INSTITUTE FOR DOCTORAL STUDIES
IN THE VISUAL ARTS
For this edition of the Newsletter, we decided to dedicate a special issue to the Venice Biennale 2017. The articles included in this issue were originally written by IDSVA students as part of their Topological Studies assignments while in residence in Venice, Italy, last summer, and doing fieldwork at the oldest and most venerable international art exhibition now in its 57th incarnation, with the title “Viva Arte Viva.” The outcome is an exhilarating collection of first hand impressions, reflections, and critical assessments of one of the most important contemporary art events in the world. IDSVA was also proud to be again part of this year’s Biennale Sessions participants, together with other distinguished institutions of higher education in the arts.
The other articles in this Fall issue offer insights into salient moments of the summer residencies, such as Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi’s series of lectures on current European art and politics in relation to the concept of the Baroque; Howard Caygill’s lecture on German Idealism and guided walk in Berlin; the Athens symposium Mapping Worlds, Crossing Borders, hosted by Simonetta Moro, Giovanni Tusa, and Elina Staikou; and the magisterial lecture Dr. David Driskell gave at Colby College during the third year pre-dissertation residency. A profile of the 2017 Driskell Fellow, Natalya Mills-Mayrena (cohort ’16), is graciously provided by Eric Bess, Driskell Fellow 2016, in true collegial spirit.
Special thanks to all the student contributors, to the Editors, Katherine Melcher (cohort ’16) and Jonathan Morgan (cohort ’15), and to Staff Editor Molly Davis for a superb newsletter!
Happy reading,
Simonetta Moro, IDSVA Director