San Giovanni Battista

Theatre & Event Director ● Italian Renaissance Scholar

The second year of the San Giovanni Battista Festa della Cultura is again dedicated to the people of Florence in celebrating the feast day of the city’s patron saint on 24th June.

As before, the event will be presented by the founders of the festival i Buontalenti - a group of colleagues established to initiate creative opportunities and work for Florentine artists, musicians and writers.

We are most grateful for the continued patronage of the Comune di Firenze, the Provincia di Firenze and the British Institute of Florence.

The contemporary artists are: painters Antonio Ciccone, Alessandro Vannini, Caroline Jervis, Massimo Pivetti and Helen Bayley; sculptors Jason Arkles & Alan Pascuzzi; photographer Neri Fadigati and visual artists Alessandra Ragionieri and Alessandro Secci.

in contrast with classic works of San Giovanni Battista seen in a fresh light by Editech SRL - Centro Diagnostico per i Beni Artistici e Architettonici, Firenze.

Antiquarian and Old Master works to be announced.

EXHIBITION :

“il passato è presente II”

venerdì 21 - martedì 25 giugno

The British Institute of Florence

The Festival

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural festival, i Buontalenti have a goal to develop a richer and even more profound spiritual and artistic programme over the coming years.

Our proposed schedule offers five days of events, including a sacred art exhibition, a conference and symposium, two concerts of contrasting ancient and modern music plus guided visits to Renaissance paintings and sculptures of John the Baptist in the historic centre.

The concept of the festival is to grow each year and become an integral part of the Florentine calendar for its citizens and visitors alike. In fact, it is designed to bring Italian and Anglo-Florentine artists and audiences closer together.

Patronage

All these events are designed to celebrate the life and inspiration of the city's Patron Saint and to provide work for local artists and musicians - however, as this is a completely not-for-profit venture, we still need to guarantee the performers’ fees and basic costs of venues and publicity.

Furthermore, as last year, all the events are intended to raise funds for the venues in which they are produced. Therefore, we welcome sponsorship from companies, local government and individuals and look forward to developing further partnerships with other cultural associations and patrons of the arts.

For further information about last year’s events, promotion, patronage and media coverage please visit the 2012 Festival website .

We sincerely hope that you will join us in celebrating the continuing artistic and spiritual heritage of this unique city.

Con i saluti più cordiali,

John H.

John Hoenig BDA

Festival Founder & Artistic Director

As our Mayor Matteo Renzi said at his cultural symposium last year:

"Credo che la cultura sia il nostro futuro molto piu' che il nostro passato.”

“The range of style and interpretation (from figurative to abstract) is fascinating – as is the dialogue between past and present. Each artist has responded to what San Giovanni means to them as Florentines – which perfectly demonstrates that Florence is not a museum but a truly modern, creative city propelled forward by its vibrant history.”

Curator John Hoenig in an interview with Alexandra Korey, ArtTrav 2012