L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY R e l e v a n t , p a s - s i o n a t e a n d fiercely devoted t o t h e a r t s : these words are u s e d t o d e s c r i b e G a g e Academy of Art, a fine art school in Seattle that cele- brates its 30 th anniversary this year, but can be applied e q u a l l y a s w e l l t o t h e school's executive director, Stefano Catalani. A native of Genazzano, s o u t h o f R o m e , C a t a l a n i arrived in Seattle in 2001 and within a few years was appointed director of art, c r a f t a n d d e s i g n a t Bellevue Arts Museum, a position he held for more than a decade. Now as exec- u t i v e d i r e c t o r a t G a g e , Catalani is continuing the s c h o o l ' s c o m m i t m e n t t o innovation, excellence and accessibility while putting his own undeniable stamp on its next decade of growth. Gage was founded in 1989 b y N e w Y o r k a r t i s t G a r y Faigin and his wife, architect Pamela Belyea, who offered art workshops in New York and Santa Fe. After relocat- ing to Seattle in the early 1990s, the couple opened the Academy of Realist Art which they operated from their home for several years before moving to a stand- alone location. In 2006, the name was changed to the Gage Academy of Art; Faigin continues today as artistic director and instructor. S i t u a t e d i n a n h i s t o r i c 1 9 2 5 l a n d m a r k b u i l d i n g a d j a c e n t t o S t . M a r k ' s C a t h e d r a l i n S e a t t l e ' s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Gage has a second facility in Georgetown, a diverse and quickly growing neighbor- hood in South Seattle. Both locations offer art instruc- t i o n , f r e e p r o g r a m s , l e c - tures, exhibitions, events and workshops. D u r i n g h i s t e n u r e a t B e l l e v u e A r t s M u s e u m , Catalani helped expand that organization's visibility both regionally and nationally. H e e a r n e d k u d o s f o r h i s multidisciplinary approach to education and exhibits that combined art, craft and design with poetry, music, performance and architec- ture. Catalani's approach to art was influenced by his father, an amateur painter in his youth, who taught him that art is a language all of its own. He followed a liberal a r t s t r a c k d u r i n g h i g h school — and still enjoys reading the classics today — but was inspired by a pro- fessor to consider the sci- ences. He went on to earn a master's degree in mining and petroleum engineering at Sapienza University of Rome. W h i l e e m p l o y e d a s a n engineer in Sicily, Catalani remained engaged in the art w o r l d , g u e s t - c u r a t i n g e x h i b i t s i n R o m e a n d o n Malta. After two years, the a r t w o r l d w o n o u t a n d Catalani quit engineering. In his early 30s, he moved to the Pacific Northwest. " T h o s e f i r s t t w o y e a r s i n S e a t t l e w e r e s o m e o f t h e most exciting of my life," he said. "I breathed, ate and t a l k e d a r t , a n d s p e n t months building relation- ships with the city and its cultural producers." Catalani became execu- t i v e d i r e c t o r o f G a g e i n 2 0 1 6 , w h e r e h e o v e r s e e s s e v e n a t e l i e r p r o g r a m s developed in the time-hon- ored apprenticeship model t h a t c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e Renaissance and Beaux Arts p e r i o d s . T h e a t e l i e r s a r e d e s i g n e d f o r a r t i s t s w h o want to further their mas- tery of painting, drawing or sculpture under the watchful guidance of teaching artists. These intensive two-to-four year programs are dedicated to both classical and modern traditions. "We enroll about 115 stu- dents in our 7 atelier pro- grams," said Catalani. "After completing the atelier, stu- dents leave with a portfolio s o s t r o n g t h e y c a n a p p l y directly to a Master of Fine Arts program, if that is what they choose." Gage also offers a one- year intensive program in studio arts that combines a v a r i e t y o f s t u d i o c o u r s e s with professional develop- ment and activities that con- nect budding artists with the local art community. A core belief at Gage is that artists are made, not born. To draw out the artist in all of us, the school offers an ever-changing menu of 1 0 - w e e k a d u l t e d u c a t i o n programs in drawing, paint- ing, sculpture and printmak- ing, available to anyone in the community. "We believe through education, everyone can find his or her artistic voice," said Catalani. About 450 students participate in these classes every quarter. There are weekend and week-long workshops, too, t a u g h t b y v i s i t i n g a r t i s t s from around the world. On M a r c h 3 1 , f o r e x a m p l e , G e n o a - b o r n a r t i s t Alessandro Gallo, currently living in Montana, begins a weeklong workshop on sto- rytelling with clay figures. Gage attracts youngsters and teens with a wide range o f p r o g r a m s o f f e r e d throughout the year and in summer camps. Although the majority are fee-based (there are need-based schol- a r s h i p s a v a i l a b l e ) , t h e school also coordinates a free drop-in studio art pro- gram in three locations for teens aged 13 to 18. "Our Friday teen art stu- dios are held for three hours nearly every Friday night, 49 weeks a year," said Catalani. "We provide a safe environ- ment where teens from all b a c k g r o u n d s c a n e x p r e s s themselves through art and c a n h a v e p o s i t i v e s o c i a l interactions. We serve about 1,500 students annually at t h o s e F r i d a y n i g h t p r o - grams, thanks to the support o f s e v e r a l g e n e r o u s f u n - ders." Today, Gage has a team of 20 faculty and administra- tive staff along with more than 100 artist-instructors. I n J a n u a r y , t h e s c h o o l kicked off its 30 th anniver- sary year with an exhibition a t t h e W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e C o n v e n t i o n C e n t e r . T h e exhibit 2020 Visions, which runs through April 13, hon- ors the artist-teachers who are the foundation of Gage's approach. Other anniversary e v e n t s a r e c o m i n g u p , including an art auction and gala on May 2. "As the director of an art school, people sometimes ask me: what good is art in today's high-tech world?," said Catalano. "To that I say: at Gage, we teach artists to be problem solvers and to d e v e l o p c r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g skills. One of our core values is perception, the ability to see what is before us. This is the foundation of the scien- t i f i c m e t h o d , a s w e l l . B e c a u s e o f o b s e r v a t i o n , G a l i l e o a n d C o p e r n i c u s t u r n e d t h e w o r l d o n i t s head. Artists do the same. They show us new ways to s e e i n t o d a y ' s m o d e r n world." RITA CIPALLA Stefano Catalani leads Gage Academy of Art into its fourth decade Stefano Catalani, executive director, Gage Academy of Art, is focused on main- taining excellence while increasing accessibility as the school begins its fourth decade (Gage Academy) Known for its distinctive atelier programs , the Gage Academy enables artists seeking greater mastery in painting, drawing and sculpture to study under renowned teaching artists (Gage Academy) Fully absorbed in making art, these students at the Gage Academy are building foundational skills while engaging their imagination

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