Residencies
The Aegean Reinvented
The Aegean Center has been on sabbatical, the first in our soon-to-be 60 year history and our leave of absence began in the year of Covid. As with countless others the pandemic radically interrupted our lives, including the life of The Aegean Center. Although there are many known negative aspects of the pandemic there were also some positive consequences. One such for us was the gift of time that was unhurried and unencumbered. It was a unique and beneficial time that allowed self-reflection and introspection, deliberation and discussion. It was the moment to take stock in life and issues that in our former full and teeming lives we were simply too busy to consider. It called to mind a caution expressed by Socrates to, beware the barrenness of a busy life. During this two year period of reflection we had a long gratifying appraisal of the past and took our time to thoughtfully examine and scrutinize the present. But it was upon anticipating the future we decided to reinvent the Aegean School.
The result is that we have streamlined our offerings in order to teach at the very best level that we know. We have gained a lot of wisdom over the many years of teaching and we have crystallized our pedagogy into a tighter and more succinct form. We feel we are best able to offer our educational priorities by running short term intensives in the spring and autumn. Paros is at its best in the these seasons. We have shortened the sessions so that students of all ages can attend and broaden the applicant profiles. Although the time is compressed, we still offer the same involvement in painting, drawing and photography.
The Mentored Residency
As well as the new intensive short courses we have also opened the school in March and April for residences. The last two years, we welcomed artists to come and spend a month or two at the school with their own studio and their own schedule. It has been very successful and we have experienced many transformations together. Again this year, we will host 3 to 4 artists.
The mentored residency includes the studio and 5 -6 hours a week of one-on-one conversation and tutorial collaboration with Jane Pack to help clarify a direction and thinking to improve your process. Also important is seeking a common vocabulary to find deeper ways to express the thoughts and emotions that infuse the work. Art speaks about art, words merely tap on the exterior of the experience therefore the studio conversations are extensive and hands on and of course playful creative exploration is paramount. Having a month or two to fully engage in your art and to share ideas and methods with like-minded people can be a evolutionary place to a new genesis of your work. Paros is quiet, beautiful and hospitable in March and April. But most importantly there are few distractions other than getting out into nature, viewing the sunset and eating good food.
If we can know little else, at least we can guarantee that change is omnipresent. The state of the world is in flux and there’s a great need for quiet refuge. Perhaps this will be the year you return to Paros, or perhaps you will come for the very first time and take advantage of our expertise at the Aegean Center. The Stoic, Heraclitus, whose philosophy is affixed to his idea, tα πάντα ρει… that everything is in flux said: “Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.” Finally, the Roman Stoic, Seneca-The-Younger, asserts that It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
Come join us at the Aegean.
one month residency is €2,600 (euro). A two month combined residency is €5,000 (euro).
Questions About Residencies?