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A Dream Internship: Working for Black History Month Florence

By Davis Priest (University of Vermont)           

The exhibit “Co-Opted Wood” at BHMF’s cultural center The Recovery Plan

In an art historical context, Florence is accepted as a powerhouse of Renaissance art and architecture. The city is alive with trophies of its former Renaissance glory and to this day Dante, Michelangelo, and Galileo contribute to Florentines’ sense of identity and pride. Yet the blinding effect of Florence’s inexhaustible Renaissance art collections can also distract the average visitor from the stunning lack of contemporary art.

As soon as I learned of my internship placement at Black History Month Florence (BHMF), I was intrigued by the nature of the organization. Each February, schools across the U.S. mark Black History Month as a time to reflect on challenging histories and amplify narratives tied to blackness in America. While the work of BHMF is especially visible in European spaces during the month of February, it also continues throughout the calendar year. 

Ismael Lo’s graphic design work for Antirəzinə magazine

Longtime Florence resident and New York native Justin Randolph Thompson is the director of BHMF, an association that starts conversations through engaging with artists in its exhibition space, partnering with local art spaces, and coordinating events for the duration of February each year. 

My fellow intern Alice Robertson and I met on the first day of the fall semester. We quickly discovered our shared excitement and apprehension regarding our placements at BHMF. The organization consists of eight platforms and at any given time is in dialogue with a plethora of art spaces, artists, and researchers across the world. Our first two and a half hour meeting with Justin illuminated the organization’s impressive reach. 

Detail of Lo’s design work for Antirəzinə magazine

Alice and I were immediately tasked with curating a show to highlight a Young Gifted and Black Italians (YGBI) residency. Three artists – Ismael Lo, Ofelia Balogun, and Jermay Michael Gabriel – were selected to participate in a residency in the nearby town of Pistoia. Lo and Balogun collaborated on a project. Alice and I started setting up an exhibition to promote the residency and the associated artists. 

We drew up a preliminary proposal of where to place each artwork. BHMF runs a cultural center and exhibition space called The Recovery Plan near Piazza San Marco, operating through the Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA). BHMF’s premises consists of four rooms for exhibitions, a reading room, and a central area containing a library and displaying archive material. The space is very flexible, allowing it to be used in various ways. 

Ofelia Balogun’s work on migration

Alice and I were able to think creatively and propose a layout that would effectively present each artist’s work. The first room was dedicated to Lo and his graphic designs for the anti-racist magazine Antirəzinə. In the next room, we displayed the work of Balogun, who focuses on movement-based expression, including one of her dance pieces playing on a TV screen. The last two rooms contained Gabriel’s work, which deals with colonial history. 

An internship that involves receiving materials, thinking through a visual proposal, and hanging an art show is a dream for two art history majors interested in museum spaces. I would like to encourage every student to visit the space and check out whatever the latest exhibition might be. Justin and the BHMF team are doing great work in the city. Interning for the organization has been an enriching addition to my study abroad experience. 

Jermay Michael Gabriel’s work on the effects of colonialism

Syracuse Florence Then and Now: Two Alumnae Return After 60 Years (video)

Last May we received a special visit from Susan Baum and Carol Gerst, who returned sixty years after their semester abroad with us. They reflected on what has changed and what has stayed the same as they toured the campus with Director Sasha Perugini, shared their old photos and keepsakes, and sat down for an interview.


Student Art + Architecture Show

STA EXHIBIT FALL 2022-014

On December 7, students, host families, faculty, and staff were invited to view this semester’s final Studio Art + Architecture Exhibition, held as always in the Studio Arts and Architecture buildings in Piazzale Donatello. Once again Syracuse Florence students, beginners and advanced alike, demonstrated their creative talents and exploration of different media in drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, silkscreen and metalsmithing. The photos in the link below were taken by professional photographer and SU Florence lab technician Francesco Guazzelli.


Deja Vu: Nick Kraczyna’s Childhood Experience of War in Eastern Europe (video)

Swietlan Nicholas (Nick) Kraczyna, studio arts professor at SU Florence since 1998, was born in 1940 in the ethnically Russian part of Kamien-Kashirsk, Poland, near the Russian border. Today, that same town (Kamin-Kashyrskyi) is part of Ukraine.

In this interview Nick recalls his childhood memories of war in Eastern Europe and the disconcerting similarities with what is happening in Ukraine today.