“Aperto per Arte “- partecipanti al laboratorio
a cura di Cheryl Growdn Piana, clarinettista, Iowa, USA, Fiorenza Bucciarelli, pianista, professore al conservatorio di Alessandria, Italia, Raymond Verdaguer, artista e incisore, New York, USA. 6-7 settembre 2014 .
OPEN TO ARTS > participants of the workshop
curated by Cheryl Growdn Piana, clarinetist, Iowa, USA, Fiorenza Bucciarelli, pianista, professor at the conservatory of Alessandria, Italy, Raymond Verdaguer, artist & engraver, New York, USA, September 6 – 7, 2014.
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We set our goal…
Early in the morning, Fiorenza Bucciarelli, pianist, professor at the conservatory of Alessandria, Italy, is leading proudly her students to our working camp. We have agree that the students will reverse musical pieces on the piano with Fiorenza and also that each one of them will pratice in duo with the American clarinetist Cheryl Growdn Piana.
Futher more I will give a printmaking workshop [ linocuting and printing] to all the participants who never being familiar to the process and for most of them never participated in any art classes. This young talents are welcoming my senior amateur artist Luca, but nonetheless a talented friend, to share with them this unique experience.
Unique, because there has been workshops on printmaking and other on piano. But, never to my knowledge, both combine in one single workshop. Fiorenza who already attented one on my workshop came out with the idea. In fact, one deals with the visual and the other one with the sound. The two activities are complementary and they have both, to manage creating with the use of BOTH HANDS,[ more so very skilled ones], they require good concentration, and finally are absolutely unforgiving.
We have only one single day for us, but we succefully complete it! The next day will be dedicated to two piano performances and the exhibition of our linocuts blocks and prints. On the morning in our camp site of Casaleggio Boiro and on the evening at the Museo Etnografico of Alessandria.
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First we party…
No one should be allowed to go to work on an empty stomach. More so, embracing the opportunity of introducing ourselves to our colleagues, sharing views and ideas. Isn’t how learning should start?
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Then we switch tables…
Even so we do enjoy food, we are well aware that a table is not just limited to an eating function, we know better. We drop interacting with one an other and focus on our task. Virgino, the renown collector, has brought over a big size highly detailed woodcut from an artist who has long time past away. Of course we don’t have to know that the art piece is worth some ‘handsome’ sum of money, [it happen when an artist is longtime dead]. At all cost, we entend to enjoy ourselves staying alive…
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Violetta sets the tone…
.. watch your ‘precious’ finger, this blade cuts and beside Fiorenza is already worried enough. She visualize all this little fingers stainning Dino’s piano board, futher more it would indead jeoprdize our coming concert…’mama mia!!!’ – luckly the parents have agree that the learning was worth taking such a risk.
Violetta who favor making lists and always the life of the party, is fearless with cutting devices…Like in the case of the piano forte, hands and finger position are curcial for achiving propre result, you will never cut or play right if you don’t master properly their function… but our fingers capacity are only the extension or the reflexion of our hamonious coordination of our hands and mind…
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Joseph works the details…
….nature provided him with exceptional hands, I’m a believer that hands have their own “intelligence”. Event so he want to pursue with a career in mathematiques, he should consider being a surgeon.
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Smilla fashion designer to be…
if you don’t know how to operate a smart phone, just ask Smilla, she is also my official English translator, always ready to help me to come across with my message. She dresses with simplicity but great taste, nothing is ‘off’ with her, for this I’m hopefull that if she choses to express herself graphically she could do well. Of course I’m quick to point out to her the relation B &W contrast of her shirt is similar to the B &W contrast of her linocut block.
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No one can grasps it like Frederico…
He is the perfect example of the one that starts cutting rather poorly, but manage later on to grasp it so quickly that the end it in total triomph. His entire body ‘sticks ‘ literally to his plate, so much that it feels like he is inside the plate, in total concentration and connection with it. Event so his hand is still way too small for the size of his tool, Frederico performes the finest lines…
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Solidarity without competivity at work …
Amazingly enough partitions get pushed away, I’m hoping Fiorenza will not notice that! None of them has any fear to move from one discipline to the other, true after all, similarities are many. Again coordination hand and mind, the different being a visual versa a sound result. Certainly, Fiorenza, a muscian and a painter, is at ease with this fact. It’s not a contradition but rather like being bilingual.
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Old school classic photo shoot for new cutters…
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Turning to colors…
Mayor Danilo is rolling the color on the very first block to be proofed – Frederico and his supportive dad.
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Frederico & Alberto – buddies for ever
Strong boys binding with opposite styles. I hope I’m not frustrating Alberto too much on his first linocut experience. He is certainly a ‘rebel’ in a good sense of the word, he shows personality. He ‘attacks’ a lino block on the same way the works the piano board, his performance is of a high caliber, we all agree and we are all so proud to have Alberto with us in our team. He is our best asset for us not to looked at like a bunch of ‘amateurs’… there is only one thing, it’s hard to let him drop his backpack! Maybe a sign of a promising career…
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Joseph & Miriam – the family note…
. She dreams to go to America as she dresses with a T-shirt of the stripes and stars flag while her brother is not so sure to choice between two hardly challenging diciplines, physics and mathematics. Meanwhile they score both best ‘hear’ from thier conservatory test. They are soft spoken but extremely thoughtful, they both are taking the challenge of working with ‘curves’, which is the most diffuclt line to handle with the use of a rigid hand cutter.
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Luca – it’s never too late
He is a good sports, we are all proud to have Luca with us. What ever its form, art [ like love] has no age bouderies and Luca is here to demonstrate this to us, this undeniable fact is as true as fire. His bird as a symbol of an ever lasting wisdom. His kindness and his almost respect for life as a ‘print’ for us to learn and rejoy from .
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Smilla, Michela & Violetta – Fearless Warriors
Michela, the grounded, the black bell martial art artist, asks that her printed proof won’t be blue…in order to match her bell. I am granting it, not by fear to find myself on the ground, but her request is justified as it better fit her work. For time management convinence we all agreed to use only blue. It’s now Smilla turn who wishes for black as well. It matches perfectly her dressing mode. I’m fully aware that it makes total sense as it’s all how we manage to achieve harmony and balance within ourself and around.
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Indispensabili
Smiling Cheryl contrasting with the background under the watch of ‘the mean’ lady, is kindly teaming with each of us to express how music can and must be shared. A music performance of claping hands, our most universal instruments. Thanks to our good collaboration and spirit we are achieving fairly our goal, all differently, depending on our ‘forte’ skills. The purpose of our gathering is that none of us compete but we all chose to shared and presente to one an other our best ‘know how’…and we are able to marvel at this.
We are all learner. Include myself, [of course]. We are ending our two days event, when asked to speak, I am literally speakless! Perhaps the result of having lived [ too] long in an harsh, deshumanize, highly competitive environment, make my words to get stucked … I am not used to be surrounded and respond to such a kindness and warmth. As a matter of fact to enter a New York public school building requires that yourself and your belonging will be screen with the same machines used in airport before boarding a plane… the only difference is that you don’t get the opportunity to fly! The first thing you learn is that you or any of your school mates are view like possible offenders rather than being of good faith.
I am filled with an enormous gratitude while looking at your eyes expressing hope for our future and goodness in your souls.Thank you for, having me over, your generouslty, your gentleness and accepting me as one of your collegues, allowing me to continue my learning.
Raimondo
…looks like Mayor Danilo wants us back next year.!!!
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We gratfully thank …
Acknowledgment to the Casaleggio’s population and the Museo Etnografico di Alessandria, Italia.
On behave of APERTO POR ARTE I wish to express our deepest gratitude to: The Museo Etnografico di Alessandria and the population of Casaleggio village …. for hosting our event.
Director Elena Garneri of the Museo Etnografico > Contessa Diana Mantovani > Major Danio Repeho, his spouse Barbara Merlo, Assistant Major Enrico and their supportive team > Claudio Lombardi, his Spouse Professor Fiorenza Bucciarelli, pianist and painter, as our two main ‘pillards’ for creating this event > Dino Miglio > Cheryl Growdn Piana, clarinettista > Doctor Valter Mario De Michelis and Sara for their unvaluable participation on supporting us > Daniele Prato journalist at LA STAMPA, for his introducing piece of our event > Everyone of you who have gracefully and generously contributed…
To all the participant and supporters, thank you,
Raimondo
original linoleum cut > linogravure originale > linóleo grabado original > incisione originale > Copyright © Raymond Verdaguer 2014
