Civitella gave me invaluable time – to reflect, think, and test. I mined the library’s music collection and filled my studio with the music of Guy Klucevsek, Henry Threadgill, Bill Frisell, Jive Soweto, Korean Kayagum, Songs of Somalia, and Hindustani and Carnatic compositions. My studio yielded drawings whose textures finally matched the intentions of my recent sculptures hatcheted out in wood; twisted and layered in wire; and knotted in felt and rubber. Civitella’s experimental environment allowed me to build a ghost of an installation in the rampart windows of the castle; its bocce court brought together a nucleus of residents sharing ideas, observations, and approaches around the innocuous activity of ball tossing. Above all it was the generous gift of time that leaves a golden glow.

www.meilinghom.com