Notes from Edmund: Ball State University 2019
La Romita has had a collaboration with the Fine Arts department of Ball State University in Indiana for decades. As part of a credit program in painting and art history, the college students visit Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, and Rome. They then spend two weeks at La Romita to visit the central Italian wonders and to take advantage of our beautiful studio for the art-making segment of their trip. Professor of Art Scott Anderson with art historian Dr. Michelle Duran led their group of 15 young artists in explorations of art, architecture,and art history. The inspiration they all found in Italy manifest itself as soon as they got into the studio. They painted late into the night each night before heading off each morning for new explorations. A favorite day trip begins with a visit to the Etruscan tombs and museum at Tarquinia. The tombs, dating back to the seventh century BCE, are a source of much of what we know today about this still mysterious civilization. The intricately painted wall frescoes, still vivid, display musicians and dancers, warriors and kings.
The group then travelled north about 20 miles for a picnic and a swim at the beach near Capalbio in southern Tuscany, followed by a visit to the nearby Tarot Garden of artist Niki De Saint Phalle. The gardens monumental modernist sculptures make a fine counterpoint to the antiquities of Tarquinia.
These artists, many on their first trip abroad, are grateful for the chance to experience a home away from home during their visit. La Romita is a place for grounding their exciting daily experiences. Here they feel safe and cared for, with the kitchen and housekeeping staff, (all of them Italian mothers), going out of their way to meet their needs and make them feel at home. We look forward to continuing this collaboration into the future.
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