News - September 19, 2007

Restoration of a Dream
SUF financed the restoration of Eruption of Vesuvius of 1767, part of the small exhibit An Englishman Across the Arno: A Tribute to Thomas Patch (1725-1782), dedicated to this 18th-century English painter who resided in Florence. The exhibit opens Friday, September 21 at the Sala Bianca of Palazzo Pitti.

The decision to restore this painting was sparked by the particular biography of Thomas Patch, and cemented by the desire to leave a tangible sign of dedication to the city of Florence for hosting our institution for nearly fifty years.

Born in Exeter, Devonshire in 1691, Patch went on the Grand Tour as a twenty-two year old medical student, visiting the most important sites of Italy and Europe. His experience in Italy was to change his life: he decided to abandon his studies, to stay in Italy and follow a newly-discovered dream—that of becoming an artist. In doing so he became one of the most renown panorama painters of eighteenth-century Florence.

His experience differs little from that of many young students who come to Syracuse University in Florence to study Italian art, architecture, history and culture. For most of our students, their stay in Italy is a life-changing experience, leading to deep introspection, and reflection on their own values and beliefs.

These students—along with Thomas Patch—stand in a long tradition of the foreign student who comes to Italy, being inspired and awed, enlightened and transformed. In this light the restored painting becomes a symbol of the rich cultural tradition of Florence.

Block-Party event a real ice-breaker
Well over 100 students participated in the Block-Party dinners held in the SUF gardens last weekend, and surpassed all expectations as students—many who had arrived by themselves—had to be ‘pushed off campus’ as they chatted animatedly together at the end of what Jim Kauffman, Housing Coordinator, called “two very successful evenings.”

The block party dinners, organized by the SUF Housing and Student Life Offices, came about as a specific response to the needs of students who expressed the desire to be able to more quickly and easily get acquainted with each other, focusing on students living in their area of the city. Students from four city quarters participated.

Participating students were given a paper with twenty-one questions, and were required to ask these questions to twenty-one different students! Questions ranged from ‘have you ever met a celebrity,’ to ‘have you ever been hurt in love,’ to ‘have you ever been in a sorority,’ and provided the right spirit for the students to really break the ice, as the questions elicited answers—and plenty of laughter.

SUF Gallery opens its doors to Contemporary Visions


Renee Billingslea

Susan Felter

David Pace

Wednesday, September 19 at 6pm will see the inauguration at the SUF Art Gallery of Focus: Current Approaches to Photography, with works from Santa Clara University Professors Renee Billingslea, Susan Felter and David Pace. The Focus exhibit comes under the new initiative Contemporary Visions: Encounters with Art, developed in collaboration with the SUF Studio Arts Department. Contemporary Visions events are characterized by the exhibit opening combined with a lecture from the visiting artist(s), thus giving students and the interested public an opportunity to engage directly with the contemporary art world.