Bagni di Lucca is set to host a brand new Art Festival this summer. In the sunny months of July, August and September Ponte a Seraglio will be filled with performance artists, painters, sculptors and photographers.
Meet part of the organizing team.
From the left…Jaqueline, Ira, our Sindaco Dottore Betti and Jake.
With the help of our Sindaco (mayor), our beautiful venues, such as the Teatro Accademico, the Casino, the Sala Parrocchiale and others will be filled with exciting performance artists. Click here to see more on the Casino and here for the Teatro Accademico.
As well as this, artists will be able to display their collections of art work in some of the unused shops in the main street of Ponte a Serraglio at no cost. One of the best aspects of this is that the local people are getting involved in the clean up and renovation of these lovely shops, some of which have been empty for decades.
It is absolutely wonderful to see people working together to make the village more beautiful and to provide a welcome space for the artists.
A particularly exciting part if the festival will be provided by the very talented (and charming) Ira Seidenstein. Ira has been involved in the theatre since 1973 as an actor, director, playwright and choreographer. He also has extensive experience in clown theatre. Among other things he has worked with the world renowned Cirque du Soleil as a performer and teacher.
It is in his capacity as a teacher that he will be involved in the Art Festival. Ira has conducted workshops in London, Paris, Auckland , Barcelona and is now on his way to Vienna and Malmo, Sweden to continue. He has also conducted workshops in Brisbane where he now lives. (it is indeed a small world, he lives just minutes from our house in West End)
Ira will be conducting a workshop the last week in August and the first week of September, with a performance to follow in conjunction with the Art Festival. He was in town recently to look at suitable venues, and was delighted with what Bagni di Lucca has to offer. How lucky we are that someone of his calibre is involved with our very first Art Festival.
Check out his website…you will be impressed. www.iraseid.com
Top marks to Jaqueline and Jake for getting the festival off the ground. Everybody is invited to take part in whatever way possible…as an artist, helper, renovator or perhaps, most importantly as a spectator.
Please look at the Art Festival’s website and be involved in this exciting event in Bagni di Lucca.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 
Reblogged this on ilovelucca and commented:
how exciting!!
It is exciting. I wish them every success.
Sounds brilliant. It will be great to draw more people to see how lovely Bagni di Lucca and in particular Ponte a Serraglio is. We look forward to all these exciting events and art. Good Luck to Jacqueline, Jake and all involved with the festival.
I think it is wonderful. It will be great to see the old shops live again.
Great news! And it is also very good to see that the empty shops are going to be used to display artwork and I do hope that they will keep on doing it throughout the year. Wonderful initiatives and I wish that this would be the start of a new era.
It is a great idea. I can’t wait to see it all happen.
Yahoo!! Now that is what we need!!! Love Jaqueline and her smile. Look forward to seeing her every year we vist. Hope they can use our puppet team in this festival. Thanks Debra.
Contact Jaqueline immediately about your puppets.
What an exciting project – art bringing people together!
I’m sure the festival will draw people to the area…all good.
Hey Deb do you think the artists will need a hotel room? Im just thinking!
I’m sure lots of hotel rooms will be needed.
So happy to see beautiful and wonderful things coming to Bagni di Lucca. It’s especially gratifying to read that locals are getting involved. Can’t wait to enjoy this wonderful event.
It is great that the people from Ponte a Serraglio are getting behind this. The shops are already looking good…and it will only get better.
no relation to summertime street closure? nice coincidence! hmmmm….
here is an art program that gives over empty downtown storefronts to artists: http://spaceworkstacoma.wordpress.com/about/. I’m hoping to apply to the program someday!
Thank you for the link. It is a great concept. The Art Festival is quite separate from the street closure, which is in La Villa. The festival is in Ponte a Serraglio, where I live.
ooops, didn’t read carefully enough…. but glad you liked that concept–it *is* a grand idea, yes?!
Lovely article Debbie! The photos are lovely too. Summer is going to be really fun this year in Ponte!
Thank you. Ira was a lot of fun. He is a great addition to the Art Festival. I will take photos of the shops as they are renovated and write more about the festival as it gets closer.
sounds it will be so exciting… Good Luck for this festival to you all. I wished to be there too 🙂
Thanks and Love, nia
Reblogged this on Michael and Shona's blog.
Looks lovely. We will be there July 30 to August 14, we will put this on the list of events. 🙂