Author Archives

Jim Lentini: Dean, Composer, Guitarist

by Helen Vilis on Aug 23, 2011 (0) Comments

James Lentini – Dean and Professor of Music at the nationally recognized School of Fine Arts of Miami University – is not only an accomplished administrator whose efforts to facilitate arts and culture resulted in a 2010 endowments of in excess of $15 million from the For Love and Honor campaign. James Lentini is also […]

Profession of Conservator: Honor the Artist’s Wishes

by Helen Vilis on Aug 22, 2011 (0) Comments

Restoration, as a profession emerged in medieval times when owners of private art collections wanted to keep their art objects in a pristine condition. The main mission of a restorer was to maintain the fine appearance of paintings, sculptures and decorative items. Often done in preparation for sale, the principal goal of restoration today is […]

A Labor of Love

by Helen Vilis on Jul 27, 2011 (0) Comments

Unlike most modern mega-bookstores, small locally owned shops tend to reflect the character and personalities of their owners. Perhaps that’s why a great urban store – a place whose shelves sag with a remarkable selection of high-quality reading materials, maps, prints, collections of art and often hard-to-find antique volumes, presided over by people of encyclopedic […]

Rebecca Weller Transformation of Velatura

by Helen Vilis on Jul 27, 2011 (0) Comments

Employed with a mixture of translucent glazes and thin opaque veils over a solid layer of dry paint, velatura painting technique was first explored during the Renaissance and was most famously used by both Titan and Velazquez. The method of manipulating with underlying layers was applied to reduce the risk of oil paint cracking. In […]

Ixi Chen Clarinetist and Educator

by Helen Vilis on Jul 08, 2011 (0) Comments

Belgium. 1999. “I would like to come and play for you, and maybe I could study in school where you teach,” Ixi Chen, a young American clarinet player, was on the phone with her childhood idol Sabine Meyer, German clarinetist, one of the most outstanding soloists of our time. Two weeks later with a little […]

Rick Pender Invites You to Go to the Theater

by Helen Vilis on Jul 02, 2011 (0) Comments

“…I feel my role as a critic here in Cincinnati is to write about theater in a way that makes people want to go to the theater. I try to extrapolate an important fact or meaning from the show, write something interesting and give a frame of reference why this is an important work beyond […]

Germany’s Medieval Miracle

by Helen Vilis on Jul 01, 2011 (0) Comments

The city of Regensburg rests at the scenic point where the river Regen runs into the Danube. Germany’s only surviving medieval city remarkably intact over time holds 2000 years of historical legacy. Settled around fifth century BC by the Celtics as Radasbona, established by the Romans in 179 AD as Castra Regina, and designated as […]

Driehaus Museum: A Chicago Historic Landmark

by Helen Vilis on May 05, 2011 (0) Comments

…a private home which, better than any other possible selection, may stand as a representative of the new impulse now felt in national life… Edward Strahan, Mr.Vanderbilt’s House and Collection, 1883 The Samuel M. Nickerson House survives as one of the few remaining examples of the palatial homes erected by the wealthy of America’s Gilded […]