Upcoming 2023 ICA Artist Workshops

From Chef Nathan: We’re proud to offer this workshop this Spring in its inaugural run in partnership with the International Center for the Arts in Monte Castello di Vibio, Umbria.

This all-inclusive course (lodging, meals, drinks, airport transfer, excursions - including a Michelin-starred lunch, to start!) will find focus around the nose-to-tail utilization of the hog in the Umbrian style - a region renowned for their salumi and butchery traditions - Norcia.

This is a hands-on (knife-in-hand) workshop where we will break and process a whole local hog as well as game and birds, depending on what the hunters bag for us. The focus will be on four pillars of nose-to-tail foodways, preservation, seasonality, place, and transformation. We will dive deeply into these concepts and more through organized tastings, market days, conviviality, cooking workshops, traditional demonstrations, and sharing of mostly true stories!

The course will be led by charcuterie expert Nathan Colello Gilmour of Métier (with Kate Hill and Dominique Chapolard) and Chef Rece Hogerheide of Madam Restaurant in the Daxton Hotel (Best Restaurant 2023, Hour Detroit) and Foundation Hotel Detroit. Sketching a Pig would not be possible nor exist without the original idea and work from our friend and colleague Jason Osburn (Felony Provisions). He is loved and missed. 
Please join us this May for what is sure to be an experience you’ll never forget. 

A tavola! 

Nota bene; please direct any and all questions regarding the course to Nathan either by emailing him at nathan.c.gilmour@gmail.com or via Instagram at @orsodelamer. Chef Rece can be found on Instagram as well at @chefrecehogerheide and @felonyprovisions

4,860 €

Autochthonous refers to a variety of grape from a specific terroir. In other words, a particular type of grape adapted to a specific soil and geography, as well as to traditions in cultivation and wine making.  Italy is one of the countries with the most autochthonous grapes in the world - with 545 registered varieties for making wine!  Each one has its distinguishing quality and story. The Italian producers have started to revive these vines, some of which were almost extinct, and produce wines from them, just like the old times.

Guided by wine -writer, Rowena Dumlao, participants will learn about some of these grapes, and their traditions – we will taste them and meet the producers who make them. Printouts will be handed to help facilitate learning during lessons, wine will be tasted and there will be visits to wineries. Let’s dive into the wine world of Italy and see and taste why this country is so special!

The workshop includes daily tastings and winery visits and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.

4,350 € - Register for one person and get 50% off for a second person (Double Occupancy Only)

When we think of Italian wine regions, most often, we think about Tuscany and Piedmont but instead, this boot-shaped country has so much varied landscapes and oenological culture to discover. One of the least-known regions but with outstanding wines is Campania, the region of Naples where the tradition of gastronomy is supremely important.

It’s a volcanic territory where the mighty Mount Vesuvius reigns but little do we know that there’s a super volcano sleeping quietly very close to it, underneath the ground, sandwiching Naples in between. The locals are actually living on top of the underground volcano! Referred to as a super volcano, Campi Flegrei or Phlegraean Fields in English (also known as burning fields), is comprised of 24 craters and edifices, many of which are underwater in Pozzouli Bay. Rocks, pozzolans and lapilli born from fire are scattered about which make the soil for viticulture extremely special. The wines are born with great personalities, imprinted with deep expressions of minerality, marked salinity and bright acidity influenced by the composition of the soil where they are planted. The white variety Falanghina and the red variety Piedirosso express excellently in this territory.

Then there are the 10 to 20-meter high old vines of Asprinio d’Aversa. These are vines climbing around tall poplars or elm trees which act as guardians. On their full vegetative cycle, you find yourself in-between tall green walls of grapevines with treetops poking out like at regular intervals. The wines produced from Aprinio d’Aversa has its own peculiarity with its crispy acidity and refreshingly dry character giving out aromas of white jasmine and fresh herbs.

Campania has lot of indigenous grapes that thrive well in its characteristic soils. Coda di Volpe, Coda di Pecora, Casavecchia, Falanghina, Biancolella, Greco, Fiano, Aglianico, Piedirosso, and more. These are excellent wines to drink and when they are aged, they evolve deeper with beautiful complexity, but they are not as diffused outside the region as we would want them to be. This is a great reason to see and taste Campania on your next visit!

TBA €

Escape from the stresses of daily life and join us for a transformative week in our mountain village in Umbria, Italy. Through yoga, painting, and drawing workshops, you'll have the opportunity to focus on expression and creativity, and dive into yourself. Basic Hatha yoga and meditation will help you slow down, tune in to your breathing, and find thoughtless awareness. Drawing exercises will use your senses to raise awareness and explore imagination.

In the painting and drawing workshops, you'll use a variety of techniques from European and Indian processes to create non-objective drawings and paintings on heavy-grade watercolor paper. The objective is a holistic approach that considers all elements as meaningful. Join us for an unforgettable experience in "the green heart of Italy" and return home with a newfound sense of creativity and mindfulness.

2,350 € - Spring ’23 SPECIAL OFFER: Buy one, get one for 50% off before April 30 (Double occupancy only)

Join acclaimed clay sculptor, Richard W. James,  for an exciting two-week workshop focused on various techniques for creating life-sized busts and hands using both hollow and solid construction methods. We'll explore the anatomical structures that give these body parts their communicative power and practice techniques for achieving life-like sculptures with clay.
Students will begin with a clay skull and add muscle in layers to finish off with a hollowed-out bust. We'll go over hair, eye, and ear techniques as well as proportional guidelines. Additionally, you'll discover a hollow construction technique for building quick, stable forms.

Discussions and demonstrations will cover topics such as professional development, impactful contemporary figurative artists, and portfolio strategies. All skill levels are welcome, and you'll have the opportunity to exhibit your work at the end of the workshop. Don't miss this chance to hone your skills in the art of sculpture!

5,450 €
- Spring ’23 SPECIAL OFFER: Buy one, get one for 50% off before April 30 (Double occupancy only)
- For full time students enrolled in a degree seeking program receive 2 for 1 pricing (verification required. Please contact ICA for more info)

Join acclaimed painter Rachel Constantine and discover the beauty of Italy in a unique way with a landscape painting workshop in the medieval hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. The picturesque landscapes offer the ideal setting for painters looking for fresh challenges. There are countless opportunities to capture the ever-changing landscape, from the majestic mountains to the Tiber River winding through the valley. The area is rich in history and offers opportunities for exploration and discovery due to the shifting environment. You can fully immerse yourself in the genuine atmosphere of the small town and its surroundings in less- visited areas. It will be an unforgettable experience to see a timeless landscape where the past and present coexist. Join us for a special chance to paint in one of the most beautiful regions Italy.

4,650 € - Register for one person and get 50% off for a second person (Double Occupancy Only)

Join our week-long workshop on producing painting and drawing materials using historical methods! This hands-on course is ideal for painters, academics, teachers, art historians, and anyone interested in traditional works. Using Cennino d’Andrea Cennini’s book, "The Book of Art," as a guide, we will explore the production of pigments, paints, and painting surfaces used in medieval and Renaissance art. Our experienced staff will collaborate with Kremer Pigmente to teach participants how to make pigments from raw ingredients, observe miraculous color transformations, and create beautiful and luscious pigments that will last forever. We will cover processes such as levigation, grading, grinding, precipitation of lake colors, and more. In addition, we will visit the National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia to see real examples from Cennini's time and later. Don't miss this unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of traditional art materials and develop a special connection to the materials of the artist.

2,850 € - Spring ’23 SPECIAL OFFER: Buy one, get one for 50% off before April 30 (Double occupancy only)

Discover the tradition of human anatomy in Italy with our Human Anatomy Intensive. Experience the 17th-century wax anatomical models at the Specola Museum in Florence, made for medical students to observe venous, muscular, and skeletal systems without a cadaver. Follow in the footsteps of Leonardo Da Vinci and analyze the form and function of the human body, from skeletal and muscular systems to major arteries of the venous system. Work with real human skeletons, anatomical models, and plaster casts in various drawing media in large format sketchbooks. Join us for our appreciation and exploration of the traditional studies of the human anatomy.

2,350 € - Spring ’23 SPECIAL OFFER: Buy one, get one for 50% off before April 30 (Double occupancy only)

iLia Fresco (Anossov), a world-renowned master of the traditional medium of fresco, will lead a workshop in Italy where participants will learn basic concepts and techniques of classic fresco. The course will cover wall and panel preparation, sgraffito techniques, perspective, value range principles, and the verdaccio underpainting. Participants will also visit cities with some of the world's greatest examples of fresco on excursions to Florence and Rome. The Florence excursion will include visits to works by famous Florentine Renaissance artists like Masaccio, Fra Angelico, and Botticelli. In Rome, students will have the unforgettable experience of viewing Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, among other Vatican works. Over the two-week workshop, participants will create a small-scale work exploring sgraffito and a group "fresco bodega" project, an eight by four-foot, wall fresco in the buon fresco technique with classic sgraffito elements. The course will explore classic techniques of buon fresco, sgraffito, and the final wall painting stage.

6,195 €

Learn the art of creating enduring mosaics in a country renowned for its mosaic art! Join our hands-on course with master Rick Shelley and shape stone, glass, and ceramic into tesserae for your projects. Experiment with glues and cements to adhere tesserae onto wooden panels and learn the traditional practice of gold leafing glass. The course includes excursions to nearby mosaic treasures for inspiration. Surrounded by the Italian countryside, the studio at Monte Castello di Vibio provides the perfect atmosphere to experience mosaic arts. Join us for this wondrous experience and create beautiful mosaics. Register now at the International Center for the Arts.

4,750 €

Join us in Monte Castello di Vibio for a two-week workshop on the Art of the Portrait! In this intensive course, students will learn to identify the shapes and planes specific to each individual model. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned artist, you'll benefit greatly from the one-on-one portions of instruction in drawing or painting portraits from live models. The small class size (limit of 10) ensures ample instruction for each student.

Two field trips to renowned museums in Florence and Rome will be added to the scheduled class time to help students better understand the development of portraiture and its place in the history of art as a whole. This workshop is perfect for anyone wanting to learn to draw or paint portraits or to improve in their existing portrait practice. Don't miss this opportunity to study in the birthplace of the Renaissance and immerse yourself in the Art of the Portrait. Register now at the International Center for the Arts.

4,550 €

This two-week workshop will cover papermaking and printmaking. In the first week, Roberto Mannino will teach the basics of hand papermaking, including how to make unique papers from high-quality fibers and create color laminations, transparencies, and pulp painting effects. Participants will learn to compose sheets up to A3 size that are internally sized for better retention of inks and embossing. In the second week, various printmaking methods will be introduced, with the focus on developing imagery with paper as the substrate and then printing over it. The workshop will also include two single-day excursions to the medieval city of Fabriano to visit the Fabriano Paper and Watermark Museum and nearby art collections, and to Perugia to see a collection of medieval manuscripts at the Bibilioteca Augusta and tour the National Museum of Umbria.

4,650 €

This program offers a comprehensive wine course for enthusiasts and professionals alike in the most beautifully preserved medieval hill town in Italy. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the rich history and diversity of Italian wine and its connection to the culinary traditions of Italy. The program includes lectures, tastings, and visits to renowned vineyards in Umbria and the Tuscany wine regions of Chianti Classico, Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino. All meals are provided, featuring locally sourced artisanal ingredients and paired with local wines.

Participants can also earn a certification of "Wine Taster" through Assosommelier, which includes training on food pairing, serving and storage conditions, and new types of wine. For those interested in further certification, a Level 1 Sommelier Certification is available through additional coursework and exams, offered in collaboration with Assosommelier and the Universita di Perugia di Sapori. The program offers a fun and informative approach to experiencing the richness and beauty of the Umbrian landscape and its culinary and viticultural traditions.

5,696 €

This is a two week workshop exploring the potential of paper as a basic material and medium for artistic pursuits. The session includes four areas of instruction: hand papermaking, pulp paper painting and marbling, sewn bookbindings, and designing pop-ups. No prior experience is necessary, and all skill levels are welcome. The workshop is led by internationally known instructors Amanda Degener, Carol Barton, Denise Carbone, and Tom Balbo, and includes field trips to the Fabriano Paper Mill and the city of Florence. Students will learn how to construct pop-ups, create sewn bookbindings, and produce pulp paintings using traditional and non traditional hand papermaking methods. They will also be introduced to suminagashi, a Japanese marbling technique, and natural dyeing and surface treatments on flax papers. The workshop encourages experimentation and creativity and aims to provide students with the technical foundation and structural principles for continued investigation.

4,950 €

This two-week workshop focuses on human and animal hybrid ceramic sculpture, inspired by ancient Italian art rich in mythological creatures and transformation. Adrian, the instructor, will provide technical information based on 40 years of working with clay through live demonstrations, slide presentations, and time-lapsed videos. The workshop will cover human and animal anatomy, with special attention to heads and faces, and participants will create medium-sized pieces approximately 18 inches tall. The techniques covered will be useful for building large-scale sculptures in the future, including sectioning, internal supports, and the use of a base and rod for tall sculptures. Small sprig molds for surface texture and embellishment will also be created. Participants are encouraged to take photos of the building process and the final sculpture, and arrangements can be made to have their work fired after the workshop at their expense. Additionally, the workshop includes visits to nearby sites, cities, and museums.

5,250 €