Donado Italian Residency
During the month of August 2026, we spent two weeks in the old Jewish ghetto of Venice, Italy on our residency hosted by Venezia Contemporánea and artist Michal Meron. With a first floor gallery at our disposal, we spent our time painting, creating sculptures, making music, and taking photos. The residency was attended by our family, with each member contributing pieces to be displayed in the gallery.
Mesmerized by the mobility of the Italian seniors and awed by their tenacity to maintain their Venetian traditions and lifestyles, Anna’s paintings focused on the elderly as seen casually throughout their day.
She also experimented with dry powder pigments sourced locally from a nearby hardware store.
Simone, our singer/songwriter and photographer, wrote a new song during her time there and photographed the sites around her. She practiced Italian with the local printer and produced photos that she was able to sell during the week.
Inspired by the sounds around him, Juan created sculptures which celebrated the music of old Italian records. Made with vintage records, found wood, and a compass, his sferógrafos delighted both the young and old. Also, being a polyglot, Juan spent much time speaking with passersby in Spanish, German, English, and French.
The youngest member of our family, Juan Mateo, enjoyed sketching, sculpting, and running errands for the team. He also benefited from a dry-point printing class from a local printer.
