I loved Florence. It was like waking up in a story book. The whole place feels holy thanks to the Duomo and Bargello and all of their counterparts. But art is just as revered and feels just as holy. It is easy to understand how the Renaissance started here and is still so present. I loved the time upon the hour when all of the bells of all of the churches rang out their songs in chorus with one another. 

According to their website, MAXXI is "the first Italian national museum devoted to contemporary creativity." I enjoyed our time with the two Giulias (Pedace and Cappalletti). GP discussed how MAXXI has a legal responsibility of preservation and transmission of memory, which I thought was a very astute message. To me, it could sum up the mission of the entire GLAM world. My training has always taught me to revere the object, as it is the remnant and symbol of a history, a memory if you will. Objects, including artworks, documents, etc. are the living breathing thing, and as archivists, curators, etc., it is our duty to take care of the past and interpret and preserve it for future generations. 

I also learned a lot about the International Council on Archives in Stockholm. According to ICA's website, their mission is "to promote the efficient and effective management and use of records, archives, and data in all formats and its preservation as the cultural and evidentiary heritage of humanity, through international cooperation, by sharing professional experiences, research and ideas on the management and organisation of archives and archival institutions." Learning about this institution is one of the things that makes this course valuable, as we heard GP describe it through the lens of an Italian institution, and I understood how the proximity of countries in Europe makes ICA so much more prevelent when applying international standards. At times, I think American GLAMs feel very distant from the rest of the world, but I felt that much less so during our visit to MAXXI.

I was impressed to hear that GNAM is the largest contemporary archive in Italy with holdings of approximately 32,000 artists. Whoa!  There were two particularly interesting things to me - first, that the archive was established in 1893 after the unification of Italy, and second, that GNAM had a very important woman, Palma Buccarelli, as director for 43 years!

Our hosts curated an excellent group of objects to show us. As a lover of photographs, these in all their forms were the highlight for me. The aforementioned daily snapshots of Italian life, gorgeous Barbara Stanwyck, and the iconic work of Irving Penn were all such a treat to see up close!

1895 - The ICCD was created to protect cultural heritage and build up the nation if Italy. I enjoyed the focus on interpretation this day, thinking about interrogating the archive in order to tell stories from new readings of the collection. One of my main takeaways was understanding the volume of projects and the nature of partnerships with contemporary artists that the Institute undertakes. It seems like a place where curators are not afraid to dig deep and are willing to work with a heightened sense of consciousness when developing exhibitions.