Kaitlin Murphy

Kaitlin Murphy: My undergraduate degree is in Art and Art History from Colgate University. During my junior year, I spent a semester abroad studying in Venice, Italy. It was here that I developed a passion for not only the subject matter, but for the Italian culture as a whole. Being surrounded by “floating buildings,” I chose to focus my attention on architectural history for my thesis and continued my education after working for a couple of years to begin a masters program in Architecture at Boston Architectural College. After taking a direct hit from the housing and economy collapse, I took a teaching position at a high school where I taught art and art history. I was able to write my own curriculum and followed my curiosities in art crimes as part of the art history survey course. One of my students came across ARCA and as I checked it out, discovered the postgraduate program. The combination of art history, culture, art crimes, and Italy made committing to a summer in Umbria a no brainer for me.

Kaitlin Murphy: Currently, I love Renaissance art as a time period in world history for the architecture and paintings and in many cases, the combination of the two. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of art in situ because it connects visually with architecture like a conversation. I appreciate the balance and architecture specifically of Andrea Palladio and laugh when I see his influence in American civic and residential architecture. As a bookend to renaissance art, I like to study ancient art as a source or foundation for the evolution of what we have become. It is amazing to see true originality and the “aha!” moment of the discovery of new techniques and materials frozen in the art like a photo.

Kaitlin Murphy: I lived in Venice (right by Piazza San Marco) in the fall of 2003 as part of my undergrad art history curriculum and have been back two more times since then as a tourist. I have been an amateur tour guide in Rome for my family and friends and a beach goer along the coast. My favorite thing to do in Italy is to sit, enjoy some gelato or local wine, and people-watch. While on the subject of food, I would like to learn a few tricks of the trade and expand my pallet to include some new recipes with fresh and local ingredients. To be able to explore a few towns off the beaten tourist path is also a very attractive use of my down time. My husband (Ryan) will be joining me later in the program and this will be his first visit to Italy so the pressure will be on to know the good places to eat, see, and travel.

Kaitlin Murphy: I am not a musician, but I thoroughly enjoy live music and look forward to these opportunities!

Plaster cast self-portrait by Margaret Wade  from her first art show

Margaret Wade: I began studying the theory and psychology of Art (specifically Sculpture) at a small, liberal arts school in Amherst, MA. This is how I came across my second major- The Third Reich. Hitler, an artist, understood that to truly destroy a culture, among other things, he must eliminate the very threads that unite a society- its expression. At my second school, Mount Holyoke, I dove into Art History in the Third Reich and Art Studio. It was here I realized that I cannot fix the past, but I can contribute to the future. All the Nazi looted art work deserves to be to returned to its rightful owner. Plus, when I grow up, I want to be Indiana Jones. 

I am also interested in the idea of containment and preservation. How do you encapsulate the moment, memory and effect of art? Databasing and cataloguing art will help with my second path- I am creating a "museum" out of the house I grew up in. Located in Birmingham, AL, I plan to share with my community a purple house with snakes and chairs on the ceiling, and its contemporary art.

Margaret Wade: Any piece of art with a pulse will strike my interest. Historically, I enjoy Dadaism and Surrealism because of the boundaries Duchamp pushed the art world. As of right this moment in time, Street art gets my heart racing. I love the unregulated aspect of the art world. As an artist, I am constantly seeking out new areas of expression. Who owns art anyway?

Margaret Wade: In 2007, I had the pleasure of working with the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice for three months. I got to experience the art world in ways an artist or art historian is not privy to. I believe to be truly passionate about an area of work, you must experience it all. Working in a museum, you come to understand the affect art has on its visitors- vandalism, utter amazement, disgust, indifference. It is this reason I plan to pursue, Why in the world would you steal an piece of art work? It is just an object -- an object that causes people to react in so many different way that I just want to know WHY. If I ever stop questioning and searching for answers, consider me dead!

Margaret Wade: HA! Absolutely not, I cannot carry a tune, but I can dance for hours HOURS on end. In fact, Karaoke is one of my biggest fears. That said, I appreciate all aspects of art- even the ones that highlight my flaws! I enjoy experiencing new sensations and getting lost in music. Life is a priviledge but art is a right!

Katherine Luer inside one of the towers of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

Katherine Luer: I am just about to graduate from Georgetown University with my BA in Art History and minors in both Italian and Spanish. I've been interested in entering the field of art crime for several years now, and when I heard about the ARCA program about a year ago I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do after I graduated.

Katherine Luer: I've worked as a security guard at a museum here in Washington and thus am highly interested in museum security. That being said, I someday hope to work with the FBI's Art Crime Team and so the history of such groups inside law enforcement (Scotland Yard, the carabinieri, etc) interests me as well.

Katherine Luer: My great love has always been Matisse, but lately I've been enjoying the work of Modigliani, Munch and Klee as well. Any early modern work fascinates me.

Katherine Luer: I've traveled extensively all around the country and lived in the small town of Fiesole for several months. Regardless, I'd like to travel more, particularly in the south, and look forward to showing the other students some of my favorite towns!

Perri Osattin at Ephesus, Turkey

ARCA Blog: What is your academic background and how did you come to commit to a summer in Umbria studying art crime?

"I graduated last June from Williams College with a BA in art history, as well as a concentration in Middle East studies and a certificate in Spanish language and culture. I first became fascinated by art history during high school when I took a required art appreciation course and studied art in Spain for a month, both under the tutelage of enormously enthusiastic teachers. After ultimately scrapping my plan to study journalism, I arrived at Williams knowing that I wanted to pursue art history, in addition to my life-long passions for Spain and the sea (as a sophomore, I participated in a semester-long maritime studies program in Mystic, Ct.; unusual programs are clearly my forte). Precisely because it was not the most obvious place to continue my particular course of study, Turkey intrigued me from the start, but of course its art and architecture also reflect its unique position as the meeting point of 'East' and 'West' and of various religious and ethnic cultures.

"While studying abroad at Bogazici University in Istanbul, I discovered modern Turkish art and researched the architecture of the former capital's old Jewish quarters, and I was lucky enough to explore archaeological and religious sites throughout the country, including Cappodoccia, the eastern borders with Iran/Armenia/Georgia, the Black Sea region, and the Aegean coast.  

"As may be the case for many of the program's New York participants, the NY Times article about ARCA from a few years ago caught my eye immediately. I have worked at an art gallery, an art museum, a few history museums, and a historic site, but my mother was a criminal prosecutor and my father was an investigator of various kinds, so fighting crime is in my blood!"

"I'm not positive yet, but I am very interested in the subtleties of modern museum security and how, at some institutions, it now takes its cues from sophisticated airport security models and uses other techniques which are commonplace in traditional law enforcement. I am also curious about the legal and political status of cultural patrimony in Turkey, particularly after visiting the ruins of Pergamum and learning that the site has experienced an Elgin-marbles type of situation with Germany."

I'm always most interested in whatever I'm learning about at the moment, but since graduating (and fortuitously learning that a suite-mate of mine from Turkey shares my passion) my love for the work of Vladimir Kush has resurfaced. His paintings combine surreal and often ironic or humorous subjects with hyper-realistic technique, as well as some of the most richly saturated and iridescent hues I've ever seen.

"Strangely enough for an art history student, I have never been to Italy. I definitely plan to travel and see Italy's cultural heritage, in its various forms, and to sample some amazing food and wine. I am especially looking forward to perhaps attending my first real opera with some of the other program participants, and getting to know the people of Italy."

"I studied music for most of my life, but have not touched an instrument in several years. However, I still really enjoy the social, yet intimate vibe of local music joints and really love to dance, so hopefully my evenings in Amelia will be full of music!"

Security set

"Our company specializes in Art Hanging Systems including security fasteners & security options for our systems. Please feel free to click on: www.hangit-up.com. I followed up with the parties mentioned in the article who had their art stolen, and neither restaurant was using any form of security fasteners, nor did they seem to know they existed."

"There are 2 types of Security Systems which we sell. The J-rail XL System provides security to the art on display, while still allowing the display to be adjusted laterally & vertically. The systems utilize steel rods & Allen head machine screws to prevent removal of art. The Security Set option provides security for art that is mounted permanently in a location. A special tool is required to rotate the fastener to release the work from the wall."

Abigail Nora Clarke, ARCA Class 2011

I am a recent graduate from the University of Arizona with a BA in Art History and Italian/Religious Studies minor. I have worked in a small art studio/gallery and helped curate an exhibit at the Arizona Historical Society. I came across the ARCA program while doing research for a Museum Studies course; it was about different organizations that were attempting to curb art crime. After reading about ARCA I knew it was something I wanted to be involved with. I have been looking into and researching the program over a year before I was eligible to apply! I have never studied abroad before so the fact that this program happened to be in Amelia will offer me an ever more unforgettable experience!

One aspect of art crime and cultural heritage protection that I find interesting is museum security. Throughout history (and especially in these hard economic times) valuable artifacts are preyed upon by many people involved with the criminal element; not just those who appreciate them for their cultural worth. Because of this, there is an ever increasing need to scrutinize museum security to preserve art and the integrity of legitimate works.

One of my favorite periods of art is the Dutch Golden Age! There were so many genres encompassing this period ranging from beautiful landscapes to multiple styles of portraiture. I especially love the banquet pieces produced at this time. They are full of so much symbolism- both obvious and obscure so they are fun to decipher. I like anything Baroque! One of my favorite pieces is Bernini's baldacchino in Saint Peter's Basilica.

I traveled to Italy once before when I was 16. It was on a very strict and guided tour which really took away the sense of adventure. In Amelia I hope to experience living the Italian lifestyle! I want to try to visit as many museums as possible and become acquainted with Italy at a more leisurely pace. My first trip to Italy was really just to get a taste of the popular tourist destinations. Hopefully now I will be able to venture to some smaller, lesser known places.

I love playing my guitar and singing! I also play a bit of percussion and saxophone. I have been listening to a lot of Italian music to help keep up with the language skills. This way I can communicate with the locals in Italian as much as possible!