This June, Magazzino Italian Art premiered the 5th iteration of its annual film series, Cinema in Piazza, presented in partnership with the Cold Spring Film Society and Artecinema. With excitement, we welcomed guests back to the museum’s central courtyard to enjoy light refreshments, engaging panel discussions, and a selection of film screenings.
On the evening of Friday, June 17, 2022 we screened Melissa McGill: Red Regatta. This film by Venetian filmmaker Giovanni Pellegrini followed artist Melissa McGill’s independent public art project, Red Regatta, which was presented in collaboration with Associazione Vela al Terzo Venezia and co-organized by Magazzino Italian Art, curated by Chiara Spangaro with project manager Marcella Ferrari and support from Mazzoleni.
From May-September 2019, Red Regatta activated Venice’s lagoon and canals with four large-scale regattas of traditional vela al terzo sailboats hoisted with hand-painted red sails to celebrate the city’s maritime history and call attention to the forces of climate change and mass tourism that continue to threaten its future. The screening was followed by a conversation with the artist Melissa McGill and Magazzino’s Curatorial and Programming Assistant, Chiara Mannarino. To view the conversation, click here.
In conjunction with the film screening, there was a book launch of the 200-page volume, Red Regatta. Published by Marsilio and designed by Beatriz Cifuentes of New York studio Waterhouse Cifuentes Design, the book includes 250 color photographs, and features McGill’s personal reflections on the making of Red Regatta, including essays by Chiara Spangaro tracing the artist’s body of work and by Silvio Testa, who reveals the secrets and history of the vela al terzo tradition in the lagoon. Red Regatta’s collaborating sailors share their testimonies, collectively expressing passionate dedication to their Venetian family legacies, their city’s history, and the lagoon, with respect and love for their unique and delicate environment, and their hopes for the future.
Tickets were sold out for this event.
Doors opened at 7:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 7:30 p.m. Guests were required to to provide proof of vaccination in order to attend.
About Artecinema
Artecinema is an international festival of films on contemporary art established in Naples in 1996, curated by Laura Trisorio which, for several years, has been awarded medals from the President of the Republic of Italy. Each year the festival presents a selection of some thirty documentaries from all over the world about the most important artists, architects and photographers of the last fifty years. Artecinema is one of the most anticipated events of the sector and provides an opportunity for a learning experience as well as social gathering and cultural exchange. www.artecinema.com
About Cold Spring Film Society
The Cold Spring Film Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer-run arts organization based in Cold Spring, NY dedicated to fostering goodwill, community fellowship and appreciation of the moving image arts by screening enjoyable films in local venues. Their annual outdoor Summer Film Series at Dockside Park provides an evening of free entertainment in the village’s unique outdoor spaces for people of all ages. In addition to their Summer Film Series, CSFS also programs an indoor Winter Film Series and partners with other local organizations like Boscobel House & Gardens, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Butterfield Library and the Haldane schools to provide additional screenings and film enrichment programs throughout the year. For more information or if you’re interested in helping out at screenings, please visit coldspringfilm.org or check us out on facebook/coldspringfilm or twitter/coldspringfilm and instagram @coldspringfilm.
About Melissa McGill
Melissa McGill is a New York based interdisciplinary artist known for ambitious, collaborative, site specific public art projects. They take the form of site-specific, immersive experiences that explore nuanced conversations between land, water, sustainable traditions, and the interconnectedness of all living things. At the heart of her work is a focus on community, meaningful shared experiences and lasting impact. Spanning a variety of media including performance, photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, sound, light, video and immersive installation, McGill has presented both independent public art projects and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally since 1991. She lives in Lenapehoking (Beacon, New York).
Her recent endeavor, Red Regatta, was an independent public art project that activated Venice’s lagoon and canals with four unprecedented large-scale regattas of traditional vela al terzo sailboats hoisted with hand-painted red sails. Her land art project, Constellation, 2015-2017, installed on an island in the Hudson River, lit each night creating a new constellation transforming The Bannerman Castle ruin. She has been exhibiting her artwork nationally and internationally since 1991, and additional recent projects include Palmas, 2014, Manitoga, Garrison, New York; The Campi, 2018, Venice, Italy, as well as solo exhibitions at The Permanent Mission of Italy at the United Nations, New York; TOTAH, New York; White Cube, London; Power House, Memphis; Palazzo Capello, Venice; and CRG Gallery, New York. She is a graduate of The Rhode Island School of Design. Melissa McGill is a member of the Lenape Center Advisory Council and a National Endowment of the Arts ArtWorks Grant recipient. She is represented in the USA by David Totah and by Mazzoleni in Europe and Asia.
