thefaacollective

Eye on the Community #3

Added 2021-05-03 15:47:55 +0000 UTC

Dear Patrons,

Thank you for your continued support!

It's thanks to your generous contribution that we are able to give ongoing visibility to the unique journeys and projects of our artists.

We hope you enjoy the third edition of our Eye on the Community online magazine, designed to keep you up to date with the latest news regarding our community of students, graduates, and faculty of The Florence Academy of Art all around the world!

TOBY WRIGHT - Exploring the World with a Paintbrush

In our previous edition of Eye on the Community, FAA alumnus and former instructor, Toby Wright’s three-part painting adventure in the alps was premiered. Part I followed Toby’s preliminary exploration of the vanishing glacier fields, and his first marvellous paintings of this rarely seen wonderland.

We are now delighted to present you with Part II: "Painting between Giants. Sargent's Ghost"

Click here to watch the second episode!

This new video, available to members of the Art Watcher tier on The FAA Collective on Patreon, features Toby’s new quest, to find the exact location where John Singer Sargent painted his masterpieces in those same mountains in the early 1900s. Toby cross references maps and GPS locations to take “a masterclass from a ghost.”

More video adventures are coming soon for members of the Art Watcher tier on The FAA Collective on Patreon!

In case you missed it, you can click here to view:

"Part I: Painting between giants. MER DE GLACE"

In addition, earlier this month, Toby Wright gave a live lecture at The Explorers Club, New York, a multidisciplinary professional society founded in 1904 to promote science and exploration. In this lecture, a recording of which is available at a link below, Wright talks about expedition painting and the convergence of art and science!

“100 years ago, painters were significant contributors in science communication, and there’s no reason why they can’t be today." The collaboration of art and science takes many forms, and has been a deep inspiration for Toby since his early days drawing in the halls of various natural history museums. In this talk, he shares the experience of pushing one's comfort zone to raise the significance of one’s art, and how to look at past painters to understand how to do this.

To learn more about The Explorers Club please visit : www.explorers.org

Click here to view the full lecture!

More about Toby:

Graduate of The Florence Academy of Art, Toby Wright was invited to assist teaching while continuing his studies. His positions have included Director of the Sculpture Drawing Program, and principal instructor in the Advanced Painting Program. Inspired by various masters of painting and sculpture from the 17th and 19th century, Toby Wright believes in the method of working from life to capture the full depth of his subjects.

In parallel to a career in portrait painting, he has also applied his classical training to his love of nature and wildlife. To observe his subject directly from life, he has pursued his subject to various locations across the globe: The Arctic, South Africa, Mexico. Swimming with Orca and Whales in the Arctic, or the Sea Lions of the sea of Cortez, he has even pushed his boundaries and adapted to draw underwater. His work can be found in public and private collections in Europe and America. He currently paints in his studio, in Monaco.

To view more of Toby’s work visit:

Website: www.tobywrightfineart.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tobymwright

FAA Alumni gallery: www.florenceacademyofart.com/alumni_gallery/toby-wright

The 2018 Bicentennial Frederick Douglass Sculpture Project

Project Director Carvin Eison, Co-Director Bleu Cease and Sculptor Olivia Kim were joined by Assemblyman Harry Bronson, County Executive Cheryl DiNolfo and Mayor Lovely Warren for the unveiling of the first three monuments, July 19, 2018. Photo by Chris Cardwell, GoodKnews Photography.

FAA graduate and former instructor, artist Olivia Kim, sits at the center of a fundraising initiative in Rochester, NY: The 2018 Bicentennial Frederick Douglass Sculpture Project was commissioned by the not-for-profit, Rochester Community Television, and funded by the Rochester Community Foundation. The project sought to keep alive the memory of Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), abolitionist orator and statesman, by erecting bronze sculptures of Douglass throughout the city where he lived and worked.

After Douglass’s death in 1899, a monument was installed in his honor near the main train station at the time, the first in the United States to be dedicated to the accomplishments of an African American man. In celebration of his’ 200th birthday, FAA alumna, Olivia Kim, created a deeply compassionate rendering of the man - the culmination of all his struggles and victories. Kim’s sculpture at 6'7" tall is practically life size, as Douglass was 6’2”, and she incorporates the face and hands of his great, great, great grandson, Ken Morris Jr. (Morris is a co-founder of the not-for-profit Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, which has been working to end human trafficking in America and worldwide). Kim’s version of Douglass brings about small but telling differences with the 1899 sculpture: Kim softens the stern gaze that Douglass typically displayed for photographs. His posture is less aggressive, more self-assured. Kim says, “You can see when he's much older, he has genuine relaxation and happiness in his face, which is something you never see before.” She continues,. "His life was about enormous struggle, but also about finding a way through.”

Sculpture depicting Frederick Douglass, by Olivia Kim

Kim led the initiative to make 13 sculptures, created by 150 community volunteers in 6.5 months, and placed in historic locations around Rochester, NY. Two suffered vandalism, which became transformational opportunities to help improve the justice system, and bring the community together. On February 14, 2021 (Douglass' Birthday) Rochester and Monroe County celebrated the renaming of its airport to the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.

Currently The Douglass Tour is seeking donations to fund Kim’s bronze sculpture to be placed in the recently renamed Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.

Kim says, “When people arrive at the main portal to our city, they will see Frederick Douglass and know what we stand for, what we value — the same things now as we did then. Truth. Freedom. Justice, Education and Equity.”

Please visit www.douglasstour.com/give/ to learn more about the project and give!

Additionally, a great article on the project is available at The Democrat and Chronicle https://eu.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2018/07/17/frederick-douglass-statues-rochester-olivia-kim-bicentennial/775231002/

More about Olivia:

Olivia Kim is a figure sculptor based in Rochester, New York, USA. She graduated cum laude with Divisional Honours in Ceramic Sculpture from the School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University of Alfred, New York in 2001. In 2004 she completed four years of post-graduate studies, receiving her Certificate in Realist Figure Drawing and Sculpture, and Prize for Best Sculpture at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy.

From 2005-2010 she learned techniques in bronze casting in Carrara and Pietrasanta, Italy and produced public and private commissions in sculpture and mural painting. In 2010 she moved back to Rochester, New York, continuing to make sculptures in cast glass, bronze and terracotta.

Olivia’s artwork is displayed publicly and privately in Europe, Australia and the USA. Alongside gallery and commission work, Olivia teaches classes in Anatomical Figure Sculpture to Medical Illustrators at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

To learn more about Olivia Kim and her work please visit: www.oliviakimstudio.com/home.html

Drawing Discourse - A Podcast with Peter Van Dyck

Artworks by Peter Van Dyck

FAA alum, Peter Van Dyck, is a guest on a recently released episode of the podcast Suggested Donation, Episode 61: Peter Van Dyck Drawing Discourse in partnership with the University of North Carolina Asheville’s 12th Annual International Contemporary Drawing Exhibition (published Feb 4, 2021).

Click here to hear the full podcast!

Hosted by artists Tony Curanaj and Edward Minoff, this episode features a conversation with Peter Van Dyck, the first returning artist to the show, focusing on drawing, both defining it and discussing how we think about it.

The first episode featuring Peter Van Dyck can be found here:

More about Peter:

Peter Van Dyck was born in Philadelphia in 1978. He studied painting and drawing at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy from 1998-2002. He returned to Philadelphia in 2002 and began exhibiting his work in group shows in Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco. He has had solo shows at John Pence Gallery, San Francisco in 2004; Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York, 2006; John Pence Gallery, 2008, The Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, 2010 and Harrisburg Area Community College in 2020. In 2003 he began teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he is currently an Associate Professor in the BFA program. In 2012 he was named one of 25 Important Artists of Tomorrow by American Artist Magazine. In 2013 his work was included in the book Painted Landscapes, Contemporary Views by Lauren P. della Monica. His work has also been reproduced in periodicals including, American Artist Magazine, American Arts Quarterly, Art News, American Art Collector, International Artist Magazine, Art and Antiques and Pratique des Arts.

To view more about Peter’s work visit:

Website: www.petervandyckart.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/petervandyck

Creating Together in Lockdown

Alice Toich, After The Laughter, posted for her #21WeeksOfArtApart Instagram challenge

Last year in the midst of international lockdowns, Alice Toich, a recent FAA graduate from Cape Town, had an idea that helped many get through extended confinement to their homes. When South Africa went on a 21 day lockdown in March of 2020, Alice created a series of artistic challenges, shared on her instagram page (@alice_toich) for others to join in on, sharing their creations from her prompts under the hashtag #21DaysOfArtSA. She had a fantastic response from her creative community, with several local artists hosting some of the daily prompts. Thousands of artworks were made in oil paint, charcoal, ink, clay, embroidery, etching, photography and even baked goods, and people from all around the world joined so it expanded further than just South Africa, to Belgium, America, Australia, Germany and Panama to name a few.

Now in 2021, as the world is slowly opening up, Alice has renewed the challenge, but with a twist. Rather than participants creating a new work every day, Alice is posting a theme once a week for 21 weeks, open to anyone. With prompts such as “the sky” and “inspired by words” artists from around the world are sharing their creations, made with the same spirit as the challenges from last year “making what you can with what materials you already have available” discouraging over complication and encouraging creation, under the new hashtag #21WeeksOfArtApart. Learn more about the challenges from the links below and maybe you too will be inspired to create!

Alice says, “The inspiration to host an online challenge came from my years studying at the Florence Academy. I realized while studying at FAA how fundamental the art community was to my growth and learning, not to mention my motivation to get better! It also taught me how many hours one needs to put in with any medium to feel as if you understand it. And I wanted to create something that would both provide a sense of community for people, creating art apart, during a pandemic as well as motivation for those who are sitting with “the fear of beginning”. In my belief, it’s best to just begin!

Each challenge is simple and open-ended enough to be playful. You can work large scale or sketch-size. I encourage those participating to work “from life” or their imaginations/memory. To set something up or find observational moments in their every day lives that inspire them. Each Sunday I do a roundup on my Instagram stories of the artworks made by people in response to the challenge. In that way, it lives as a transient exhibition space for everyone making art apart. And ‘drawing together’!"

To learn more about Alice and her work please visit:

Website: www.alicetoich.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/alice_toich

2020 Challenges: www.instagram.com/p/B-T_vAmpk2Y/?utm_source=ig_embed

#21WeeksofArtApart : www.instagram.com/explore/tags/21weeksofartapart

An article from Visi magazine on the 2020 challenge: visi.co.za/21-days-of-art-sa

Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) Presents Rising Stars 2021

Imogen Orr, Self-Portrait, Oil on canvas, 45 x 65 cm

Recent graduate Imogen Orr’s self portrait painted in September 2020 while a student in the Advanced Painting program at The Florence Academy of Art has been selected for the RBA Annual Rising Stars Exhibition. Every year the RBA Education Committee selects 40 semi-finalists for the RBA Rome Scholarship, and these “rising stars” aged 18-35 will have their work shown in an exhibition at the Royal Over-Seas League in London.

To view all of the semifinalists please visit: www.royalsocietyofbritishartists.org.uk/opportunities-projects/rba-rising-stars-exhibition-2021/

More about Imogen:

Imogen Orr was born in Oxford, UK, in 1999. Trained at The Florence Academy of Art, Imogen completed the Painting Program in 2020, and is a figurative painter. Her work, which focuses on the human figure, portraiture and landscape, seeks to explore the realist tradition in a contemporary environment. In addition to the Royal Society of British Artists exhibition, Rising Stars, Imogen has participated in the Oxfordshire Art Weeks (2019), and at Alex Hammersley Art at The Georgian Rooms, Watlington (2019).

To view more of Imogen’s work visit:

Website: https://www.imogenorr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imoorrart/

Online Exhibition ‘Letting us in'

Artwork from poster by Carla Paine, Before the Bath, Oil on linen, 30 x 32 in, 2021

On May 15th The Florence Academy of Art will present Letting us in, an online exhibition that celebrates 150 drawings, paintings and sculptures by women of The FAA.

The exhibition will be officially published on the FAA website: www.florenceacademyofart.com

A room, a garden, a gaze. The women of the Florence Academy lay a path to somewhere deep, gorgeous, intensely personal. 75 graduates of the FAA’s 30 years of fine arts training, their diverse and highly personal visions are formed from an arts education that is meant to be foundational, a tradition these painters and sculptors have expanded upon or returned to in the 150 works assembled in this exhibition. 75 women who share with us their experiences and visions in this breadth of media and styles, from oil and bronze to mixed media and digital art, from classical representation to imaginative and abstracted figuration. We are delighted to give them this stage.

Participating Artists: