THE SUMMER OF GLASS BEADS

The Summer of the Art of Glass Beads

What just passed was one of the busiest summers of my entire life.

*the second beautiful season spent as an artisan in residence at Bottega Cini,

*the second during the continuing global health crisis,

*the second with a new life partner,

*the second in search of a new home and struggling with pretty tiring and daring removals of my things.

But it was also the first summer for the Art of Glass Beads in its ennobled role of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Unesco ICH.

This wonderful achievement obtained by the Community of the Art of Venetian Glass Beads together with the Association des Perliers d’Art de France crowned many years of work undertaken by the Committee of which I am proudly vice president: Il Comitato per la Salvaguardia dell’Arte delle Perle di Vetro Veneziane.

Together with Cristina Bedin, who is the president, to the other members of the board of directors, to the whole community and to the institutions, we have faced a path, a fascinating journey for the enhancement and sharing of a tradition, that of glass bead, much loved and handed down in Venice, but that over the centuries has made ties of shared intangible culture with many peoples in the world.

During the summer, with the other members of the CPVV Committee we organized some beautiful events to celebrate the prestigious recognition, obtained on December 17, 2020, within the calendar appointments of Venetian cultural life, which could also take place in presence, after experiencing many limitations.

Are you curious? In the Facebook Page of the committee CPVV you will see many beautiful images of the emotions experienced during photographic exhibitions, performances, educational game activities, participation in fairs and art installations and celebrations for the 1600th anniversary of the birth of Venice.

But also at Bottega Cini there was no lack of social occasions and great public appeal, first of all the inauguration of the exhibition dedicated to Safet Zec, one of the most beloved artists of our time, whose expressive style is perfectly defined as“Poetic Realism”.

The exhibition of a selection of his works at Bottega Cini opened on 10 September and will be on display until the end of October 2021, although given the interest of the public and institutions, many are hoping for an extension of the exhibition.

For the vernissage, I wanted to wear one of my sculpture pieces, a poem collar, created for a fashion show many years ago, right here in Dorsoduro, at salt warehouses of Remiera Bucintoro, when the group of colleagues I worked with to promote the Art of Glass Beads was still called “DO YOU BEAD?”.

At that time, I certainly did not think that one day I would have a workshop in this district so rich in art and beauty, thanks to the founders of Bottega Cini, Giovanni Alliata di Montereale and Marco Vidal, whom I sincerely thank for choosing me among the many deserving artisan colleagues.

My workstation in this iconic place, which smells not only of the precious essences of The Merchant of Venice but also of Renaissance for Venice, allows me to work on my two passions: safeguarding and practicing my profession of IMPIRARESSA.

Mine is a real profession, not a hobby, because I really live off my job, but it is almost never separated from the work of promotion for my sector of Venetian bead, and in an extended sense to all Venetian craftsmanship, Italian and world excellence so well represented at Bottega Cini with a variety of applied arts productions, such as the Nason and Moretti furnace, which during The Venice Glass Week proposed the collections of the artist Assia Karaguizova.

Summer continues, even in autumn, at Bottega Cini, the sun of the beautiful and well made in Venice shines warm and bright. Come and visit us!