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The Institute for Studio Studies, in conjunction with the Yale Summer Session (YSS@ISS), is pleased to announce that it has moved its program to the stunning hilltop village of Auvillar in the South of France. Auvillar, considered one of France’s most beautiful villages, is located on the Garonne River in the Midi-Pyrenees region near Toulouse. YSS@ISS will be hosted by the Virginia Centre for the Creative Arts, whose riverfront studios will house the program’s 2009 activities. This change of venue allows the program to develop in new and innovative ways not possible at its previous location in Brittany. Auvillar, with its tradition of support for the arts, provides an ideal context for the program’s continued rigorous focus on individual studio research in painting and drawing, a unique feature seldom found in study abroad programs. The small historical town of Auvillar is located along one of the original pilgrimage routes to Santiago di Compostella. In the “upper village” is the “triangular” town square, flanked by cobble stone streets and rows of arcaded houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. The square’s well-known circular colonnaded structure bustles with weekly markets, concerts, exhibitions, and poetry readings throughout the summer months. At one time, Auvillar was an important river port for commerce to Bordeaux and other destinations throughout France. The Moulin à Nef—which houses the program’s studio spaces—is located directly on the site of the former port in the “lower village.” This is where students will spend their days working in their dedicated studio spaces. Known for its trademark redbrick architecture, Auvillar is a vibrant, friendly town that provides Institute students with access to France’s legendary gastronomic pleasures, a generous community, and the feel of the South of France. There are several museums in the area: most notable are the Musée Ingres in Montauban, and The Augustins in Toulouse, a museum that houses an outstanding collection including Corot, Delacroix, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Because of Auvillar’s raised elevation, long, wide-reaching views of the French countryside are found within the town itself. The intimacy of the village in juxtaposition with the expansive views provides a fitting metaphor to the kind of practice the Institute fosters: a deep internal awareness of the self along with an open, expansive view to the world outside. |
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