SACI
Encyclopedia
SACI Studio Art Centers International, Florence
, Italy
, was founded by artist and director emeritus Jules Maidoff
in Tuscany
in 1975 and incorporated in 1976 as a U.S. non-profit 501 c (3) educational institution for undergraduate and graduate university-level students seeking fully accredited studio art, design, and liberal arts instruction.
Currently the school's president is Mary Beckinsale
.
(NASAD) . Additionally, SACI is accredited for undergraduate and graduate US university-level study through its affiliation with Bowling Green State University
(BGSU), which is a US degree-granting institution accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
, SACI's home, is a 29000 square feet (2,694.2 m²) air-conditioned palazzo, located at Via Sant'Antonino 11. It has a beautiful gallery/exhibition space, classrooms, a library, offices, an art conservation laboratory, media facilities and studios surrounding a large, traditional Italian garden. The spacious and light-filled interiors, have been restored to their original Baroque magnificence, with painted ceilings, frescoed walls and marble floors. This location places SACI students in the vicinity of the Duomo, the churches of San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella, and is just steps away from the central market and the new Alinari photography museum.The Palazzo was remodeled as a residence in the 17th century for the mathematician Vincenzo Viviani
, who had been a pupil of the astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei
. Viviani dedicated his home to his esteemed teacher and placed two large scrolls on the building's façade that describe the extraordinary work and achievements of his master. One notices the Palazzo immediately by the bust of Galileo that crowns the palatial entranceway. Viviani created this monument to Galileo in defiance of the papal ban that forbade honoring the work of Galileo partly because of Galileo's assertion that, "The truth of nature is more important than traditional dogma." SACI's home is, therefore, a unique monument to a man who is considered "one of the two greatest sons of Florence" (along with Michelangelo Buonarroti), an accolade inscribed on the buildings scrolls.
The SACI Gallery provides a professional, non-commercial exhibition space for the SACI Artists Council members, instructors, and students as well as other local, national, and internationally renowned artists. Contemporary art exhibitions of works in all media are featured. The SACI Gallery aims to utilize its educational environment by supplementing the exhibitions with visiting artist presentations and artist lectures. It is a goal of the SACI Gallery to act as a catalyst between the cross-cultural American university environment and the local Italian community by collaborating with other cultural institutions and participating in outside creative projects.
The SACI Gallery was designed by Architect Paolo Bulletti and its renovation was made possible in part through a generous donation by artist Roger Phillips. The SACI Gallery is approximately 675 square feet (62.7 m²), has high vaulted ceilings, movable partition walls, and is adjacent to our interior courtyard garden.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, was founded by artist and director emeritus Jules Maidoff
Jules Maidoff
Jules Maidoff is an American artist. He was born in 1933, New York City. Since 1973 has lived and worked in Tuscany, between Florence and Pian di Sco', near Arezzo.-Biography:...
in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
in 1975 and incorporated in 1976 as a U.S. non-profit 501 c (3) educational institution for undergraduate and graduate university-level students seeking fully accredited studio art, design, and liberal arts instruction.
Study programs
SACI offers five different programs of study to meet the diverse needs of students: Academic Year Abroad, Academic Semester Abroad, Post-Baccalaureate Program, MFA Program, and Summer Studies (including summer term non-credit study programs).Currently the school's president is Mary Beckinsale
Mary Beckinsale
Mary Beckinsale is an English art historian. She has served as president of Studio Art Centers International since 2006.-Early life and education:...
.
Accreditation
Studio Art Centers International is accredited as an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and DesignNational Association of Schools of Art and Design
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design , founded in 1944, is an accrediting organization of colleges, schools and universities in the United States. The organization establishes standards for graduate and undergraduate degrees. Member institutions complete periodic peer review...
(NASAD) . Additionally, SACI is accredited for undergraduate and graduate US university-level study through its affiliation with Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
(BGSU), which is a US degree-granting institution accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
Facilities
Palazzo dei CartelloniPalazzo dei Cartelloni
Palazzo dei Cartelloni, also known as Palazzo Viviani, is a historical edifice in Florence, central Italy.This building displays many unusual architectural elements, the most evident being the unusually big epigraphs written in Latin...
, SACI's home, is a 29000 square feet (2,694.2 m²) air-conditioned palazzo, located at Via Sant'Antonino 11. It has a beautiful gallery/exhibition space, classrooms, a library, offices, an art conservation laboratory, media facilities and studios surrounding a large, traditional Italian garden. The spacious and light-filled interiors, have been restored to their original Baroque magnificence, with painted ceilings, frescoed walls and marble floors. This location places SACI students in the vicinity of the Duomo, the churches of San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella, and is just steps away from the central market and the new Alinari photography museum.The Palazzo was remodeled as a residence in the 17th century for the mathematician Vincenzo Viviani
Vincenzo Viviani
Vincenzo Viviani was an Italian mathematician and scientist. He was a pupil of Torricelli and a disciple of Galileo.-Biography:...
, who had been a pupil of the astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
. Viviani dedicated his home to his esteemed teacher and placed two large scrolls on the building's façade that describe the extraordinary work and achievements of his master. One notices the Palazzo immediately by the bust of Galileo that crowns the palatial entranceway. Viviani created this monument to Galileo in defiance of the papal ban that forbade honoring the work of Galileo partly because of Galileo's assertion that, "The truth of nature is more important than traditional dogma." SACI's home is, therefore, a unique monument to a man who is considered "one of the two greatest sons of Florence" (along with Michelangelo Buonarroti), an accolade inscribed on the buildings scrolls.
SACI Gallery
The SACI Gallery provides a professional, non-commercial exhibition space for the SACI Artists Council members, instructors, and students as well as other local, national, and internationally renowned artists. Contemporary art exhibitions of works in all media are featured. The SACI Gallery aims to utilize its educational environment by supplementing the exhibitions with visiting artist presentations and artist lectures. It is a goal of the SACI Gallery to act as a catalyst between the cross-cultural American university environment and the local Italian community by collaborating with other cultural institutions and participating in outside creative projects.
The SACI Gallery was designed by Architect Paolo Bulletti and its renovation was made possible in part through a generous donation by artist Roger Phillips. The SACI Gallery is approximately 675 square feet (62.7 m²), has high vaulted ceilings, movable partition walls, and is adjacent to our interior courtyard garden.