This week, I had the pleasure to meet and interview several local community leaders and administrators in Southampton and Watermill, New York. During the interviews, we discussed the importance and need of a Multimedia Center in the region, and the value of an Educational Curriculum to provide the local youth with a vocational training for their work in Digital Media, from professional writing to filmmaking and social media distribution. This would allow the students to have more opportunities independently from the seasonality of the touristic season and empowers local businesses and institutions with the fresh mind and creativity of the local youth.
The Parrish Art Museum, Watermill, New York
One of the interviewees who inspired me the most was Ms. Terrie Sultan, the director of the Parrish Museum. Her passion and vision for the arts and her intellectual acumen reinforced the need to organize the Southampton Multimedia Center and further sponsor Digital Literacy all over the world, especially with the knowledge and power of the arts.
Ms. Terrie Sultan at the Parrish Art Museum.
Ms. Sultan invited me to bring Ms. Forough and Ms. Mahboob, board members and founders of Women's Annex Foundation, to the Parrish Art Museum and film an introduction to Jennifer Batlett's work and exhibition. This can be a first and important step to a valuable and global collaboration to educate women all over the world on the power of art and the importance of freedom of expression. Here below are a few pictures of Afghan girls drawing superheros and other characters.
My visit to the Parrish Museum reminded me of the many days I spent with my grandmother Stamura in Florence, visiting museums and attending art events. There, I learned about the incredible work of the Medici Family and how they were able to sponsor a global change through the arts, the Renaissance.
To this day, not many cultures allow the freedom of expression that was given to Michelangelo Buonarroti, Benvenuto Cellini and other artists of the 13th and 14th centuries. Ms. Sultan and the Parrish Art Museum represent an important strong hold of the arts and continuation of the Renaissance. This brings my mind to the Loggia Dei Lanzi, in Piazza Della Signoria in Florence, where some of the most beautiful and provocative sculptures of the Renaissance are hosted to this date.
This also reminds me of the power of the arts represented by the Perseus of Cellini where the Medusa represents, in my heart, those who do not want the arts to flourish.
Thanks for reading.
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