A few nights ago we hosted the bi-annual Cornell in Rome exhibition. I hadn’t realized how many people not from this university were interested in coming and seeing the work produced. But alas, there were many strange and friendly faces there. Also present was a variety of formality in regards to dress, but everyone looked nice and like they were enjoying a short break before the rest of finals season kicked in. There were bottles of champagne, finger food, and lots of small talk that got better the more times you filled up your cup! It was extremely rewarding to see a final presentation of our work from the semester. Especially interesting was seeing the work produced in other non-studio classes by students from each department. Many students ended up taking an arts elective, whether that be photography or drawing, and there were tangible connections between the work produced for these classes and the main body of work for their core classes. The art professors here have allowed each student to develop their own interest into a fully realized project by the end of the semester, and the breadth of topic was truly astounding! At this event one could find themselves viewing performance art, installations, photography books, planning posters, architectural proposals, and the analog and digital imaging of Rome just to name a few. The palazzo was buzzing with creativity and conversation, stumbling Italian, and budding friendships between students and their soon-to-be ex-professors. I didn’t find myself feeling the need to say bye to anyone despite the fact that it was our last formal gathering as a whole school. I think the exhibition provided an ease into departure already.
This might be my last blog post! A few nights ago I had been walking with some friends and two of them had mentioned that their parents kept up with my blogs. I often feel like I’m talking into empty cyberspace rambling about on my own thoughts. So it’s definitely encouraging to hear some of you have enjoyed reading about this semester! So thanks to all of you 🙂
Ciao,
Omar