Back in June of this year, I met with Donna James, former director of the Mayor’s Film Office; her husband Mike James, President of Seattle’s Perugia, Italy, Sister City Association; former Councilmember Jan Drago; and the President of Perugia’s Seattle Sister City Association, Elisabetta Valentini. The purpose was to help facilitate a Seattle exhibition of an extraordinary collection of ceramics gifted to Seattle from Perugia: “Un Calice per Aviero,” translated as “A Chalice for Alviero.”
After viewing a catalog Elisabetta brought to the meeting, I was impressed enough with the work to ask the City’s art curator, Deborah Paine, to consider hosting a temporary exhibit here at City Hall. The office’s director agreed, and now the art of 40 artists that comprise Un Calice per Aviero are on display at City Hall thanks to the hard work of Deborah and her assistant, Blake Heygood.
The collection is a gift to Seattle from the Moretti Ceramics Foundation, curated by Antonio Carol Ponti and Roland Giovannini. It commemorates Umbrian entrepreneur Alviero Moretti (1933-2010) and was on display for the final time in Perugia this past September. The subject of the chalice, or calice, symbolizes an offering of gratitude by each artist to Moretti for his generous support.
I encourage you to check out this remarkable exhibition before it ends on December 31st.
This exhibit is temporary, but the collection is searching for a permanent home in Seattle. If you have any suggestions, please contact Mike James with the Perugia Sister City Association: P. O. Box 31151, Seattle, WA 98103-1151, (206) 722-1746, mgjames@mac.com.
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