Accademia di Belle Arti
May 2, 2017 — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is celebrating the 50-year anniversary of its international study program at Italy’s Accademia di Belle Arti with an exhibit entitled “Artists from the Academia.”
Beginning May 4, digital prints of work from 16 artists who create and teach at the Accademia will be on display in the John Spoor Broome Library gallery. The opening reception is May 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the gallery.
The California State University International Program in Florence began in 1966 and was linked to the Accademia di Belle Arti in 1989. Art students from CSUCI began studying at the Accademia after the campus opened in 2002.
“It’s a great opportunity,” said the curator of the exhibit, Professor of Art History Irina D. Costache. “They get to learn about art from artists at a world-renowned institution. They study at the Accademia with students from Italy and many other countries. History is an important component of this opportunity. Michelangelo’s David is right next door, plus they connect with other students in a contemporary dialogue. They look at art from the past and present.”
Costache organized the exhibition in collaboration with Professor Marsha Steinberg, the Studio Coordinator of the CSU International Programs in Florence.
Students study sculpture, drawing, metal, marble, painting, graphics and many other forms of art, and, during the year they are in Florence, they take trips to places like Rome, Naples, Pompeii and Venice.
There are celebrations going on right now in Florence, Italy, too, according to Leo Van Cleve, CSU’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for International and Off-Campus Programs, who spoke last week in Florence at an event held in the Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence. Van Cleve said the deputy mayor of Florence and the U.S. consul general was also in attendance, and Van Cleve said he ran into a couple of art students from CSUCI.
“Studying here gives students the opportunity to see experiences beyond their own and see and be challenged by the great works of art they see here in Florence, some from 500 years ago, some contemporary,” Van Cleve said.
The 16 artists featured in the gallery show at CSUCI were asked to submit two artworks that reflect key moments in their artistic journey, said Costache, who is also coordinator of the Broome Library Gallery.
One piece called “Dream” is by Luca Bianchini, Professor of Sculpture at the Accademia.
“He discloses his interest in the human form, which he delicately, yet effectively models creating shapes and forms that intricately overlap and stand out against the central female figure,” Costache said.
Another, by Professor of Painting Carlo Pizzichini, is called “Meteor.”
“Its nostalgic simplicity connects with the surrounding Tuscan environment while bringing a contemporary layer to a region filled with history that dates back to the Roman times,” Costache said.
The prints are displayed on 18 by 20 inches panels created by Professor of Art Liz King, who also did the 24-page exhibit catalog and the show poster.
“I wanted the design used throughout the show and printed materials to express the flavor of Italian design and would showcase the artist’s works on a backdrop of a simple design utilizing orange polygonal shapes,” King said. “I was also inspired by Italian Futurist Typography.”
The exhibit runs from May 4 to July 30.
Limited parking is available on campus with the purchase of a $6 daily permit; follow signs to the parking permit dispensers. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CSUCI Vista Bus to the campus; the cash-only fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.