Artist In Residence Cesare Pietroiusti Leads "What Petrifies You?" Community Workshop

BOSTON, Mass. (January 2016) — While living and working as an Artist-in-Residence last month, Italian artist Cesare Pietroiusti invited five students from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to explore the meaning behind the Medusa mosaic, which forms the centerpiece – or “omphalos” – of the Gardner’s famously curated courtyard garden. For four days, the group examined the sculpture through different artistic, historic, and philosophical lenses and developed three projects to share with and engage the public.

From Jan. 20 through 24, Pietroiusti and the SMFA students will return to the Gardner’s Education Studio to work with Museum visitors and community members as well as the Museum’s Teens Behind the Scenes participants to reproduce a portion of the Gardner’s mosaic with two-inch paper tesserae tiles. Guiding their work will be the question: “What petrifies you?” More than 2,000 responses will be created using 12 colored pencils and then positioned on an eight-by-eight foot backing board. Two guest speakers will join the group to offer unique perspectives on the subject in conversaton with Pietroiusti. Guest speakers include: Caroline Jones, Professor of History Theory and Criticism at the Dept. of Architecture at MIT on Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.; and Christine Kondoleon, George D. and Margo Behrakis, Curator of Greek and Roman art at the Museum of Fine Arts on Jan. 22 at 3:00 pm.

Simultaneously, members of the public are invited to collaborate with Pietroiusti on a unique drawing of the Museum’s mosaic. The drawings will be distributed for free to the following day’s participants so every person taking part in the workshop has the opportunity both to create a work and depart with one made by someone else. Cesare Pietroiusti has been producing drawings and distributing them in this way since 2004. To date, he has gifted more than 100,000 drawings.

On Thursday, Jan. 21, the group will showcase a third project, a conversation game they created using mirrors in the Museum’s Living Room for the Gardner’s monthly Third Thursday gathering, named The Boston Calendar’s “Best Museum/Gallery Event.” Participants will use handheld mirrors and speak to the reflection of their partner instead of themselves. An assortment of mirrors will be provided.

Pietroiusti, an Italian native, works mostly in film, video, performance and collaborative projects. He is primarily concerned with questioning ideas of art’s perceived worth, the logics of economy and consumption, as well as problematic and paradoxical situations that are hidden in common relationships and in ordinary acts.

During his first visit to the Gardner as an Artist-in-Residence in Feb. 2011, he spent time in the Museum’s galleries, observing the Tapestry Room preservation project and in the Museum’s archives, investigating the aging process of Isabella Stewart Gardner’s book collection. He returned to the Gardner in Jan. 2012 for the opening of the Museum’s new wing during which he led a special project in the Education Studio where members of the public created drawings on paper using different media, including salt water, beer, coffee, tea and iron dust, extracts from flowers and iron gall ink.

The tesserae tile workshop will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 20 through Saturday, Jan. 24 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. No reservations needed.

About Third Thursdays:

The monthly Third Thursdays gatherings at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are a relaxing mix of artful activities, drinks, and music with a different theme each month, featuring jazz, world, and roots, performed by musicians from around the world. The event runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Museum, located at 25 Evans Way in Boston. Tickets are required, which may be purchased in advance or at the door, and include Museum admission.

Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, $5 for students with valid IDs; and free for children ages 7 to 17. Students from 15 Boston area colleges and universities participating in the University Membership Program receive free admission. Find a list of participating schools here. There will be a cash wine bar around the Courtyard and Café G will be open for snacks, dinner, and drinks. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, click here or call 617-278-5156.

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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - a work of art in totality - is a highly personal installation of Isabella Gardner’s collection, intended to fire the imagination of all who visit. Modeled after a Venetian palazzo, the galleries surround a verdant Courtyard and are home to masters such as Rembrandt, Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, Whistler, and Sargent. The new Renzo Piano-designed wing provides an innovative venue for contemporary artists, musicians, and scholars.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum • 25 Evans Way Boston MA 02215 • Hours: Open Daily from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays until 9 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. • Admission: Adults $15; Seniors $12; Students $5; Free for members, children under 18, everyone on his/her birthday, and all named “Isabella” • $2 off admission with a same-day Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ticket • For information 617 566 1401 • Box Office 617 278 5156