The Ursuline nuns who inhabited (no pun intended) the monastery that will soon house The Art Monastery Project kept a log. This was a treasured and guarded record of the internal goings on of the convent. To honor their tradition and add our own contemporary twist, Betsy McCall, President & Co-Artistic Director, is keeping a Nun’s Journal of her own: the Nun’s Blog. To view the archives (on the old website), click here
Posted by admin on 16 January 2010.
The Art Monastery Project is proud to announce a network for Artmonks, Artmystics, and other Contemplative Creatives worldwide: the International Otherhood of Artmonks.
For now, you can join us on Facebook and Twitter; stay tuned for the launch of artmonks.net!
What does an Otherhood of Artmonks do? Among other things, it will:
To kick it off, we recently held the very first Artmonk Retreat in Joshua Tree, CA. For 8 days, contemplative teachers Dr. Joel and Michelle Levey led a group of 15 artmonks through monastic practices of concentration meditation, reflective meditation, and mindfulness meditation.
Here are some pictures of our first artmonk retreat:
Posted by admin on 1 January 2010.
Presidentessa Betsy McCall and the dome of the Integratron.
Posted by Nathan on 18 October 2009.
We made it into the Saturday London Guardian’s list of “Five great Workaway working holidays”. Here’s what they had to say:
“Energetic dreamers” are sought by a community of English-speaking international artists in a former boutique B&B 45 minutes north-east of Rome. The group is transforming an old monastery in Umbria into a non-proft arts centre, and needs help with that, as well as on arts projects, maintaining the grounds, cleaning the pool and gues trooms, organising concerts and artistic productions. You get a tent in an olive grove or shared room in the ex-B&B, can join in meditation and nature walks . . . and if you really fit in you may be invited to stay for good!
We’re proud to be listed with the likes of “Elephant research” in Sri Lanka and “a husky tour company” in Norwegian Lapland.
Posted by Nathan on 16 August 2009.
We are seeking a few spirited folks to become a part of our dream.
The Art Monastery Project seeks to create world-class art by applying monastic principles to art-making instead of religion. We are transforming a monastery 45-minutes NE of Rome, in Calvi dell’Umbria, into an international non-profit arts production center. While the monastery is under construction, we are running a prototype of the community at the Casale Santa Brigida, just 5 minutes from the monastery.
In addition to an unforgettable work experience, there are many pleasures awaiting everyone who comes to stay with us. Participate, if you wish, in daily meditations and meals with inspiring visionaries. There will be time to enjoy the infinity pool, wifi, excursions, performances, and all that Umbria has to offer. Check out the Calendar to see which workshops, symposia, exhibitions, performances and artist residencies will be going on during your stay. We pride ourselves in our exceptional Italian and world cuisine, and we are happy to offer vegetarian options. Please let us know of your other special dietary needs.
If your heart goes aflutter when you imagine living amongst artists and intentional, contemplative thinkers, please contact brittney@artmonastery.org.
For more information about the Art Monastery Project or about Casale Santa Brigida, please visit the websites: www.artmonastery.org and www.casalesantabrigida.org.
We are looking for an energetic dreamer to trade full-time work for room & board at our drop dead gorgeous former B&B, the headquarters of our intentional community.
Responsibilities: Assist in the everyday operations involved in running an international arts centre and agriturismo-style guesthouse
Organize volunteers to tend the grounds (weeding & watering the garden, cleaning the pool, cleaning rooms, etc.)
Help with arts administration, assisting the Programming Director
When: from late August to early October, with the potential to stay longer
Where: live onsite, surrounded by the breathtaking views, nestled in an organic olive grove, overlooking the infinity pool of Casale Santa Brigida
Calvi dell’Umbria, Italy, 45 minutes NE of Rome
Who: someone who yearns to be amongst people who are willing to do the work it takes to change the world, an organized and upbeat, self-motivated lover of the arts,
Italian fluency/familiarity a plus but not required, an outdoorsy type who finds satisfaction in beautifully kept grounds, and enjoys creative problem solving. This role is best suited for someone who is highly organized, outgoing, and comfortable directing volunteers and assisting artists and visitors who come to stay with the project.
The compensation for your work, as with everyone else on the team, is via room & board. Although we are working toward the possibility of offering salaries, we are not able to do so at this time.
To apply for this position, please send your resume and letter of intent to
Brittney Williams
brittney@artmonastery.org
+39 328.796.3519
We are offering a unique opportunity for arts administration experience for an enthusiastic student or recent grad. Assist our Programming Director in administrative and translation work, adding valuable experience to your resume.
Requirement: must speak Italian and English fluently
Responsibilities: assisting our Programming Director, making phone calls in Italian, translations, helping with marketing initiatives, curating, press/PR, writing copy,
event production assistance.
As with all of our community members, there are also opportunities to do gardening, cooking, cleaning, driving shuttle, welcoming guests, maintenance of buildings and grounds, etc.
Knowledge of Italian geography and culture and art history a plus but not required.
We are accepting applications for internships immediately. We offer a room, a comprehensive meal plan that includes local, organic food grown on the premises and an amazing international work experience to qualified individuals at cost, which is €980 per month. Ideally, we desire individuals who are want an internship of a full 2 months or more. Please send a short (1-2 paragraph) bio, which position you are interested in, and a letter of intent describing why you would like to participate in our internship program to
Brittney Williams
brittney@artmonastery.org
+39 328.796.3519
Let your vacation pay for itself…
We are looking for energetic dreamers to trade part-time work for a shared room at our drop dead gorgeous former B&B, the headquarters of our intentional community.
We are seeking 2 to 3 workers to trade simple manual labor around the grounds for a lovely shared room at the inn.
Work 3 hours/day for 6 days/week. Stay for a minimum of 7 nights. (The schedule can be doubled up so that you work more on certain days and have more days off.)
After your 3 hours of work each day, you are free to explore the countryside, make a day trip to Rome, relax by the pool, or develop your art projects.
You can share a room in our lovely B&B or pitch your tent in the organic olive grove.
Your room has a kitchenette and you can be in charge of your own food or you can pitch in €15/day to cover food costs and eat with the rest of the team.
With a committment to stay for more than 2 weeks, food costs can be lower.
To see if we have space available for work-trade helpers, please contact
Brittney Williams
brittney@artmonastery.org
+39 328.796.3519
While you are with us you are a member of the community and therefore participate the same way the long-term members do: cleaning up after the meals you eat and a regularly scheduled group cleaning. Regularly scheduled group cleaning work includes gardening, cooking prep, cleaning, and maintenance of the pool and grounds. Other than that, you are here to learn with us, to enjoy yourself, and to participate in the daily life of the Art Monastery Project as much as you like. We pride ourselves in our exceptional Italian and world cuisine and we are happy to include vegetarian options. Please let us know if you have other dietary restrictions.
Interns stay on site at the Santa Brigida in one of 6 suites and enjoy shared facilities. Three studio apartments, Maurino, Frantoio, and Leccino, each offer an en suite bath, fireplace and mini-kitchen. Two of them open onto our panoramic terrace with hammocks. There are also two two-bedroom apartments: Pendolino and Ascolana, each having one bath, mini-kitchen and fireplace. One mini-suite has an ensuite bath and opens on to one of the panoramic terraces.
Amenities
- View of the Umbrian countryside from our panoramic terraces and pool
- Swimming pool (open from June-September)
- Wi-Fi
- Light breakfast (Prima Colazione)
- Scenic retreat setting, amenities, activities
- Comfortable beds
- Smoke Free
- Private bathrooms & Kitchenette
- Hair driers
Free On Site or Nearby activities
- Hiking
- Olive harvesting (in season)
- Swimming pool (in season)
- Gregorian Chant
- Nature walks
- Breadmaking
- Meditation
The following activities can be arranged with a fee
- Dining on Umbrian delicacies
- Truffle hunting
- Papermaking
- Making Fermented Foods: Sauerkraut, Kombucha and Tempeh
- Wild Eats: cooking with wild foods
- Italian Lessons: beginning to advanced, with an emphasis on experiential learning
- Wine tasting
- Cooking classes
- Singing lessons
- Rental Cars
- Horseback riding
- Isadora Duncan Dance Technique Lessons
- Synchronized Swimming Lessons
- Painting Lessons
If your heart goes aflutter when you imagine living amongst artists and intentional, contemplative thinkers, please contact brittney@artmonastery.org.
Not able to participate in an internship but want to visit the Art Monastery Project in Italy?
For information on upcoming workshops and visits to the Santa Brigida please email Mia at santabrigida@artmonastery.org.
Posted by Nathan on 9 August 2009.
A little stream of consciousness Blog reflecting on two great weeks in the Art Monastery as “Artist-in-Residence” from Joel Frederiksen, lutenist and singer:
Culture Shock…but in a good way. By birth a Minnesotan who lived in NYC for fifteen years before moving to Munich ten years ago, the culture shock was not really with the native „Umbrians“ , but rather with the Californians! From breathing meditation in the morning to group games in the evening, it was the Art Monastery „staff“ who rocked my world from the very beginning of my visit during the last two weeks of April 2009.
Nick Drake. Everyone knew his music! When I wrote an application to come as an Artist-in-Residence to the Art Monastery in Calvi dell’Umbria I was looking to work on a special project and I felt it needed to be in a very special place. The lovely violinist, Karen Walthinsen, also a displaced American (…from the West Coast) living in Cologne, told me about this interesting place in Italy and suggested I get in contact. After writing the project proposal to work on „Requiem for a Pink Moon“ and sending it in last November 20, I felt resonance from the Americans „Under the Umbrian Sun“. First of all, I was happy to learn that there was such an emphasis on Early Music, my specialty, and surprised that Nick Drake was familiar. Second, Christopher, also an early music tenor, knew me from Vancouver, Canada, where I sang the role of Plutone in a production of Claudio Monteverdi’s „Orfeo“ in 2000. The response I got to my project was enthusiastic.
The Art Monastery: Bed and Breakfast with a hammock and a view. Along the way I had the feeling that things were not moving along in Italy so quickly or smoothly as might have been wished. But that is no surprise…I know Italy. Things take their own time, rehearsals start when everyone is there, and renovations take as long as they take. When I arrived in Rome and was picked up by Christopher and Nathan I was driven to a picturesque hilltop with a view over olive trees to ancient neighboring Umbrian cities on adjacent hills. It’s a tough life, I thought, doing yoga the next morning with Luke and Jessica, two Americans visiting from Berlin. Or maybe I thought that later when swinging in the hammock drinking an Italian espresso.
The Work. It was the perfect way to get started. Concentrate on the breathing, let go, let the inspiration come…and it did. When I arrived in Italy I knew what I wanted to do: Work out orchestrations of Nick Drake songs for the lute and other Renaissance instruments and frame the whole thing with parts of the plainsong Requiem Mass. An idea was presented once—growing out of a misunderstanding with my Munich press team—to somehow combine Nick’s songs with those of Renaissance composers of lute songs. I corrected my press team and made them re-write the German project description…and then later used their idea!! I began by simply trying to adapt this folk-rock style of playing with open tunings that players like Nick Drake perfected on the guitar, to the lute. First I had to be able to do it. Then I started experimenting and looking for connections. Lots of questions including: How and why do this?? The Requiem came early as an idea, but then it didn’t seem to work. Experimenting, searching for a sound, a reason, not wanting to give it up just because I met some resistance but knowing I needed to adapt, improve and connect it. Lute parts came for songs by John Dowland and Thomas Campion, English composers, like Nick, but who lived 400 years earlier. To make connections I sought themes in the poetry to unite them. Thinking of comments that Nick made…reading a biography. He performed very seldom in his short life of 26 years and one reason was certainly difficulty on stage with nerves, but he also said something once, which was very revealing: That the songs he wrote were for recording, not for concert. He used so many tunings as to be impractical. Wanting to keep it workable, playable, performable….
Inspirations and surprises. The team was a big, colorful surprise at the Art Monastery, as were the guests. I wanted a place to be away from email and my telephone in a place which was quiet and where I could concentrate and be alone. What I got was in a way exactly that—but with wireless Internet service and interesting, creative personalities coming and going. I got intelligent feedback and support of a kind, which I could not have reckoned on. Christopher continued to rock my world with an open, honest life philosophy balanced by intelligence and ambition. The Americans were feeding me with their positive energy. Nathan gave of his meditation knowledge and enchanting Brittney of her lovely self…and knowledge of Italian! Unfortunately I suffered for most of my stay in the beautiful spring weather on the blooming hillsides from allergies. Sometimes it was really difficult not to be able to share more music with guests and staff, but next time!!! Yes, I hope to make the pilgrimage again to the Art Monastery. It takes vision and perseverance to make something so grand a reality and I wish Christopher and the entire team of people interested and in love with the idea of an Intentional Living Community in Italy for artists, all the best! The first performance of “Requiem for a Pink Moon” is scheduled for October 1, 2009, as the opening concert of my 2009-10 Munich series.
Posted by Nathan on 22 July 2009.
Join us for a glorious evening of art, music, stories, dance, and folklore in the summer twilight of historic Calvi dell’Umbria.
Red-shoed guides will lead a Spettacolo Itinerante through the labyrinth of medieval locations in Calvi. Along the way, experience various temptations and metamorphoses from the Middle Ages through modern times, performed by local and international artists, sponsored by the Art Monastery.
From Baroque to Bossa Nova, Tapdance to Tango, this will be an unforgettable evening to delight the senses!
At 20.30, food will be sold by the ProLoco in the “Jazz Cafe,” created for the evening in the Piazza S. Andrea.
This will be followed by two identical hourlong performances, the first leaving at 20.45, and the second at 21.45.
Live music for dancing will begin at 23.00.
Come and experience the richness of the arts through the ages in a spectacular setting!
Posted by Nathan on 26 June 2009.
Our national radio debut! The clip:
Posted by Betsy on 23 June 2009.
I’m back in Calvi!!! After 6 months in San Francisco, I’ve returned to the fold with a swanky new MFA in tow. You may call me Mistress now. It was a strange and wonderful thing to be back in the States for so long: the distinctions clearly illustrated between Italian & American bureaucracy, rural & urban living, historical & experimental studio practices.
_still01.jpg "Practice(breath)_still01")
The results of my own studio practice was a video piece called “Practice.” Using footage from my underwater headcam worn during synchronized swimming practice, the piece investigates the connections amongst contemplative practice, studio practice, and swim practice. Juxtaposing the breathing of the swimmer & dizzying movements of the camera with a kaleidoscopic mandala composed of the same footage, the piece asks if it matters what the goal of your practice is. Pick your action, imbue it with meaning, and do it again. Again and again and again. Practice is about repetition. Practice is about reshaping the practitioner over time. Practice is about building a system and then turning it inside out, crossing over, feeding back, renewing. The system generates something new, an expression of a regimen of disciplined cadence that might take place in a studio, on a cushion, or in a pool. Wherever it happens, practice is a commitment, repetitive and prolonged, a structured and sustained effort that yields perspectives that are undiscoverable any other way. The monk goes to her mandala, the artist to her studio, the swimmer to the pool – what is the distinction amongst them? Here is a one-minute excerpt from the 3-and-a-half minute whole. Imagine it really enormous—the ideal mode of experiencing this piece is projected 15 feet wide.
In preparation for what we hope will be the inevitable donation of a historic printing press to the Art Monastery, I seized my final moments of higher education by taking a printmaking class. Here are some etching investigations of peacock feathers.
I worked really hard this semester. After weeks of staying at the studio late into the night, I lugged the materials to build a room in which to house my video projection to Fort Mason, the waterfront site of San Francisco Art Institute’s MFA thesis show, affectionately referred to as Vernissage. I had a team of volunteers lined up to help me (thank you so much you guys!) and finished the installation early. Unheard of. It was enormously satisfying to work so hard, to put in so much time, to plan so relentlessly, and to have that all come together into a seamless final moment. It created some perspective for me around how hard we work at the Art Monastery, the long hours we log, the moving targets, the comically chaotic environment. We do so much and, mostly because of the much larger arc of the project, the moments where we lean back in our chairs and say, “Aaaaah yes!” and bask in the glory of the fruits of our labors are few and far between. It is with this perspective that I return to lovely Calvi dell’Umbria. I arrive here with a new understanding that if things don’t feel like they are running really smoothly or that the future seems a tad hazy, it isn’t because we aren’t doing everything we could possibly do and it doesn’t mean the project isn’t either on it’s way to becoming or presently already a great success. It also speaks to the gargantuan hearts of the people who have dedicated themselves to this project. Who are these people who work so much with so little pay back? These are some serious work-your-fingers-to-the-bone dreamers. These are some people who are willing to do what it takes to find out what happens when you GO FOR IT. These are some people who set out to live their lives as complicated, rich, unending works of art. I am honored to be back amongst my people, the otherhood of art monks, back in the studio that is Italy, back in the throes of a shared masterpiece in the making. Hello Art Monastery Project. It’s good to be back.
To see my other work, I invite you to visit http://www.artmonastery.org/betsymccall.
Posted by Julia on .
When I got back to Calvi on June 2, I knew that I was going to teach some dance for a youth workshop that would be running the next two weeks. I felt fine about that-youth are fine, dancing is fine, it was all fine. What I wasn’t prepared for was the giant blast of positivity and creativity I got slammed with over the next five days.
Charlie Murphy and Eric Mulholland run these camps all around the world, most recently in Uganda, as part of PYE Global, which Charlie himself founded. They basically create a temporary community of youth and adults, and in the space of a few days make a ton of connection and inspiration happen, using the arts.
Every time I felt cranky and didn’t want to participate in some circle activity, I found myself sucked in anyway and 5 minutes later would be much the richer for it. The kids were a variety of cool, funny, nerdy, sexy, brash, enthusiastic high schoolers, the adults mostly us at the ol’Art Monastery. I never would have thought the mix would work but it was fabulous.
The experience also definitely opened my eyes to ways that interacting with younger people is great for this project-the influx of energy and focus that it ended up bringing to us has been truly valuable. Oh, and Betsy and I got to perform the “Panic” song on the last night’s dinner time talent show.
Posted by Brittney on 18 June 2009.
This spring I began to build a permaculture garden behind the fontanella (”fountain”) of the Art Monastery guesthouse, Casale Santa Brigida starting from a plot of land filled with weeds, grass and rocks.
A couple months later, it looks great, largely thanks to the many lovely people (Nathan, Sarah, Erin, Gennaro and Besant Hill, to name a few) who lent a hand and helped with all the hard work. Now the garden is flourishing and full of delicious food–I’m noshing on some fresh spinach, chard and beets as I write this…YuM!
I used a lot of companion planting permaculture techniques in building the garden; clusters of tomato plants surrounded by eggplants and peppers, marigolds to keep pests away, basil to enhance the flavor of the tomatoes, radishes to repel beetles and provide a ground cover that retains moisture, and so on. Permaculture gardening has many different variations internationally, and my friend, professional gardener Gennaro di Bari built an “aiuola,” an Italian version of a permaculture plot.
Beginning:
I “started” (planted) a bunch of seedlings and kept them indoors in the early spring so the they would be ready to plant early in the season. A great way to start seedlings indoors in the spring is to plant a seed directly inside of an eggshell filled with soil.
The eggshell is biodegradable and the seedling and shell can be planted directly into the ground when it is warm enough outside.
Getting the eggshells ready so I can plant seeds in them.
Preparing the ground:
Gabriele and I bravely struck out to till up the garden plot using a "zappa" (spade). This turned out to be a LOT harder than we thought it would be so...
Halfway there...
Determined to get the space plowed, I drove around the countryside until I found someone with a newly tilled garden. I pulled over, asked them who had done it and how I could find someone to help me plow the garden at the CSB. Just then, a farmer drove past on his tractor.
Planting, weeding, and growing:
Gardenz Rawr!
Gennaro begins to dig out the space for the aiuola. An aiuola permaculture garden bed is usually raised about 3 feet off the ground, with a trough around it to help retain water. The height of the bed makes it easier to tend the garden without bending over.
Planting starts (baby plants) in the aiuola. We planted pole beans, eggplant, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and radishes.
Adding more plant starts in the aiuola.
A clear view of the aiuola and how the plants are positioned and spaced.
Almost done...
Butterfly eggs on a leaf...they look like a tiny cluster of iridescent pearls.
Permaculture:
Now that the garden is in place, we’re able to feed a large number of people for very little, we’re more independently sustainable and we have a great learning space for others to discover how to nurture and make things grow. I’ve been practicing my own version of “garden yoga” while I water the plants in the evening, using a combination of balancing poses and large sweeping arm movements to exercise and strengthen my body while enjoying the experience of cool water on my toes after a full day of zesty hot Italian sunshine.
Finished!
) and dancing in Otricoli ruins (
)
