Vivere in un sogno!

The only way to describe our day in Venice is . . . “vivere in un sogno!”   For a day, we were absolutely “living in a dream!”   Stepping out of the train terminal and seeing the view of Venice for the first time literally took our breath away.  We both became a little emotional as we breathed in the Venice landscape and thanked the Lord for blessing us with the gift of this fellowship grant.  We were in Venice specifically for a mask making class; however, this was no ordinary class.  We were the only 2 students in a class designed to teach traditional Carnival mask making. Carnival began in Venice in the 1500’s and was a celebration of life with no restrictions from October to June annually. We learned the origins of Carnival and reasons why people wore masks. Our teacher explained and even demonstrated to us the costuming worn during Carnival. We also learned how important fashion was during this time of celebration. All social classes could mingle and talk together without restriction or judgment from their style of dress. Under our instructor’s direction, we each made 2 Carnival masks.  We are so excited to take home what we learned.  We will demonstrate to our students and colleagues how art and fashion are dynamically intertwined.

It would have been a tragedy to leave Venice without indulging in Italian gelato and a gondola ride down the canal.  So we chose, of course, to indulge.   The gondola ride, though expensive, proved to be worth every penny.  Heather’s first taste of gelato created a new obsession for her.  We both loved our time in Venice.  Now we are excited to see what adventures Florence will bring.

Au revoir Paris . . . Ciao Italy!

Today was our last day in Paris.  We spent much of our morning at the Musee d’ Orsay where we enjoyed the work of Impressionism and Post Impressionism artists including Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, Gauguin, and Degas (our favorite!). But, we were not at the Musee today to see those artists; they were simply the icing on the cake.  We were there to study a very special collection of art by French artists in an exhibit called: A Passion for France.  The Marlene and Spencer Hays Collection.  This exhibit was designed to perfectly marry fashion with visual art. This collection excited us because it captured the point of why we are here on this fellowship grant. The artwork we saw gave particular attention to elegant clothing worn by men and women while highlighting beautiful settings.

A special surprise was learning that the collection’s owners, the Hays Family of USA, display the work in one of their homes in Nashville, Tennessee.  They simply loaned the collection to the Musee d’ Orsay for a summer exhibition.  We were thrilled to learn that we can share this amazing collection of art with our students at home.  We will be planning a collaborative field trip soon!

After enjoying a final meal in Paris, we began the long trek to the airport by way of the metro with all of our luggage in tow. Thankfully the trip only took an hour and a half and most of the stairs were DOWN rather than up. 

We are saying goodnight from our comfortable room at a bed and breakfast in Italy.  Tomorrow we will wake up in Venice!

Ciao Ciao

The Perfect Day in Paris!

 Today we immersed ourselves in Parisian culture and lifestyle. We began our day by enjoying café and croissants while enjoying open air markets and boutiques.  We tried (sometimes successfully and most of the time not) to carry on conversations in French with street vendors and the locals. Our next adventure was climbing the hilltop of Montmartre. We enjoyed gazing at the beautiful Sacre-Coeur Basilica. The highlight of our day was wondering the streets of the Montmartre neighborhood. We walked in the same streets that artist TouLouse-Lautrec, van Gough, Renoir and Picasso did! This was so exciting to us and we both said it made our hearts feel warm to be this close to artist that inspire us. One charming quality of Montmart is that local artists still fill the square to create and sell their artwork. While sitting at dinner an artist named Maxium asked to draw Andrea’s portrait.  He looked and acted like a character right out of the 19^th century.  At the end of our day the total damage was:

6 paintings from local artist . . . 200,00 Euro

1 Fromagerie (cheese plate) . . . 15,00  Euro

2 authentic French meals . . . 54,00 Euro

8 kisses from a local arist . . . . . . . . . PRICELESS! 

Art, Fashion and the Louvre!

Today we spent hours at the greatest museum on earth, The Louvre. We were highly entertained by the “paparazzi” from around the world that pushed and shoved to see the Mona Lisa.  Andrea was excited to take advantage of a teachable moment at the foot of Winged Victory of Samothrace.  We saw works from master artists throughout history including Vermeer, Di Vinci, and Rembrandt all of which are known for their use of contemporary clothing within their paintings. We learned from each other today. We discussed the history of the art works and the artists and how it related to fashion.  While looking at one of DiVinci’s paintings, we discovered that we both use this same piece of artwork in our classrooms.  Andrea taught me about his mastery of scientific perspective and light and shade to create form and I taught her about the significance of the clothing in the piece. This exciting discovery will enable us to collaborate in the classroom and provide higher learning for our students. 

We then made our way to the Louvre’s Musée de la Mode et du Textile.  Here we were enlightened by the history of fashion through visual display.  Heather even had fun trying several historic garments in the “dressing room” that is open for museum-goers.  It was here that Heather was moved emotionally by the work of Alexander McQueen who truly embodied the perfect mix of art and fashion in his work. It was Michelangelo that moved Andrea to tears earlier at the Louvre.

A train, a pick pocketer, and Versailles

Day 2 of our Paris adventure . . . . and what an adventure it was! With a café in hand, we began our day on the Metro.  Unfortunately, when changing trains, a friend of ours was pick pocketed. The smooth criminals got away with her money, credit cards and ID. The Paris Police were very kind and courteous and we were thankful for the blessing of our safety. We then continued our journey to the Versailles Chateau, home to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. We were overwhelmed by the aesthetics of this grand Chateau. We also were amazed by the way the King and Queen combined art and fashion throughout the estate. The most amazing experience was the Petit Trianon and the Queens Hamlet - all apart of Marie Antoinette Estate. We found the environmental beauty and attention to detail in architectural design to be a moving and peaceful experience.

Our evening ended with an authentic meal at a local restaurant near the Eiffel Tower.  The sparkling Tower, coupled with roses from a charming French monsieur, made for a beautiful end to our day.

Wednesday July 10 - PARIS

Bonjour! Although we were going on 24 hours of no sleep we accomplished much today! We toured the Arc de Triumph and discovered the importance of this monument to Parisian history. Then strolled down the Champs de Elysees.  It was there that we journeyed into the Channel Haute Couture Fashion House and met the manager, Sophia. We learned more about Coco Channel and the history of the fashion house and how Channel currently provides exceptional relationship marketing. Sophia also provided us with a FREE Channel gift. We snapped a quick picture with Sophia in front of CoCo's legendary white staircase.  Because this is Heather's favorite designer, she was a little emotional about this dream that became a reality.

This evening we enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Seine River viewing many of the Paris landmarks we will soon visit while enjoying an authentic Parisian meal.  But, the highlight of our day may have been mastering the Paris Metro with NO mistakes or backtracking.  

Today is the BIG day!

We are sitting in the Chattanooga airport waiting for our journey to begin!