The I.C.B.I.E. Blog

A new roof to shelter ICBIE’s dreams!

As many of ICBIE’s supporters, friends, volunteers and fans (!) may have already heard, numerous activities that have been carried out for years in the Institute in Salvador de Bahia (Hapkido, acting and music classes, language courses, cinema clubs, exhibitions, etc) have been suspended for safety purposes. The reason being that the roof needs an urgent renovation, to guarantee a secure environment for our activities - which involve at least a hundred people - so that they can resume as soon as possible.

Our ambitious goal of keeping a cultural center alive in the cidade baixa, where art, culture and educational offerings are almost non-existent, forces us to face more and more challenges.

As usual, handling emergencies drains away much of the energy required to accomplish big projects and to dream up new ones.

We are appealing to all of the ICBIE supporters in Brazil and around the world, to all of you who have been avidly  following our adventure, to all of you who have turned this project into a personal passion and to all the dreamers soon to be born: your contributions will be precious.

Email us to our private account (icbie.br@gmail.com) to have all the details and instructions for a donation.

Thanks in advance

ICBIE

Un tetto nuovo per contenere i sogni dell´Icbie!

Come molti sostenitori, amici, volontari e fans (!) dell´Icbie giá sanno, le attivita´ che si svolgono ormai da anni nella sede dell´Istituto di Salvador da Bahia (Hapkido, laboratori teatrali e musicali, corsi di lingua, cineforum, esposizioni, ecc.) sono state sospese per motivi di sicurezza. Il tetto infatti ha urgente necessitá di interventi di ristrutturazione tali da poter garantire il normale svolgimento delle diverse iniziative che vedono la partecipazione attiva di almeno un centinaio di utenti.

La grande scommessa di mantenere attivo un centro culturale nella cidade baixa, in cui i servizi dedicati ad arte, cultura ed educazione sono quasi del tutto assenti, ci pone evidentemente di fronte a sfide sempre nuove.

Come sempre accade, la risoluzione delle emergenze sottrae le energie necessarie ad animare i grandi progetti ed immaginarne di nuovi.

Ci rivolgiamo a quanti di voi sostengono l´Icbie da vicino e da lontano, a chi osserva questa esperienza con curiosita´, a coloro che ne hanno fatto il proprio porto e ai sognatori che vi approderanno presto: ogni vostro contributo sara´ prezioso.

Contattateci al nostro indirizzo di posta, icbie.br@gmail.com, per conoscere le coordinate a cui inviare una donazione.

Grazie in anticipo,

ICBIE.

Um teto novo para abrigar os sonhos do ICBIE

Como muitos mantenedores, amigos, voluntários e fãs do ICBIE já sabem as atividades que se desenvolvem há anos na sede do Instituto de Salvador-Bahia (Hapkido, Oficinas Teatrais e Musicais, Cursos de Línguas, Cineforum, Exposições etc) foram suspensas por motivo de segurança. O teto precisa urgentemente ser reformado para poder garantir o desenvolvimento normal das diversas atividades que têm a participação ativa de pelo menos uma centena de pessoas.

O grande desafio de manter ativo um Centro Cultural na Cidade Baixa, onde serviços dedicados à arte, cultura e educação são quase inexistentes, obviamente nos coloca de frente a novos desafios.

Como sempre acontece, a resolução das emergências subtrai as energias necessárias para reanimar projetos e criar outros novos.

Pedimos a todos aqueles que sustentam o ICBIE seja de perto ou de longe, àqueles que observam esta experiência com curiosidade, àqueles que o fizeram o seu próprio porto, e aos futuros sonhadores: Qualquer contribuição será preciosa!

Contate-nos pelo e-mail icbie.br@gmail.com para maiores informações de como efetuar a sua doação.

Obrigado,

ICBIE

Despedida di Roberto

Roberto, il nostro Bob the best, ha terminato la sua vacanza a Salvador. Sabato 14 gennaio prima di imbarcarsi sul volo che lo ha riportato nell´inverno romano abbiamo festeggiato con un pomeriggio - cena davvero allegro e divertente: musica, danza, cibo e tanta tanta cerveja e caipirinha!!

Ha partecipato anche SuperTom che ci ha allietati con la sua chitarra accompagnando la voce della mitica Marlene, il nostro Bogus alle caipirinhas da vero professionista e Ivanildo al churrasco-aperitivo. I grandi cuochi sono stati Lu e Pietro!

Grande Bob the best, torna presto!!!!!

————————–

Farewell to Roberto

Roberto, our “Bob the Best,” has finished his vacation in Salvador.   On Saturday, January 14th, before boarding the flight that took him back to the Roman winter, we celebrated with an afternoon - dinner that was really happy and fun: music, dancing, food and lots and lots of beer and cipirinha!!

Super Tom was there, too, and he kept us cheerful with his guitar, accompanying the singing of mythical Marlene, while Bogus made the caipirinhas like a true pro and Ivanildo worked at the churrasco-apertif.  The great cooks were Lu and Pietro!

Great Bob the Best, come back soon!!!!!

Our friend Mary is the only person on earth who has visited TWO of the D’Artagnan exhibits for the artist’s centenary.  Even better, she writes these splendid reports for this blog.  Obrigado, Mary!

Signature Work

Last Saturday, I went down to the New York installment of Ele D’Artagnan’s hundredth-birthday party, at KS Art, on Leonard Street, in Tribeca. Kerry Schuss, the gallery owner, had chosen to hang works in series: small charming drawings on the backs of envelopes, large works in black-and-white (very unusual), and five paintings that D’Artagnan had annotated, in Italian, on the surrounding mattes. They featured his inimitable tiny houses, the windows glowing with color (to show they were full of love and warmth and joy, the notes said), set amid miniature Gardens of Eden with fantastical crested birds in the trees.

Kerry also unwrapped a few works that were not in the show. My favorite was of a little heap of houses, as on a hill in Italy, with a whirring windmill. On the back was the autograph of the artist: it looked like “Mycel da Nemexia,” but the friend I was with said that Venetians write “x” instead of ”z”; also, the “N” was actually a “V,” and the “m” an “n.” Ecco: “Mycel da Venezia.” Below the signature, in just a few words, was his life story: “in art, Ele D’Artagnan, actor, natural son of the first harpist of La Scala in Milan and the favorite lover of Arturo Toscanini.” What a treasure!

The next day, on a drive in the country with a friend, I saw everything through the lens of D’Artagnan—well, not so much the discount beverage outlets and swimming-pool supply stores of New Jersey, but farther north, in the Catskills, every little shack reminded me of Michele da Venezia.

The show is up through Saturday, January 14th.

Here is a lively description of the special New Year’s Eve party at the ICBIE in Ribeira, sent by Roberto, the ICBIE Europa leader who has totally earned the appellative, Bob the Best.  

(English translation below) 

la serata di capodanno si e’ svolta nel seguente modo : pietro ed alberto sono stati i due chef che hanno preparato risotto ai frutti di mare, ravioli al ragu, ravioli con broccoletti ed una bella insalata con rucola e pomodori, macedonia di abacachi, melone, mela, mango e banana il tutto accompagnato da prosecco e vino rosso!!! La scelta del menu e’ stata combattuta tra la proposta di pietro di preparare il classico cenone italiano contro quella di preparare una cena sobria, sono state indette le votazioni che hanno portato alla vittoria la cena sobria!!!  Alla cena erano presenti pietro, marlene, mario, alberto, osana, roberto e richard!!!  Abbiamo cenato nel giardino della posada mentre per brindare il 2012 ci siamo spostati nella seconda location allestita sulla terrazza con vista sul mare!!!  Trionfo di dolci tipici baiani una bella floresta negra, bolo pudim e non poteva mancare il classico panettone italiano, spumante e champagne!!! Per festeggiare il 2012 ci siamo ritrovati sulla terrazza insieme a marcella, ivanildo, meg, antonietta, gina, john, silvia, massimiliano ed a 5 minuti dalla mezzanotte sono arrivati in extremis direttamente dall’ italia loona e sirio grazie all’amico taxista luciano flavio che ha stabilito il nuovo record della tratta aereoporto / icbie!!! Countdown di pietro e via alla festa con i fuochi dei vicini!!!

———————-

Here is what happened on New Year’s Eve:  Pietro and Alberto were the two chefs who prepared a risotto with seafood, ravioli with broccoli leaves, a nice salad with rucola and tomatoes, and another fruit salad with pineapple, mellon, apple, mango and banana, all of which was accompanied by prosecco and red wine!!!  The choice of the menu was a battle between a classic Italian banquet and something more restrained; it finally went to a vote and the more restrained plan won!!!   Pietro, Marlene, Mario, Alberto, Osana, Roberto and Richard were present for the meal!!!  We ate in the hostel garden, then to bring in the new year, we moved up to the front terrace facing the seafront!!!  A triumph of typical Bahian sweets included a beautiful floresta negra and a bolo pudim, but we couldn’t be without a classic Italian panettone with spumante and champagne!!!  To toast to 2012 we were joined by Marcella, Ivanildo, Meg, Antonietta, Gina, John, Silvia, Massimiliano and, at five minutes before midnight, Loona and Sirio arrived in extremis straight from Italy, thanks to our friend Luciano Flavio the taxi driver who set a new record for the route from the airport to the ICBIE!!!  Countdown by Pietro and away with the celebrations with the fireworks of the neighbors!!!

A NOVA 10 ORDEM, com o apoio de Giovanna Carnosa, amiga italiana, e do ICBIE, organizou pelo quarto ano consecutivo a festa de Natal na comunidade da Massaranduba.  Esta pequena mobilização de Natal, mostra que o trabalho social mesmo com poucos recursos pode fazer muito. Principalmente quando se trata de ver a felicidade estampada no rosto das crianças, como declara Marcos Prisk, um dos organizadores. E o que nós desejamos é que esta alegria não seja somente no dia de Natal, mas que seja durante todo o ano

————-

The Nova 10 Ordem crew of street artists, with the support of their Italian friend Giovanna Carnosa and of the ICBIE, organized for the fourth consecutive year a Christmas Party for the community of Massaranduba. This local holiday mobilization shows how even a small scale event can nonetheless do a great deal.  Especially when it comes to seeing happiness stamped on the faces of the children, as Marcos Prisk, one of the organizers, declared.  And what we desire most is that this joy isn’t limited to the day of Christmas, but that it lasts for the whole year.

Bits and pieces keep dribbling in.  First of all, here are some photos sent by our dear comrade-in-arms, Steve Whitton, showing him at work presenting D’Artagnan in the historisches Rathaus in Limburg, Germany:

Next are some photos taken by William Desjardins (who we thank profusely!) at the D’Artagnan event at KS Art in Tribeca:

REPLICA DEL DRAGÃO E CHIUSURA ANNO SCOLASTICO DELL´ICBIE
Martedi 20 dicembre l´ICBIE ha chiuso ufficialmente le attivitá per il 2011 con la replica della “operetta” Cidade em perigo ou o traficante Dragão Preto. Questa volta le musiche erano registrate e la Picola Cia de Teatro do ICBIE, sempre in continua evoluzione, ha visto la partecipazione di nuovi, talentuosi e giovani attori sempre sotto la guida della nostra in gambissima direttrice e coordinatrice del gruppo Meg!

Anche il nostro illustre ospite Prof. Mario Bortolotto ha apprezzato l´impegno e la bravura del nostro gruppo.

L´appuntamento é per il 2012 con altre officine di teatro e altre rappresentazioni!
Buone feste a tutti

Marcella

—————–

RETURN PERFORMANCE OF THE DRAGÃO AND THE CLOSURE OF THE ICBIE SCHOLASTIC YEAR

On Tuesday, December 20th, the ICBIE officially closed its activities for the year 2011 with a reprise of the ‘operetta’ Cidade em perigo ou o traficante Dragão Preto.  This time the music was recorded and the ICBIE Little Theater Company, continuously evolving, saw the participation of new, talented and young actors, always under the direction of our deft and capable director and group coordinator Meg!

Even our illustrious guest, Professor Mario Bortolotto, admired the dedication and the talent of our group.

The next appointment is set for 2012, with other theater workshops and other shows!

Happy Holidays to All!

Marcella

Our ever-faithful friend Steve Whitton sends this great report on last Friday’s bash.

An Evening in Limburg, Germany

Every year before Christmas, Lahn Artists (www.lahnartists.de)  has an Annual Exhibition in the Historical Town Hall, one of the most interesting buildings within the Limburger Altstadt. Built in the 14th Century, it was the Town Hall for over 500 years, but is now the Registry Office and also a venue for the major art exhibitions within the region.

This year, our theme is “The Space Between”. It has been very successful, with over 1300 visitors over 3 weekends, and on December 16th, we hosted a celebration of the birth of Michele Lombardi in 1911. It was an easy comparison to make - the space between D’Artagnan’s life and death, (and then between his death and acceptance as a major artist), is not only interesting but creative, well-documented and in it’s own way tragic - it has also become some sort of legend.

Here in Limburg, we produced a brochure in 2008 about D’Artagnan called “Once upon a time - and the Story Continues!” Yes, a boy from wealthy parents is sent away penniless for adoption - the man searches for his lost childhood and suffers from this struggle - and then his art supports a charity to help children who also have very restricted chances in life. A true fairy story!

And so last Friday, a good crowd of interesting and influential Limburgers listened to a presentation based on the “Green Book”, saw some of the film by RAI, and then spent the rest of the evening discussing the issues raised. Our Chairperson, Renate Kuby, explained some of the fascinating aspects of D’Artagnan’s art, and each of the 8 pictures that we presently hold were celebrated. As a small group in Germany, we congratulate all our friends in the U.S., Amsterdam, Roma and of course especially Bahia, for their efforts to keep this story alive, and to have donated time, energy and resources to help the project keep going.

After our evening, when the 700 year old doors had been closed and the modern alarm systems switched on, a small group retreated to the nearby Irish Pub. Here, the landlord recollected stories of the potato famines that brought starvation to Ireland, Renate and I chatted about Salvador (its problems and its wonders…) and a friend who was a banker from Frankfurt listened and felt moved enough to promise some future support - well, it’s a start! There is a growing awareness amongst thoughtful, caring folk that there is a need for change and also perhaps that governments are not always the best organisations to achieve such change…

Our great friend Ella Arps and her historic gallery (www.arpsgallery.com) organized the D’Artagnan event last Friday.  She kindly contributes this complete report of the event, together with some exciting new developments that have arisen in the wake of it. 

We started at 8.30 p.m. The theatre of the Foundation Perdu was made up beautifully and we had some pictures of D. on a grid against black curtains. We had tables with chairs and snacks and then there was the rostrum.  The public mounted to about 75 persons, including:

• the director of the Amsterdam Outsider Gallery that is situated next to the Hermitage on the Amstel, with his wife and his staff. He is a friend of mine, we work together.

•  the owner of the Gallery Moderne, who was one of the founders of the Cobra Museum

• the widow of Herman Krikhaar who was one of the founders of the Cobra collection

• the owner of the hotel Dikker&Thijs who had already bought a work by D. - the one that is painted on the shoebox

• There were some well know poets

• There was the filmmaker Anita Imhari who made a film of the speeches.

The program was as follows:
walk in and a drink while the D’Artagnan film by Raspa was shown
1. opening words by the director of the theater
2. lecture by myself about 30 minutes with a full powerpoint about the life of D.
3. great lecture about D. and art-brut, by Lucas Husgen, which you can see this on the site of the writer, but it is in Dutch of course
4. break with drinks and sweets and a display on the screen of all the masks of D. also the masks in other paintings…
5. the young and wonderful poet Martijn den Oude (I translated his poems into English, and I am waiting for the approval of the poet)
6. the famous poetress Anne Vegter
7. the film by Alberto Felicetti
There was a lot of kissing and applause and admiration and warm feelings, also between people that before this evening did not know each other.

we finished at about 11 and then we partied on invitation of Arpsgallery untill 2 a.m.!!!
There was a lot of good wine and good food and it took me a leg from my table of fortune, for the good case!!! The day after I received many nice mails about the joyful happy evening.

Now there is some extra good news:

The director of the Amsterdam Outsiders Gallery wants to book a full exhibition of the works and film and everything about Ele d”Artagnan in 2014.
Of course they will pay the costs, they are subsidized by the Catholic social foundation that is called Cordaan and is dedicated to outsiders, roofless, homeless and documentless people.

And maybe, once we will have the whole exhibition completed and professionally ready, I might again contact my dear friend in the board of the Guggenheim, at least we could work out a new book in English, printed in high quality!

Or we might find a way to connect with the Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice and make use of the circle of friends of the Guggenheim, considering our strongest point that Cordaan in Amsterdam is of catholic nature and they are capable and have the means to bring this to a good end!!!!

After Mary’s report from Amsterdam, here is Pietro’s dispatch from the ICBIE in Ribeira.

Dear friends,
Here are pictures that our Brazilian photographer Paranaguà took during the D’Artagnan Centenary Event in Salvador on Friday night. There were good wines, Brazilian beer and food and a giant chocolate cake made by our extraordinary Lu (Lucidalva).

The celebration was really joyful, with the presence of from forty to sixty people: 50% of whom were from universities (professors and students), our local ICBIE students that speak a bit of Italian and representatives of the Italian community in Salvador, some journalists and artists. Our special friend Mario Bortolotto was participating with pleasure as well.

At the opening I introduced D’Artagnan with a speech in Portuguese reminding everybody that if we are in the ICBIE Cultural institute today it is because D’Artagnan helped with the idea and 60% of the money for the foundation came from sales of his paintings.  And the inspiration he gave to create a school of art, theater, languages, literature, cinema, sports, technology…. is because he was doing the same with a group of children in a baraccapoli (Italian favela) in Rome during the ‘60s and ‘70s: so ten years ago we choose a place in Salvador where there were no cultural centers - and still today there are areas without one, even while Brazil is growing economically.

Later I talked about D’Artagnan’s turbulent life, showing various photos of him with famous friends of his Dolce vita time and so I tried to explain his art and how I got to have his first show in New York and Brazil, while, in the meantime, I was helped by Kate, Mary and Toby with our gallery director Kerry Schuss and other groups of good friends in New York city.  After that I explained the reason for the idea to celebrate his centenary in five cities in the world where D’Artagnan has paintings and friends; this of course, as a consequence of Italian institutions that didn’t accept to show
him in Rome or Venice, in the middle of the Italian economic crisis.

To end the event, we showed the RAI documentary by Alessandra Raspa and everybody covered me and the ICBIE staff with president Marcella, Marlene, Fabio, Rachel, Meg and Richard with congratulations, applause and many questions.

Pietro