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THE ORDER: Flying Nun, Summer 2020. 3D study for a large ceramic sculpture-FILIPPUCCI 2020
August 19, 2020

Contemporary Ceramics

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Large Scale 3D Printed Ceramics

THE ORDER

New work from the quiet isolation of the Spring and Summer of 2020. This Series is built upon the impressions of a five year old in La Rochelle, France, where – for awhile – I was put into the custody of nuns who lived in a medieval convent. 

Art Blog - Sandra Filippucci Aug 2020

Forgotten laundry in Santa Fe, New Mexico 2020

CORRIDORS & SHROUDS

Rag, Santa Fe NM Summer 2020 - FILIPPUCCI

Rag, Santa Fe 2020

The impressions began with walks in neighborhood cul-de-sacs where I noticed pieces of cloth. I would notice one, then another, and another. In New Mexico, many still put their laundry out to dry, often draped over a fence or stone wall. Sometimes, these are forgotten…left there to fade into the seasons. Couldn’t tell you why rags and laundry caught my attention but once you start noticing something, there’s a reason.

In the quiet of this pandemic, my dreaming revealed corridors and shrouds. My waking now held terrors. Abandonment, loneliness. I resisted remembering until those terrified little girl memories of flapping cloth creatures emerged forcefully, impatient with all the waiting. From bundles of rags, I “saw” fabric – copious, flowing, mysterious – rise into form.

As a 5 year old, I struggled to grasp that real women were under all that drapery. I could ask nothing for speaking was discouraged. Other than the perpetually seated Abbess, this community of French nuns was always in a hurry, dashing and darting with bundles, parcels and mops. Incessantly toiling. Like household gods, each was a silent expert at what they did. You said little, did much. They were frighteningly beautiful blurs, smudges of white and black. Everything in its place, everything in order.  

CERAMIC | The Novitiate - Sandra Filippucci 2020

©Sandra Filippucci 2020

Wearing different habits to denote their status, there was a distinct hierarchy within this community, and you quickly learned who was at top, and who did the laundry. They all commanded their space wherever they were or whatever their assignment was – all knowing, all powerful but in fact, many years ago nuns had little to no power within the church. I’m not sure they even do now. These obedient women were consecrated worker ants, always minding the time, polishing and starching as they noiselessly prayed.

Decades later, I remember those figures of cloth rushing down ancient corridors, making sounds like the sails on fishing boats in the La Rochelle harbor.

WHY CERAMICS

The shrouds in corridors became sculptures of cloth. Since I work with 3D programs, I began assembling fabric in an abstracted manner but still figurative. Joan of Arc has been my primary subject matter for so long that this different way of working startled me. The work just became. And it wanted to be ceramic. This is what led to that.

I’d been to a lecture in Taos at the Harwood Museum in 2019 organized by Ann Landi of Vasari21.com, on the Evolution of Art Criticism, which included panelists Peter Plagens, Laurie Fendrich, Lucy Lippard and Garth Clark. Garth Clark is a distinguished writer, curator and lecturer on modern and contemporary ceramic art. I was galvanized by his understanding of this medium, which I never seriously considered. I bought his 2003 book, “Shards,” and wondered when and how I would produce ceramics.

CERAMIC | The Worker - Sandra Filippucci 2020

©Sandra Filippucci 2020

This new body of work, “The Order,” can only exist as 3d printed ceramics. Some pieces appear simple, but are in fact, quite complex. Created with 3d software, they are well-suited to 3d printing. The process will involve clay extruding to the largest size, and then combining the sections into life-size sculptures. They will be fired like pottery, and then hand-glazed. They can be constructed with permeating resins for outdoors, hung on walls, suspended from ceilings. Editioned smaller pieces will come first, because when working this way, each side must translate well.

Ceramic always suggests fragility. These iterations of fresh novitiates, postulants and weary old nuns wearing extraordinary hats no longer exist in the real world. The habits they wore have virtually disappeared. These are the impressions of shapes – sometimes apparitions – from a five-year old mind. I have harbored these windswept impressions over a lifetime and, like the statuary that filled their Medieval convent, these pieces are a kind of vesper, a chant from the sanctuary of dreams. 

The Abbess - Sandra Filippucci 2020

The Abbess – ©Sandra Filippucci 2020


Greta of Earth - The world's most prominent climate activist
July 6, 2020

Greta of Earth

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Greta Thunberg, Our Joan of Arc

Last year, when Greta was nominated as TIME’s Person of the Year, the jealous infant currently occupying the White House mocked her. “Trump mocks Greta Thunberg after she wins Time Person of the Year. “So ridiculous,” Trump tweeted. “Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” ”

The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also weighed in on Thunberg’s selection, blasting the magazine’s decision.”Time leaves out the Hong Kong Protesters fighting for their lives and freedoms to push a teen being used as a marketing gimmick,” he wrote. “How dare you?”

Climate Change is the single greatest challenge that exists today. –Said by intelligent people around the world

When she was mocked, I realized how important she was. Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who has gained international recognition for promoting the view that humanity is facing an existential crisis arising from climate change.

Greta Thunberg - The world's most prominent climate activist

GRETA THUNBERG ©Filippucci 2019


Greta Thunberg is our contemporary Joan of Arc and has succeeded in turning vague anxieties about the planet into a worldwide movement calling for global change. Because of Climate Change, because of the Pandemic, because of the erupted pustule of Racism, I see countless Joan of Arc’s all over the world. They fight despair, neglect and exhaustion. They are all screaming to vote those out who would destroy the world because of their refusal to accept scientific reality.

Fifty-eight years ago in 1962, Rachel Carson wrote, “The Silent Spring,” which documented the adverse environmental effects caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Two million copies later – despite threats of lawsuits by Velsicol – the company that manufactured DDT, her brave work ignited the Environmental movement. A year later, Carson died of breast cancer.

“No witchcraft,” Carson wrote, “no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.”

Yes, things are very dark right now. Do you remember “The NeverEnding Story,” a fantasy film from 1984? Remember how Fantasia was slowly being devoured by a malevolent force called “The Nothing”? This is what is happening now. The Nothing of Ignorance wants to swallow us up. Joan of Arc fought the English from devouring France. Greta is fighting against selfish arrogance from consuming the planet.

Last Christmas, I created a 3D Greta to send to friends over the holidays. I designed a Virtual Greta as a constant reminder to help where I can, choose kindness first, and to seek solutions, not ignore problems. This is not always easy for a half-Italian like myself who shoots from the lip.

Greta of Earth – she is here to galvanize us to do the work. Vote out anyone who is not paying attention. They will all topple like those Confederate statues. Eventually our negative relics will be replaced by statues of worthy humans who inspire us to be better. Look around. There are many. Some we have forgotten like Rachel Carson, others we are just noticing…like Greta.


Memmo of Filippuccio (1250-1325) - The young man emancipates himself and asks money to parents - cycle of frescoes with the theme profane love (1303-1310) - the Podesta Room - Tower of the City Hall of San Gimignano
April 15, 2019

Art Ancestry

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Memmo Di Filippucci | fresco painter (1303-1345)

If there are no artists in your family, you cannot help but wonder where your art genes came from. A number of artists I know have an architect or designer or someone in the visual arts in their backgrounds. For my entire life, I believed that I was a unique acorn. Turns out that there was a very large oak tree in my backyard from the 14th century.

Recently, I learned from a family member that our ancestor is Memmo di Filippucci, a 14th-century painter from Siena, Italy.

That family member is my half-brother and he’s a lawyer, and lawyers like facts. None of us have ever had many facts about our distant relatives so Gunter is currently researching Italian archives in Europe and preparing an ancestry book.

Synchronicity

Now I will have to add San Gimignano to my bucket list because Memmo di Filippucci’s (whose sons also became painters) fresco of marital life still exists in the Town Hall in San Gimignano, a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany.

Memmo Di Filippucci (active 1303-1345) fresco painter.

(Seen above) “Scenes from a Marriage,” with a hot tub no less!! Memmo has an entire cycle of frescoes titled, “Profane Love,” and some are in quite good condition. The town of San Gimignano itself is legendary for its examples of medieval architecture and castle towers.

Memmo di Filippucci had two sons who were also painters, Lippo Memmi and Federico Memmi. His son-in-law was Simone Martini, one of the most outstanding and influential painters of Siena. In 1317, Lippo di Memmi received a commission to paint a large Maesta in the main chamber of the Town Hall. It is thought that Memmo assisted his son with this work. Memmo may also have worked with Lippo Memmi on the fresco cycle of the New Testament in the Collegiate Church of San Gimignano, completed around 1345.

I find this all astonishing since the primary subject in my work is the medieval warrior, Joan of Arc. She was born one hundred years after Memmo, and five hundred and seventy-four years later, Joan of Arc became my Muse.

In an article in the Santa Fe Journal, I once explained why Joan remained my primary subject for so many years… “She had no formal education, but she dictated remarkable letters about wanting peace. She was ignorant of the world, and yet she changed it. Her short life (she was burned at the stake at 19) was filled with wisdom.” Yes, these are some of the reasons. There are also emotional imperatives that drive me continually back to her but now that I’ve been introduced to Memmo di Filippucci, I can allow myself to believe that there is some genetic predisposition keeping me focused on an ancient historical figure.

What I Believed

For the longest time, I thought I was trying to find her voice. In fact, her legacy still speaks loudly all over the world. I now see that I am trying to find my voice through her. And my voice has just been amplified by some art ancestry. Nice to meet you, Memmo.


SORT OF AN ART BLOG
  • THE ORDER: Flying Nun, Summer 2020. 3D study for a large ceramic sculpture-FILIPPUCCI 2020
    Contemporary Ceramics August 19,2020
  • Greta of Earth - The world's most prominent climate activist
    Greta of Earth July 6,2020
  • Memmo of Filippuccio (1250-1325) - The young man emancipates himself and asks money to parents - cycle of frescoes with the theme profane love (1303-1310) - the Podesta Room - Tower of the City Hall of San Gimignano
    Art Ancestry April 15,2019
  • FILIPPUCCI - THE HISTORY OF FLOWERS
    The History of Flowers April 7,2019
  • Jehanne August, 2018 May 7,2018
Inauguration Day. Inclusive, sane. Hope has arrive Inauguration Day. Inclusive, sane. Hope has arrived. @filippucciart ▫️#biden #bidenkamala2020 #inauguration #hope #historicmoment #firstblackwoman #msmagazine #whitehouse  #goodnews #wedidit #drjillbiden #allcolors #46thpresident #instamood #instadaily #instapolitics #instaartist
2021. It holds promise. New Years Resolution? The 2021. It holds promise. New Years Resolution? The light of Kindness. More of it. It’s an effective weapon against the dark.  That and pizza. New York pizza. @filippucciart ▫️ #2021 #newyear #newyearseve #hope #bekind #annushorribilis #goodvsevil #kindnessmatters #kindness #instamood #betternewyear #nypizzaisthebest
Moved back to Connecticut in time for Christmas. E Moved back to Connecticut in time for Christmas. Everyone tested and safe and happy to leave 2020 in the rear view mirror.  @filippucciart ▫️ #2020 #newyear #movingon #connecticut #merrychristmas  #betternewyear #ontheroad
The dna of COVID keeps evolving. @filippucciart ▫️#pandemicart #wearamask😷 #wearamask #wearamasksavelives #wearamaskplease #wearamaskinpublic #covid #vaccine #science #believescience #staysafe
Yes we did. 💙💙💙💙 @filippucciart ▫️ Yes we did. 💙💙💙💙 @filippucciart ▫️#bidenwins #bidenharris2020🇺🇸 #thankyou  #46thpresident #trumpfired
This too shall pass. Figure XVII, 2020. Render for This too shall pass. Figure XVII, 2020. Render for a large 3D printed ceramic. @filippucciart ▫️ #figurative #contemporaryceramics #contemporaryceramic #3dprintedmodels #3drender #3dceramics #3dprinting #claylove #clayart #2020 #covid_19 #pandemicart
“A Piece of Pink Cloth,” 2020. A 3D study of “A Piece of Pink Cloth,” 2020.  A 3D study of movement. Amazing how a piece of cloth can be so suggestive. @filippucciart ▫️ #3d #3drender #3dceramics #contemporaryceramics #sculpture #pink #instamood #instalove #3drendering #figurative #artistsoninstagram #instaartist #3dsketch #3drenders #contemporaryartwork #maquette
Friends & family are everything. I milked my Birth Friends & family are everything. I milked my Birthday for about two weeks. With gratitude to the artist Paula Roland for the cake, company and photo. This was one of several very small celebrations. Everyone was masked at Midtown Bistro and distanced so much appreciation to them. Once you stand up you must have your mask on. These simple pleasures are now a very big deal. @filippucciart ▫️#birthday  #birthdaygirl #rituals #cake #celebration #instagood #beinghappy #mask #pandemicbirthday #wearamask #moments #birthdaycake #midtownbistrosantafe #santafe #friends #familyiseverything #paularolandart #love
Dancing with the darkness. “Figure XVI,” 2020. Dancing with the darkness. “Figure XVI,” 2020. 3D render for a 3D sculpture in ceramic. @filippucciart ▫️#contemporaryceramics #sculptureoftheday #instasculpture #instaceramics #3dprinting #extrudedclay #3dceramics #3d #contemporaryartdaily
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SANDRA FILIPPUCCI

Contemporary American artist now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 3d printed sculptures, painting, drawing. Part of a group of New York artists working with technology since the mid-eighties and was the first artist to have a digitally based solo exhibition at The Museum of American Illustration in Manhattan.

Inauguration Day. Inclusive, sane. Hope has arrive Inauguration Day. Inclusive, sane. Hope has arrived. @filippucciart ▫️#biden #bidenkamala2020 #inauguration #hope #historicmoment #firstblackwoman #msmagazine #whitehouse  #goodnews #wedidit #drjillbiden #allcolors #46thpresident #instamood #instadaily #instapolitics #instaartist
2021. It holds promise. New Years Resolution? The 2021. It holds promise. New Years Resolution? The light of Kindness. More of it. It’s an effective weapon against the dark.  That and pizza. New York pizza. @filippucciart ▫️ #2021 #newyear #newyearseve #hope #bekind #annushorribilis #goodvsevil #kindnessmatters #kindness #instamood #betternewyear #nypizzaisthebest
Moved back to Connecticut in time for Christmas. E Moved back to Connecticut in time for Christmas. Everyone tested and safe and happy to leave 2020 in the rear view mirror.  @filippucciart ▫️ #2020 #newyear #movingon #connecticut #merrychristmas  #betternewyear #ontheroad
The dna of COVID keeps evolving. @filippucciart ▫️#pandemicart #wearamask😷 #wearamask #wearamasksavelives #wearamaskplease #wearamaskinpublic #covid #vaccine #science #believescience #staysafe
Yes we did. 💙💙💙💙 @filippucciart ▫️ Yes we did. 💙💙💙💙 @filippucciart ▫️#bidenwins #bidenharris2020🇺🇸 #thankyou  #46thpresident #trumpfired
This too shall pass. Figure XVII, 2020. Render for This too shall pass. Figure XVII, 2020. Render for a large 3D printed ceramic. @filippucciart ▫️ #figurative #contemporaryceramics #contemporaryceramic #3dprintedmodels #3drender #3dceramics #3dprinting #claylove #clayart #2020 #covid_19 #pandemicart
“A Piece of Pink Cloth,” 2020. A 3D study of “A Piece of Pink Cloth,” 2020.  A 3D study of movement. Amazing how a piece of cloth can be so suggestive. @filippucciart ▫️ #3d #3drender #3dceramics #contemporaryceramics #sculpture #pink #instamood #instalove #3drendering #figurative #artistsoninstagram #instaartist #3dsketch #3drenders #contemporaryartwork #maquette
Friends & family are everything. I milked my Birth Friends & family are everything. I milked my Birthday for about two weeks. With gratitude to the artist Paula Roland for the cake, company and photo. This was one of several very small celebrations. Everyone was masked at Midtown Bistro and distanced so much appreciation to them. Once you stand up you must have your mask on. These simple pleasures are now a very big deal. @filippucciart ▫️#birthday  #birthdaygirl #rituals #cake #celebration #instagood #beinghappy #mask #pandemicbirthday #wearamask #moments #birthdaycake #midtownbistrosantafe #santafe #friends #familyiseverything #paularolandart #love
Dancing with the darkness. “Figure XVI,” 2020. Dancing with the darkness. “Figure XVI,” 2020. 3D render for a 3D sculpture in ceramic. @filippucciart ▫️#contemporaryceramics #sculptureoftheday #instasculpture #instaceramics #3dprinting #extrudedclay #3dceramics #3d #contemporaryartdaily
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“Captivated by the mystique of Joan of Arc,  Sandra Filippucci passionately creates iconic imagery that is relevant to the issues of our time.” –Linda Durham, Curator for Voices of Light Exhibition

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