books, paper, mixed media

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ARTS 

October 2022

Monday 9-26-2022

Hard to believe we have all been here over a full week now. Time is passing too quickly. In Carol’s class the day began with a pop! We learned about non-adhesive props, which as the name implies are supports which do not require glue or tape because they are cut from the base layer of paper. I was careful to take good notes because the measurements for this type of pop-up are tricky.

In the afternoon with Denise, we began working on a more modern binding. We started by sewing the text block and attaching the end papers, then we used a guillotine to cut the edges perfectly sharp and square. I would like to add a guillotine cutter to my studio when I return home, I loved the clean edges of this book. Towards the end of the class we chose papers for the spine and covers. I picked out a green color palette using some of the papers I marbled last week.

While my group was upstairs in Helen’s class, the other group was busy downstairs with Amanda making a giant sheet of handmade paper. David built the custom mold because he wanted this paper for a painting he was planning.

After lunch Denise held a special session to teach us how to make folded paper wallets. We used Tyvek for this because it is more durable than most other papers. There are nine different pockets to hide things in this simple wallet, business cards, credit cards, tickets, ID, or other small paperwork. I will definitely make more of these in my studio to use as gift-card holders at Christmas. When the wallet making session wrapped up we used our class time with Denise to place covers on the more modern binding. I am happy with the way all my books turned out.

A Note About the People

The setting for this experience was beautiful and inspirational, but what made this time in Monte Castello most memorable was the people. I always feel like I am with my tribe when I’m with paper and book enthusiasts, but this group was extra special. They were cheerleaders for one another, they made careful observations and thoughtful suggestions. They took time to listen before responding. They had an intrinsic caring nature which was so refreshing to be a part of. I am going to miss the camaraderie of this outstanding group. I was in Group A

Friday 9-30-2022

Today began with an early morning bus trip to Florence! Many of my friends were planning to go to the Uffizi gallery https://www.uffizi.it/en.the-uffizi to see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, or to the Accademia Gallery https://www.accademia.orgto see Michelangelo’s David, but I was going to Agostino Dessi’s Mask Studio!https://alicemasks.weebly.comWe got off the bus beside the Arno River where other tour busses were dropping people off. It was raining, so I took out my umbrella and realized it was broken. It mostly still covered me but one side of it was flopping down making it hard to see. I was careful to go to Google Maps on my phone and drop a pin so I could find my way back to the bus when the day was done. I joined Carol, Helen, and Susan and we walked to the Basilica of Santa Croce together. The rain stopped as we approached the church. Inside I saw the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo most notably, but many famous people were buried there.

After visiting Santa Croce I set out on my own towards Alice Masks. I had found this magical little place back in 2008 when I was last in Florence. I have never been anywhere else like it in the world, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit again. I had emailed Agostino’s daughter, Alice a few weeks back to check store hours and let her know I was planning to drop by. I come from a theatre background. I majored in theatre at University of North Carolina, Asheville, and received my masters at University of North Carolina, Greensboro. I taught theatre and communications for 17 years, and each year I would make masks with my students. The masks began as simple paper creations, and transformed into papier mache, and eventually plaster casts of the students’ actual faces. Agostino makes his masks from a variety of materials including leather, metal, and of course paper. If you have seen the 2006 film V for Vendetta, Agostino made those masks! https://www.warnerbros.com/movie/v-vendetta

I was allowed to take pictures, but as good as these photos are they don’t convey the otherworldly atmosphere of the space. Surrounded by characters like Pinocchio,nature fairies, and even steampunk rabbits, it is easy to get lost in imagination.

Thousands of these masks line the walls of the small shop. If you ever have the chance to go to this place, I highly recommend it. There is so much to look at it is almost overwhelming. I was in the shop for a long while just taking it all in. I bought a mask for my daughter, Morgan and one for myself. Agostino kindly signed both. This was the highlight of my day!

Leaving Alice Masks, I stopped in a little shop to get a new umbrella and dispose of my broken one. Then, I headed to the Florentine Market. David, and his son, Eli had told our group this was the best place in Florence to purchase fresh foods, or to have a meal. The market had many unusual fruits and vegetables not easily found elsewhere, especially in the US. I bought some truffles, truffle oil, and balsamic vinegar. My mouth watered as I thought about a freshly baked loaf of bread dipped in the olive oil from Fangoli, and this balsamic vinegar. After the market, I found a pizzeria and had lunch.Just as I went inside the rain started again, and it was heavier than before. I was happy I had a new umbrella because it didn’t stop raining for hours.

After lunch I went in several bookstores, paper stores, and leather goods stores. I bought a red rolling suitcase to carry my olive oil and chocolates back home.The rest of the afternoon I wandered the ancient streets of the city, until an hour before it was time to meet back at the bus. I took out my phone and pulled up the pin I had dropped when I got off the bus this morning. It said I was 45 minutes away. I didn’t think I had walked that far, but the pin was beside the river so I thought maybe I had just lost track of my distance. I began walking toward the pin following the directions Google Maps was giving me. I walked, and walked, and walked, and nothing looked familiar. I was getting outside of the city. I sensed something was wrong, but this pin was all I had to go on to find my way back. When I finally arrived at the place where this pin was, I found myself under a large graffiti covered bridge. Remember, as I walked all this distance I was holding my umbrella and pulling my new red suitcase along with me – and the rain did not stop. I was a pitiful sight I’m sure. I walked underneath the bridge and around an industrial looking building to see if maybe I was just on the wrong side of the river? But I didn’t remember ever crossing the river in the first place. It is now 5:20 and I am supposed to be back at the bus by 5:30. I searched Google Maps for the Duomo because I remembered it was near the bus lot. The search told me that I was 4.2 miles away from where I was supposed to be! So, there I stood, soaking wet, lost, and thousands of miles and an ocean away from home. Don’t panic, I told myself- but I was starting to panic. It was now 5:28 pm. I knew I was supposed to be at the bus in two minutes, but I didn’t know where I was.

The car was black and smelled of leather. As I seated myself in the back I felt some of the tension ease. However, there are two bus stations in Florence, the main public transport depot and the tourist bus hub which some of the local busses also serviced. The daughter tried to explain this to me, and asked me which one I needed to go to. My stomach tightened. Then I remembered that Santa Croce was a short distance from the drop off point, the first place I had visited earlier in the day. “I should have stayed with Carol and Helen” I thought to myself. I took my Santa Croce entry ticket from my purse and handed it to the younger woman. There was conversation in Italian, and the older woman kept driving. She seemed to realize where it was I needed to be. We were in the wrong lane to make a necessary turn, so she beeped the horn and someone let her over. About a minute later, I SAW THE BUS! Just then my phone rang, it was David trying to find me. Everyone else was on the bus. I took out 20 euro and tried to give it to the women but they would not take it. “It is not necessary” they told me. “My bus! That is my bus!” I said. “Thank you, thank you, grazie, grazie, you saved me!” Then the tears began. I was so relieved. I looked at my watch and it was 5:45. I was only 15 minutes late, which considering my conundrum, I thought was pretty good. The daughter helped me gather my belongings. As I walked towards the bus, the black car pulled away. I don’t even know their names. I do, however, believe in angels. Visibly emotional, I stepped on to the bus. “How did you get a ride?” someone asked. “Where did you get your suitcase?” someone else asked. I quickly apologized to the group and took my seat, unable to say anything else in that moment. Then someone said, “Don’t worry, Amanda just got here too. We weren’t going to leave you.” I slowly calmed down enough to tell everyone what had happened and why I was late.

David had told us that Orvieto had been built on top of a defunct volcano, and the qualities of the soil had allowed ancient Etruscan civilizations to dig caves beneath the city. Since I had shopped plenty yesterday, I wanted to see the caves. I was lucky to walk up to the ticket vendor at 11:28 am just two minutes before an 11:30 cave tour was to begin. Everything in black on this map picture is above ground. Everything in red on this map picture is below ground. There is a maze of over 800 caves beneath Orvieto. https://www.orvietoviva.com/en/orvieto-underground/

I did not get lost this time, and I made it back to our meeting point in plenty of time. We left Orvieto and went to Marmore Falls, the highest waterfall in Europe. I took some of my best pictures at this place, it was so beautiful.