My first trip to Italy was the November before Covid. I was visiting over Thanksgiving break with my family. We were in Rome for a couple of days and planned to see as much of the city as possible. It was a remarkable feeling to be standing in a city with so much history and seeing all the art around the city. I will never forget standing at the top of Saint Peter’s Dome.
How did you become interested in art history?
I went to a performing arts high school in Manhattan where I studied fine arts. My sculpture teacher, at the time, would incorporate art history when explaining our projects. We had class discussions on Louis Nevelson, Bernini, and Henry Moore’s work and how we planned to incorporate their ideas of sculpture into our projects. The following year, I had an art history class and fell in love with it as all the knowledge of art that I accumulated over the years started to piece together in my brain. This inspired me to study Art History at the Macaulay Honors College at City College of New York where I learned about Classical Italian Art and Modern Art.
Do you have a specialization or specific interest?
Currently, I have an interest in the book arts. I love exploring different binding methods and learning about how structures changed with modernization. Lately I tried Suminagshi, itajime, and acrylic paper marbling which has added a special touch to my books. Books can have so many purposes such as the historical one of providing information and becoming works of art. I try to find the balance between the two when creating my own books.
What do you hope to gain from this experience at CIMA?
I hope to gain a better understanding of the art world and all the processes that are involved in an exhibition. While I know the approximate work that is involved such as choosing artwork and securing loans, there is a lot of work in the background that is unknown to art consumers. So far I have learned about condition reports and how hectic the art installation process is. Knowing about these various operations, that happen before an exhibition opens, will give me a better understanding of what I want to do in the future.
