Native American ancestry and Italian.
We watched the Castle transformed into a museum with a bookstore and an exhibition of Miro prints by a new director, Luigi Orione. The artists opened their studios to the public at the end of the month. Suzanne Silver’s installation “Metaphora” was retained on view for several months after the Residency. Some people participated in cooking classes with Giacinta Cego and Italian conversation with Annamaria Corchia. The Critic-in Residence was John Hunt Peacock. John is Professor of Language, Literature and Culture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Some of John’s poetry is in the endangered Dakota Indian language. He made a universal poetic connection between the ancient earth of Salento and that of the American Southwest that artist residents could appreciate and reflect. We will continue to explore specificities and similarities he brought to light.
The Visiting Critic, Gianni Sirch came from Venice and teaches at New York University’s Studio Art Program there. He reported on the Venice Biennale engendering lively discussion. Gianni was very much appreciated for offering cross cultural context and helpful insight to fellows about their work. Since his visit we have made a point to invite both European and American critics.
The 2009 Residents were: Elina Cardet, Phillis Ideal, Suejin Jo, Margaret Kelly, Ida Kleinterp, Barry Ledoux, Pam Longobardi, Agnes Martin, Linda Sapin, Suzanne Silver, Katie Smith, Michael Swartz, Ine Wijtvliet. Brad Ensminger, our graphic designer also participated.
The Program Assistants were Sara Stracey, Sean Peacock, Amira Silver Schwartz and Sivan Silver Schwartz. We appreciated how hard they all worked to make our studios function and our daily living a pleasure.
Otranto Residency 2010
The residency in 2010 hosted fewer people than in 2009, with some staying for a month. We found it to be a good model for creating the most relaxed and productive atmosphere yet. The studios worked well and we enjoyed our field trips to pre-historic and Byzantine sites. We toured Lecce and the frescoes in Galatina and we experienced a very special night of authentic Grecanico music at a nearby masseria. Our gastronomical pleasures included many traditional highlights, but our favorite meal was the local vegetarian cooking by Anna Meggiore.
For the second year the Castle was run by professional museum and design organizations, so it functioned smoothly.
Two visiting critics joined us this year. Lucio Pozzi, painter, journalist, and performance artist, and Steven Westfall, painter, writer, and Fellow from the American Academy in Rome. They were much appreciated by the resident visual artists for sharing their insights.
The Program Assistant was Sara Stracey. Marthe and Paola were delighted to have Sara’s help for the second year. An artist and designer, Sara took on the job of ‘ground operator/assistant’ to the BAU Residency while also producing her own new work.
The 2010 Residents were: Ariane Braillard, Francesco Cincotta, Oletha De Vane, Joanne Freeman, Barbara Hertel, Phillis Ideal, Margaret Kelly, Louise LeBourgeois, Anne McKeown, Betty Merken, Beverly Nelson, Dylan Nelson, Margaret Peterson, Ashly Stohl and Don Voisine. Brad Ensminger, our graphic designer also participated.
the bau institute otranto & new york
American Abtract Artists International “l’astrazione vista da un cosmopolita” mostra nel Castello di Otranto Inaugurazione 18 giugno ore 19
fino al 28 giugno apertura della mostra: dalle ore 10 alle ore 13, dalle ore 15 alle ore 22 nel Castello Aragonese di Otranto dal 18 al 28 giugno www.americanabstrctartists.org www.bauinstitute.org
AAA Exhibit In 2010 BAU Institute hosted a large exhibition called American Abstract Artists International, “L’astrazione vista da un cosmopolita”. The exhibition included small abstract paintings by 50 American Abstract Artist members with 5 Italian guest exhibitors. It was the first stop in a European tour. The brochure which accompanied the exhibition contained an essay by Lucio Pozzi.
Steven Holl Exhibition in the Castle of Acaya
On July 10 an exhibition of the New York architect Steven Holl opened with a lecture in the square of the 16th century city of Acaia near Lecce. The architects Annette Goderbauer and BAU President, Paola Iacucci co-curated the show with the collaboration of the Istituto di Culture Mediterranee della Provincia di Lecce,
Carlo Cego Exhibitions in Otranto and Lecce
In September an exhibition of the paintings of Carlo Cego took place in the castle of Otranto organized by Paola Iacucci. Carlo was part of a group of painters who came from the north to Otranto in the early 80’s to work in that special light. He started the habit of working there that we continue. Carlo was beloved by the town’s people of Otranto. A second exhibition of Carlo’s work will take place in the church of San Francesco della Scarpa in Lecce from March 12 to April 3, 2011. A catalog, “Carlo Cego: Questo e` il mio paese” has many contributors, including a poem by BAU critic John Peacock.
Thank you
You have been instrumental in creating BAU Institute. Our relationships are our strength and we really count on your vision to shape our future.
Fellows are needed for the 2011 Reunion Committee, please contact us to volunteer. If you haven’t done so, please respond to the questionnaire at the beginning of this Newsletter. Your feedback is essential!
Your generous donations help to cover important administrative costs as well as scholarships, fellowships and website maintenance. If you would like to endow a full scholarship in your name please call Marthe Keller at (212) 431-6923 or Paola Iacucci at (212) 629-3083.
Thank you to all the Fellows who provided their photos. Your active participation is BAU Institute!
Tanti cari saluti, Paola Iacucci, Marthe Keller and Araby Smyth
BAU Institute / Otranto, Italy and NYC / www.bauinstitute.org / [email protected]