L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 3 ed on his experience as a teacher and the time he spent exploring glass art with the participants. I couldn't resist asking him how he perceived the difference in the relationship between mentor and students at Pilchuck Glass S c h o o l c o m p a r e d t o I t a l y . "When I was apprenticing at young age in Italy, no words were spoken between the men- tor and the student; I had to observe carefully and through observation I had to guess the time lapse and the quantity of glass material to use in the cre- ation of a piece. This was forc- ing the students to be constantly aware of the moment, active in their intellectual and physical abilities". "When the Maestro spoke to you", he continues, "It was usu- a l l y f o r s c o l d i n g y o u " . L i n o summarizes this Italian attitude w i t h a V e n e t i a n e x p r e s s i o n : "roba con l'ocio", steal with your eye. It didn't take long for him to realize that such a disci- plined work ethic was causing frustration to American students and that he had to reinvent his approach in teaching not just w i t h g e s t u r e s , b u t a l s o w i t h words. "In this way, the relationship between me and students was transformed from guide-subal- t e r n s t o a r e l a t i o n s h i p t h a t emphasized equal ground. This was something very different c o m p a r e d t o t h e I t a l i a n approach", he said with a smile in his voice. Lino brings up his memories of Seattle from a few decades ago, when he followed, with g r e a t e n t h u s i a s m , t h e S u p e r Sonics winning the NBA cham- pionship in 1979 and when he ate for the first time sushi and s a s h i m i p r e p a r e d b y S h i r o Kashiba, "a king behind the sushi bar", at his old restaurant Nikko, on South King Street. I excitedly told him that Shiro opened a new restaurant and he s a d l y a l r e a d y k n e w t h a t t h e Sonics moved. He admitted to me that while in Seattle he never drove. This allowed him to see so much m o r e o f t h e c i t y f r o m h i s Belltown home. He remembers that instead of going to osteria to have a Spritz after work, as he used to do in Venice, he got accustomed to have a coffee, in t h e c i t y e v e n b e f o r e c o f f e e became a main staple. "The city has changed a lot", he adds, "but I still go to Seattle regularly, for me it is like my second home". When I asked Lino, what his favorite color is, he answers in pairs: "I used to love orange and aquamarine, then there was the period of purple and yellow, now for some reason I love red and green. One color is beauti- ful, but the combination of two, is better. Exactly like the explo- sion of colors that I am seeing o u t s i d e o f m y w i n d o w r i g h t now, in this marvelous Venetian sunset; I am a very lucky man". Continued from page 1 Maestro Lino Tagliapietra with some of his creations. Photo credit: Lino Tagliapietra Inc. Dear Friends, You - our readers, subscribers and donors - have simply amazed us over the past few weeks! We stand here deeply moved by your overwhelming response and the outpouring of support as we shared about and manage through recent chal- lenges at L'Italo-Americano. Our team is truly grateful for your help - reaching 85% of our monthly goal in just a few weeks is more than we expected and are reaching out to donors individually to let them know just how important each one is. We seek to hear your voice as you ARE members of our community that are most passionate and committed about our mission! GRAZIE! from the bottom of our heart. We read your comments and are greatly pleased with our survey outcome as well. Thanks to your help, we'll be launching a new editorial space in which students who received Italy-study abroad scholarships can share about their experiences and insights while immersed in our culture overseas. This is just one way to bring our renewal vision into full circle through the eyes of tomorrow's leaders in our local communities. We're counting on you to be on our team this year --- please don't for- get to visit us at www.italoamericano.org today and click on the DONATE button...any gift amounts, new subscriptions and renewals will help and is greatly appreciated. Emanuela Panebianco Development Team

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