JUST TO PROVE IT'S NOT ALL PLAY AND NO WORK!

We met for hours on end discussing the school in this empty classroom. We basically did a SWOT analysis, and marketing and strategic plans, for each of the school's programs (summer programs; semester abroad programs with separate tracks for theatre, dance or music; MFA; and CrisisArt festival).  When I say "we," I mean Accademia staff and myself. Pictured above are me and just two of the staff, the young women from the U.S. hired to do the school's marketing. They are terrific!

I'M NOT SHOWING OFF, BUT....

It looks like this every evening! It's like a free drive-in movie!!

                                 

ROMAN HOLIDAY!

After more than a month away from home, I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to connect with Clinton School classmates Jordan Aibel and Leslie Harris this past weekend in Rome! We all brought someone to the party...Jordan (who flew in from Brussels) was also visiting a college friend living in the city, Fiona; Leslie (who flew in from Budapest) brought husband Zach; and I (who took the train, but later than planned because of a train strike that day) had a new Accademia friend, Michelle, join us on Saturday. When I got out of the cab at our rendezvous point we started clapping and hugging and even some stranger nearby had to laugh and cheer too :) We visited the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel, on Friday night. Saturday they did St. Peter's, the Colesseum and Forum, while I rested (ankle trouble still) and shopped and prepared for dinner. I had the COOLEST tiny rooftop apartment that came with a glorious terrace and views of the city. It was the perfect setting for a relaxed, reunion dinner. We talked about our projects--the good and the bad--and I was amazed at the similarities of our experiences thus far, even though we are in different countries working on very different projects. Leslie, Zach and Michelle had early departures Sunday, but Jordan and I bought some pastries and quiche at a small neighborhood spot and took it back to Fiona's to visit a bit more before leaving. (Get him to tell you the key story sometime.) We parted ways at Termini, Rome's huge train station....I am so proud to be associated with such fine young people, and am glad they are willing to hang out with this ole gal.

We made it! Class 7 represented at the Vatican Museum. Leslie, Jordan and I had talked about doing this since realizing we'd all be in Europe this summer. You can see the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the background.

A great group of folks...my new friend Michelle, me, Jordan, Zach and Leslie Harris (Fiona is taking the photo). Good food, good drink, a charming terrace all to ourselves, and great company.

I have been here 4 weeks today...

Drew, I do not miss Mae and June more than you, I promise, but I cannot figure out how to move their photo to the bottom of the list!! Nor can I figure out how to move the sentence just beneath this to the top of the page.....you are lucky I can blog at all! Where is classmate Laura Crosby when I need her? Oh, yeah, she's in INDONESIA!

...and while I'm grateful for the experience, let it be known this is what (who) I miss most:

my daughter Drew

Shannon

    

My dad, sister and rest of the family

Midnight jousting practice

Arezzo will have a fierce jousting competition this weekend in its Piazza Grande. (This sloped town square was in the film A Beautiful Life--check out the opening when the man is on his bicycle riding to his family's shop). Unfortunately, I will miss it (for a good reason-- I'm going to Rome to see classmates Jordan, Leslie, and her husband!) BUT, the teams, which represent the town's different neighborhoods, have been practicing this week, and you can feel the excitement building! It's kind of a Chicago Cubs/White Sox or New York Mets/Yankees rivalry; the city is very divided. Workers have built bleachers against ancient buildings for spectators; created a dirt track through the middle of the square; neighborhoods are flying their colors out windows and storefronts; vendors are selling scarves with team crests, and everywhere, people are tailgating as the main event nears. One night this week, approaching midnight, my new friends and I were walking home, eating gelato, and stopped to watch for a bit. This video doesn't do it justice, of course, but check it out anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV9AL3E7mJ8

Un altro "conversazione" (another "conversation")

I was walking home, up a long hill, from town one late afternoon and passed this precious old Italian couple walking- he with a cane- up the hill, too:

Me: Buona sera.
Them: Buona sera.
Him: a spill of Italian words
Me: Mi di spiace (I'm sorry), no parla Italiano.
Them: Ahh...(nodding their heads).
I resumed my walk, then thought better of it. I stopped and turned back around to them, remembering a word I had just learned the day before.
Me: Ma (but)..... (at this point I breathed heavily and patted my chest as if my heart was pounding)...Sono stanca (I am tired!)
She: (smiling, moving her arms quickly at her side, as if she was running) Si! Si! Stanca!
All of us: Ciao!

You gotta love this....

Filling up your (wine) tank...can you believe it?!

Sunday afternoon reflections...

First things first...Happy Father's Day to the greatest dad alive on this big ole' spinning planet. I have said many times I think God knew he was going to take my mother early and so he blessed me with this extra-special dad. My biggest wish at present is that he and my family will decide to join me in Italy for several days near the end of my time here.

It's a quiet (and hot) Sunday afternoon in Arezzo, and I realize I haven't said a great deal on this blog about what I'm doing here, so I will sit in the cool of my small office (cool, not because of air conditioning--no such thing--but because of thick stone walls hundreds of years old) and fill you in. (Note: they don't use electricity during the day for lighting, either...you work, eat and play by natural light. Anything to save a buck.)

Yes, I keep the Skippy's on my desk as an afternoon snack. Look closely, CSPS friends, and you'll see Bavon's CD from Evaluation class on the corner of my desk!

 

 

 

 

The Accademia dell'Arte is a performing arts school in Arezzo (Tuscany) Italy that offers semester and summer abroad programs for undergraduate students, specializing in commedia dell'arte and physical theatre,  and a Master of Fine Arts in Physical Theatre. They also have a juried, week-long festival in July called CrisisArt, the focus of which is art in response to crisis, be it economic, political or other crisis. The artists/activists and festival organizers will come from several countries to participate. The heart of my project is to evaluate the process and impact of the festival and make recommendations for its sustainability. While I am curious about what will be performed, I am most looking forward to a symposium by a professor who has studied theatre that was created in the concentration camps by prisoners, for prisoners, as a way to remember their former lives, keep hope alive and imagine their futures. (This is different from the prison orchestras that were created by the Nazis for their own entertainment).  Will keep you posted....

HOWEVER, the majority of my time here so far has not been focused on the festival, but rather strategic planning, including a heavy emphasis on marketing, for the school's undergraduate and graduate programs. Two young women from the U.S., hired to handle the school's marketing there, have been here with me, and together we have had meetings with staff about everything from the school's website to its organizational chart to the content of its various programs to its development of an alumni network. I think it has been helpful for the staff to have to verbalize its processes, rationales, etc. My new friends leave at the end of this week, and then, with the festival looming, I think staff's attention, and mine, will turn toward it.

The other thing that has been going on is the summer program, with about 15 kids here from the U.S., Italy and Israel. They are great kids--smart, creative, engaging--and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them as I observe their classes and share meals. In fact, probably my favorite meal here to date was when my roommate (a film professor at Duke University) and his girlfriend cooked for us and his three film students at our farmhouse.

But then, there have been great meals at Katrin's, Scott's, Dory and Jesse's, and still more!

Pasta with cozze, gamberi and pomodoro (mussells, shrimp and tomato) at a sidewalk cafe in Cortona

Ahh, EATALY!!

This post is getting way too long...will come back at ya soon.

Call your dad if you can and haven't already! I'm gonna try and skype mine now.

Ciao!!

After two Italian lessons, I get this....

(It's really not THAT bad! At least they use the same alphabet!)

Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear...

Favorite sounds in Tuscany...the gurgling of my coffee pots when my morning brew is ready!

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

...the morning sunlight streaming into my simple bedroom

...my walk to school

...Charita's homemade biscotti!

Photos For Your Viewing Pleasure

The school's loggia, great for students and staff to relax during the day.

The duomo bells peal on the hour--lovely.

Students (these are from Duke and Boston University) enjoy the sunset from the terrace.