PROGRAMME: Oltrarno Gaze 2022. Today's talents take cues from women artists

From 15 March to 16 June 2022, this exhibition and events series is a dialogue through the centuries that forges a bridge between modern-day art and artisanship, and art by historic women, with emphasis on Florence's Oltrarno district

March 15 to April 30

STITCHING ARTISTS INTO HISTORY

A call to writers

History belongs to those whose stories are told. Writers in Florence and farther afield are invited to send their submissions – stories, poems, reflections and sketches – as a tribute to women artists they admire, past and present. A selection will be published in the Oltrarno Gaze 2022 catalogue (The Florentine Press) and become part of a 'wearable' story-based sculpture stitched together, literally and symbolically, by performance artist and writer Marisa Garreffa. Submissions will form the backbone of a spoken-word performance debuting on opening and closing nights of the 'Bridges' book art exhibition at Il Palmerino (May 5 and June 5). For more details or to send submissions: sotto@britishinstitute.it 

Marisa Gareffa, ph. Viola Parretti

From March 19 to April 22

Thursdays to Sundays or by appointment, 3pm to 6.30pm

 La Colonica del Palmerino, Via del Palmerino 6

PORTRAIT DIALOGUES

Painters Sam Bordley, Lydia Chapman and Emily Rogers

For the first time, three emergent painters, trained at Charles H. Cecil Studios, an art atelier in the heart of the Oltrarno, will exhibit portraits of friends and neighbours from the district. Their works, created using the 'sight-size' method (a live portrait technique with lots of walking involved) will be displayed alongside female portraits by Violante Siries Cerroti (1709-1783) and Federigo Angeli's 1930s copy of an Uffizi self-portrait by Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807). Admission free. Reservations required to join aperitif on inauguration night and final evening (March 19 / April 22): associazione@palmerino.it

Lydia Chapman at work for 'Portrait Dialogues'

21 March - March 25 2022

Atelier degli Artigianelli, Via dei Serragli 104

'I AM A RAGING RIVER'

Artemisia Gentileschi and her story

This student grant programme involves a series of hands-on workshops for four young creatives from Il Girasole, a social coop in the Oltrarno district. Inspired by snippets of Artemisia Gentileschi's letters, artist and poet Massimo Lippi will guide awardees in the creation of a hand-bound libro d'artista featuring watercolour illustrations using Arno river water and earth. The book's cotton paper will be made entirely by hand at the Piccola Cartiera degli Artigianelli, via a pulp processing method and manual gluing. Participants will learn book-binding, based on the Florentine tradition with Omero Benvenuti (Oltrarno book binder since 1967). Student creations will form part of Il Girasole's installation at the 'BRIDGES' book art exhibition at Il Palmerino starting May 5 (details below).

March 23 to May 23

Everywhere the project takes us

CAMERAS CAPTURE

Reportage by 13 women photographers

Thirteen women photographers, from the award-winning Florence-based photography association Gruppo Fotografico Il Cupolone APS, have been tasked with immortalising the 2022 'Oltrarno Gaze' programme, from its hands-on highlights to its exhibition openings. This all-Florentine team, curated by S. Sabatini, aims to document the creative process driving individual project participants, to form a single, multi-faceted photo-catalogue and exhibition, opening June 9 at Sotto al British (see below). Participating photographers: V. Parretti, A. Barucchieri, V. Bellini, C. Carmen Cardellicchio, L. Cervaroli, M.G. Dainelli, C. Franchi, E. Fossi, M.L. Fineschi, D. Giampà, D. Piazza, I. Pini and A. Tomassi

 Joy Franklin at work, ph. Alessandra Barrucchieri

26/27 March and 2/3 April

3pm and 5pm

La Colonica del Palmerino, Via del Palmerino 10

WHERE GARDEN PATHS LEAD TO PAINTINGS

Springtime walks at Il Palmerino 

Art historian Monica Shenouda shares the history of a house that has hosted artists since its construction in 1400. Explore the 'English Colony' connection on the estate that was home to British writer Vernon Lee; from the turn of the last century until 1935, Il Palmerino's international literary salons hosted the likes of Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Henry James, John Singer Sargent and many more. The tour will conclude with a viewing of the exhibition 'Portrait Dialogues' where adoptive Oltrarno artists S. Bordley, E. Rogers and L. Chapman stand in 'conversation' with female painters of the past. Guided tours last 1.5 hours circa, in Italian and/or English. Admission 10 euro, light snack included. Maximum 15 people per group. Reservations required associazione@palmerino.it 

21 April

Event e-streamed from Sotto al British, 6pm

WORKSHOP WALKABOUT

Virtual visit to three bottegas

International artisans share their take on the neighbourhood's age-old practices and modern-day flair. 'Creative People in Florence' founders Sara Amrhein and Anna Rose will lead this 3-pronged virtual studio visit. Tucked inside a medieval tower-building, just off the Ponte Vecchio, we'll find Joy Franklin's jewellery studio, 'A Thousand Joys'. The artisan's love of historic ornament and ancient cultures gives rise to contemporary pieces in gold, silver and precious stones. Italian-Canadian artisan Erin Ciulla will discuss traditional bookbinding tools and techniques, and tell the story of how she became owner of the historic workshop, Il Torchio. From the Oltrarno, we'll move to the Tuscan countryside and the private studio of Scottish potter Kirstie Mathieson, specialised in wheel work and slabbing techniques. 

April 30

10am to 12pm 

SOTTO al British, Lungarno Guicciardini 115

PULP AND PRIMROSES

Handmade paper workshop

A Saturday-morning hands-on introductory workshop, curated by 'Creative People in Florence', on the art of paper-making, using recycled paper, natural materials and dried flower details, with Oltrarno-based artisan Gigi Echevarria, from Gigetta Floral Slow Paper Studio. The focus? How to process materials to create interesting natural textures so that participants can start paper-making at home with artisanal techniques. Admission: 15 euro, materials included. To participate: creativepeopleinflorence@gmail.com

A detail from Gigi Echevarria's paper-making workshop, 2022

Until April 30

Workshops in the Oltrarno

Curated by 'Creative People in Florence'

CHALLENGE: 'INTERNATIONAL ARTISANS ANSWER' 

Historic women artists inspire modern-day making

How will artisans of the present respond to female artists of the past? International female-run workshops will draw inspiration from the paintings and personalities of art history's female greats to design and create an original work. Florence-based Russian video-maker Olga Makarova is set to capture artisans' creative process in a documentary-short premiering on June 9, along with the pieces themselves at 'Sotto al British', a newly formed space for contemporary creativity. Artisans facing the 'challenge': Book binder Erin Ciulla, jewellery artisans Margherita de Martino Norante and Joy Franklin, leather artisan Stephanie Lehmann and potter Kirstie Mathieson.

From May 5 to June 5

Thursdays to Sundays or by appointment, 3pm to 6.30pm

 La Colonica del Palmerino, Via Il Palmerino 6

BRIDGES. A BOOK ART EXHIBITION

Contemporary women artists and their historic counterparts

From emergent Florentine painter Guenda Nocentini, to Venice Biennale veteran Silvia Fossati, painters, sculptors and poets from Florence and abroad create book art installations in response to women artists of the past. Whimsical French painter Virginie Houdet responds to Violante Siries Cerroti's (1709-1783) eye for fashion and finery. Sculptor Mimma Di Stefano stands in conversation her Etruscan-inspired maestro Amalia Ciardi Dupre (b. 1934). For UK-Greek artist Rea Stavropoulos, 'the female gaze meets the Oltrarno Gaze' with a book-art installation inspired by four women in the Uffizi's self-portrait collection, with a particular focus on Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945). The starting point for US book artist Lyall Harris and Brazil-born, Florence-based Patricia Silva will be the multi-decade correspondence of twentieth-century painters Fillide Levasti (1883-1966) and Leonetta Cecchi (1882-1977) at Florence's Gabinetto Vieusseux and the Marucellana Library. Cecchi, a writer as well as an artist, will also inspire the installation of Florentine artist-architect Elena Barthell.

May 8 

Meeting time 3pm

Sotto al British, Lungarno Guicciardini 115

FROM THE HEART TO THE HILLS

Culture and nature hike

This Sunday afternoon trek begins at 'Sotto al British' with a viewing of works from Vernon Lee's library at the British Institute of Florence, before departing for Il Palmerino, Vernon Lee's hillside home, which she transformed into a salon for early 20th-century intellectuals. This tour is led by Freya's Florence, with stops along the way, including an exclusive opening of the Amalia Ciardi Duprè Museum on Via degli Artisti.  In this evocative venue, explore the life's work of Tuscan sculptor Amalia Ciardi Duprè, with host art historian Rita Tambone. This three-hour event ends with a light celebratory snack. Admission: 15 euro, max 15 participants. English-Italian combo. To participate: associazione@palmerino.it

May 16 to 25   

Spazio NOTA, via dei Serragli 104

ART TO USE AND WEAR

Decorating and manipulating fabrics

This grant programme, open to applicants from the general public, is curated by Camilla Di Biagio, and inspired by 20th-century painter and pattern-maker Vittoria Morelli (1896-1931). It foresees a 40-hour hands-on workshop on 'Decorating and manipulating fabrics' at Spazio NOTA, a centre for fashion designers and pattern-makers supported by the Associazione Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte. Course themes: Ancient artisan techniques for the manipulation of fabrics and materials through prints, macramé, ecological dying and patchwork effects. Grant foresees the participation of three guest artisans: Elif Malkoclar, Luca Parenti and Stefania Pelliccia.

June 9 to 16

Sotto al British, Lungarno Guicciardini 115

In collaboration with Gruppo Fotografico Il Cupolone APS

OLTRARNO GAZE GRAND FINALE

Pop-up exhibition, premiere and book launch

Photographs authored by 13 women photographers from the 'Camera Captures' project will be on show, spotlighting the Oltrarno Gaze 2022. It includes the premiere viewing of craftsmanship created for 'International Artists Answer' challenge, inspired by art by women, plus a fabrics-and-textiles installation by Spazio NOTA's grant programme participants, inspired by twentieth-century artist Vittoria Morelli. Expect the screening of 'International Artists Answer' documentary short by Olga Makarova and the launch of the freshly printed Oltrarno Gaze 2022 catalogue from The Florentine Press. 

WHO'S INVOLVED?

Project organisers   The British Institute of Florence and Il Palmerino Cultural Association

Oltrarno Gaze 2022 is made possible thanks to a grant by the Advancing Women Artists Legacy Fund, with special thanks to Alice Vogler, Donna Malin, Connie Clark, Pam Fortune, Nancy Hunt, Nancy Galliher and AWA Legacy Fund Director Margaret MacKinnon

Project conception and coordination

Linda Falcone

Media and communication

Calliope Arts / Restoration Conversations

The Florentine

With the patronage of

Consulate of the United States of America in Florence

Participating partners  'Sotto al British' at the British Institute of Florence, Gruppo Fotografico Il Cupolone APS, 'Creative People in Florence', Freya's Florence, Amalia Ciardi Duprè Museum, Atelier degli Artigianelli and Spazio NOTA with Osservatorio Mestieri d'Arte, FAF collective: Female Artisans in Florence 

Participating video makers and photographers: Olga Makarova, Simone Sabatini, Viola Parretti, Alessandra Barucchieri, Valentina Bellini, Cinzia Carmen Cardellicchio, Laura Cervaroli, Maria Grazia Dainelli, Cecilia Franchi, Elisa Fossi, Maria Laura Fineschi, Daniela Giampà, Donatella Piazza, Irene Pini, Antonella Tomassi

Participating artists   Elena Barthell, Samuel Leutze Bordley, Amalia Ciardi Dupre, Lydia Chapman, Mimma Di Stefano, Silvia Fossati, Lyall Harris, Virginie Houdet, Marisa Garreffa, Massimo Lippi, Guenda Nocentini, Emily Rogers, Patricia Silvia and Rea Stavropoulos

Participating artisans   Sarah Amrhein, Omero Benvenuti, Beatrice Cuniberti, Camilla Di Biagio, Erin Ciulla, Gigi Echevarria, Joy Franklin, Antonella Ielpo, Elif Malkoclar, Margherita de Martino Norante, Luca Parenti, Stefania Pelliccia, Stephanie Lehmann, Kirstie Mathieson and Anna Rose,

Graphics Silvia Faroli, Fiona Richards

Translator Giulia Sadun

Guides, hosts and historians Freya Middleton, Monica Shenouda, Rita Tambone, Federica Parretti, Stefano Vinceri

Oltrarno Gaze Catalogue published by The Florentine Press (June, 2022)

Press contact:

Project Coordinator, Linda Falcone: linda@restorationconversations.org