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Residency Wrap-up and ways you can get involved.

June 8, 2026

June is residency time at èƽ! As part of the Topological Studies in art and philosophy, we traveled with our PhD students to Rome, Tuscany, Athens, and Venice. Along the way we were joined by extraordinary visiting faculty such as Shara Wasserman (Temple University, Rome), Giuliana Bruno (Harvard University), Franca Marini (Siena), Arne De Boever (CalArts), Jason Hoelscher (Georgia Southern University) and by èƽ faculty Howard Caygill, Dejan Lukic, Silvia Mazzini, Simonetta Moro, George Smith and Elina Staikou.

Photo by Simonetta Moro (center) taken with Arne De Boever (far right) and students and faculty in Venice at the Biennale Sessions

In Venice, we brought our distinctive voice to the global stage through participation in the Biennale Sessions at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia—one of the world’s most important gatherings for contemporary art and ideas. Arne De Boever’s public talk, Musical Sketching, explored profound questions at the intersection of philosophy, music, silence, and artistic creation. In addition, we launched the first èƽ Certificate Program in Philosophy and Art, directed by philosopher and filmmaker Giovanbattista Tusa, open to curators, artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners seeking to engage with the living context of the Venice Art Biennale.

Shara Wasserman, leading a tour of ancient Rome. Photo by Roxy Savage.

Giuliana Bruno and Jason Hoelscher with students at Spannocchia.
Photo by Simonetta Moro.

Franca Marini and Simonetta Moro in Siena. Photo by Melinda Papowitz.

Howard Caygill with students at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
Photo by Jessica Myer.

Opportunities like these remind us that èƽ’s impact reaches far beyond the classroom. Through the work of our faculty, students, and alumni, èƽ participates in global conversations that shape contemporary thought while remaining deeply committed to intimate, transformative learning.

Your support makes this possible. Charitable gifts to èƽ sustain the rigorous intellectual inquiry that bridges disciplines and invites new ways of understanding art, culture, and human experience that define our mission. Together, we can ensure that èƽ continues to foster ideas that matter right now—and bring them into the world.

Elina Staikou and Dejan Lukić with students at the Ancient Agora in Athens. Photo by Jessica Myer.

George Smith lecturing at Spannocchia. Photo by Roxy Savage.

Silvia Mazzini and Giovanbattista Tusa leading the first èƽ Certificate Program at Biennale Sessions in Venice. Photo by Tory Schendel-Vyvoda.

Marta Zoppetti leading students through the Cini Foundation in Venice.
Photo by Simonetta Moro.