By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Travel to Italy has historically been, and continues to be, a catalyst for artistic innovation and discovery for artists across the ages. Italy’s influence is seen in art from the Renaissance to today.
“Italy in the Artist’s Imagination,” the recently opened, student-curated art exhibit at Bowling Green State University’s Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery, tells the story of the School of Art’s deep ties to Italy’s artistic inspirations.
For more than 40 years, BGSU art students and faculty traveled to Florence, Italy, to the now-closed Studio Art Centers International (SACI) study-abroad program and more recently to the International Studies Institute of Florence and the Santa Reparata International School of Art.
Like the artists from bygone centuries, BGSU students and faculty have created art inspired by their cultural experiences in Italy. Also, over the years, the university has acquired numerous Italy-inspired artworks for its permanent collection.
The exhibition features pieces of the existing collection and submissions from faculty, students and alumni that convey a connection to Italy.
“The exhibition’s theme centers on the transformative experience of artists traveling to Italy,” Dr. Allie Terry-Fritsch, BGSU art history professor and Renaissance art expert, said during the opening reception.
Donor support opens doors to new opportunities
The inaugural student-curated exhibition became a reality thanks to the generosity of donors who believe in the value of experiential learning, said Charlie Kanwischer, director of BGSU School of Art. The RING Center for Experiential Learning in Art and Design played a crucial role in creating the new opportunity that will occur every other year, allowing art history students to curate an exhibition from start to finish in the School of Art.
Also, many other beneficiaries have supported the school’s study-abroad programs.
Terry-Fritsch’s Art History Professional Practice course provided the perfect, comprehensive, hands-on experience in curating a museum exhibition in a very short timeframe.
The students selected over 100 pieces from a pool of 90 permanent collection items and numerous contemporary submissions, explained Brooklyn Gerity, a junior art history major and one of the students actively involved in the process.
With 75 Salvador Dali prints, including 42 of the 100 scenes of his Divine Comedy series that honor the legendary poem by Dante Alighieri, the students were excited to feature several in the exhibit. However, during their research on Dali’s work, the authenticity of the prints became questionable. They spent a lot of time examining watermarks and printing processes. When they couldn’t conclusively determine if they were originals, “it shifted the entire focus of the show,” Gerity said.
The Dali prints are still grouped on one of the walls in the gallery; however, the description invites viewers to “carefully examine whether they can find: Dali’s signature in graphite, the edition number of each print in graphite, a BFK Rives watermark located horizontally from the bottom left, and no coloration of the paper.”
The text suggests, “If you cannot find these items, you could be looking at a forgery. … “Regardless of the authenticity… Dali’s wild artistic designs and creative interpretations are inspirational in themselves.”
“Although a conclusion could not be made about the print’s authenticity, the students who worked on the research produced a wonderful essay that will become a valuable learning tool,” said Ariel Miller, chief student curator for the exhibition
With the change in direction, the students, Terry-Fritsch and BGSU Fine Arts Gallery curator Stephanie Garafolo, looked at all the artwork available and determined that they could group the artwork into several categories: Sacred Encounters, Travel, Art and Politics, Jules Maidoff (in memoriam of the late founder of SACI), Street Life, and Switch in Perspectives.
“We faced significant challenges, but we learned valuable lessons about attribution and handling sensitive donor information,” Gerity said. The experience affirmed her desire to be a curator.
The exhibition amazes
“This exhibition celebrates the exhilaration of artistic exploration in Italy and displays works that highlight the artistic excellence in BGSU’s permanent collection and the works of our faculty, students and alumni,” said Terry-Fritsch.
The exhibition, which was started and completed within a compressed time frame compared to most exhibitions, includes over 100 works by 60 artists, representing 11 nationalities. The artwork includes large and small-scale, two-dimensional works on vellum paper, canvas and digital screens, and three-dimensional works in metal, glass, fibers and ceramics.
Items range from baroque and neoclassical paintings and prints, and a 13th-century Bible, to mid-century modern works and contemporary pieces from around the globe.
“All of the works on display represent the spirit of discovery after an inspirational time in Italy,” said Terry-Fritsch.
The exhibition in the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery is open Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 10.
“I never imagined that I would be so deeply involved with many aspects of this exhibition as a first-year art history master’s student, but I think this is a testament to the resources, community and opportunities that we have here at BGSU,” Miller said. “I feel incredibly honored to have been an integral part of this collaborative project.”
As she invited guests into the exhibition, she said, “I hope you discover your own answer to the question, ‘What does Italy mean to you?”
