For the love of Italy

Italy is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful, evocative locations on earth, especially for artists.

Made in Italy, an art exhibit featuring pieces by graduate and undergraduate students from Portland State, University of Oregon, Southern Oregon and Oakland College in Michigan, is the response of one group of students to their summer trip to the country.

The gallery show is headed by PSU professors Horia Boboia and William LePore, whose Art Italy courses have presented students with the opportunity to travel, study and work abroad for the past eight years.

“Traveling to Italy is always exciting,” Boboia said. “Every little place has so much to offer. Visually, it is a rich compilation of history, cultures, styles, flavors, colors and landscapes. The art is good, the people are friendly, the food is great and the wine is sweet.”

A.H.A. International organized the program in conjunction with the Education Abroad Office at PSU and Filiberto Bracalente, the Macerata (Italy) site director.

Last summer, the group of 14 art students traveled to Italy, spending a total of six weeks there. The trip included visiting the Venice Biennale and living, working and studying in Macerata.

“We visited and experienced a lot of sites, changing venues and flavors constantly, so emotionally it was a lot to digest, though work came very naturally,” Boboia said. “It was later, and through accumulations and reflections, that these experiences became connected within a larger context.”

Boboia has been a professor at Portland State since 2001. An artist himself, Boboia learned as much as his students.

“It is always extremely compelling when old and new worlds are weaved together seamlessly but are still considered part of the same cultural system,” Boboia said. “It is almost a full picture of where we came from and where we are going, and these are concepts that interest me a lot.”

Former PSU student Robert McKirdie was part of the program and has several piecesrepresented in the exhibit. He graduated with two degrees, a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science in sculpture.

“My experience traveling and living in Italy was one of the greatest adventures I have had,” he said.

McKirdie, who works primarily with combined elements—visual, audio and interactive—was inspired with the juxtaposition of new and old, and he created art around the concept.

“In Italy, there are places that date back to 1100 B.C. Nothing like this exists in America. The integration of the old and new was fascinating to me, and I created a piece that reflects this idea,” McKirdie said. “My favorite part was probably all the experiences with everyone in the Italy program and the Italian people we met.”

Like McKirdie, PSU student Stephanie Drachman, who graduated in the summer upon returning from Italy with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art practices and a minor in art history, had a positive, inspiring experience. Her work reflects the slow, introspective, serene moments in Italy. Her creative process has changed slightly since the trip.

“I feel like the majority of my work is unseen, that it’s more about the moments that happen between the images and the process of making than the actual physical objects,” she said. “But I love the objects too, I must admit. And I really fell in love with the slow meditative process of trying to control gold leaf—cutting small strips with an X-Acto blade and drawing hair with pencil.”

Drachman describes her trip to Italy as an immersive and beautiful experience.

“It was amazing being able to luxuriate in small details and really soak in everything around you. The people, the food and the gelato were all so good,” she said. “Even now, thinking about it, all I can do is smile. I can still feel the breeze. You could see the ocean over fields of sun flowers, the cliffs and waters were blurry, the clouds were huge, and the sky was endless. From our little medieval city, Macerata, it felt like you were on top of the world. It was truly life-changing.”