February 19th, 2026 — Last night Civitella Ranieri celebrated the return of the Annual Alumni Artist Party with a gathering of 120+ past and future Fellows, Director’s Guests, friends of Civitella, and staff from Italy and New York City. The evening was marked by the familiar Civitella spirit underscoring that the residency is more than a place; it’s an ethos of care and creativity.
Emcee Pat Oleszko (CRF 2011, DG 2019) opened the evening’s program donning her hat and cape from Civitella’s 25th anniversary celebration at the Castle in 2019. She lead attendees and the staff, sporting repurposed handmade hats fitted for each member, through a recitation of every country from which Fellows hail. She referred to Civitella as the “ignited notions of creativity,” and said its MO is to be “inclusive of the arts all over the planet.”
Executive Director Heather Ewing called on attendees to uphold and strengthen, as we step into Civitella’s next 30 years, it’s the ethos of care that surrounds the program—”the joy and openness that infuses the human connections made and the respect given the work and the rigor with which [Fellows] pursue it.” She continued by saying, “We are living in dehumanizing times. Civitella as a space to think and be feels more valuable and urgently needed than ever. Artist residencies are too often invisible and underfunded elements of our arts ecosystem. I invite you to help us as we build a more sustainable future for the Civitellians to come. Your voices about what Civitella has made possible in your lives are more powerful than any words we can ever put together. We invite you to share that story with others and introduce us to people in your circles you think might be compelled by this mission to get involved. Our future is bright thanks to you, this community.”
Pat returned to the stage to introduce in succession Immanuel Wilkins (CRF 2025), Hernan Diaz (CRF 2025), and esperanza spalding (CRF 2018). Together, they represented Civitella’s three core disciplines—visual arts, music composition, and writing.
The evening served as a reminder that Civitella is unbound from place and time; where there are Fellows—from the Castle years ago or just this past season—there is the spirit of Civitella, united by creativity, nourished by community and care.
Photos by A. Hoyer
Photos by Elle Pérez (CRF 2026)