This June, Magazzino Italian Art will premiere the 5th iteration of its annual film series, Cinema in Piazza, presented in partnership with the Cold Spring Film Society and Artecinema. We are excited to welcome guests back to the museum’s central courtyard to enjoy light refreshments, engaging panel discussions, and a selection of film screenings.
On the evening of Friday, June 17, 2022 we will be screening Melissa McGill: Red Regatta. This film by Venetian filmmaker Giovanni Pellegrini follows artist Melissa McGill’s independent public art project, Red Regatta, which was presented in collaboration with Associazione Vela al Terzo Venezia and co-organized by Magazzino Italian Art, curated by Chiara Spangaro with project manager Marcella Ferrari and support from Mazzoleni.
From May-September 2019, Red Regatta activated Venice’s lagoon and canals with four large-scale regattas of traditional vela al terzo sailboats hoisted with hand-painted red sails to celebrate the city’s maritime history and call attention to the forces of climate change and mass tourism that threaten its future. The screening will be followed by a Q+A with the artist Melissa McGill and Magazzino’s Curatorial and Programming Assistant, Chiara Mannarino.
In conjunction with the film screening, there will be a book launch of the 200-page volume, Red Regatta. Designed by Beatriz Cifuentes of New York studio Waterhouse Cifuentes Design, the book includes 250 color photographs, and features McGill’s personal reflections on the making of Red Regatta, including essays by Chiara Spangaro tracing the artist’s body of work and by Silvio Testa, who reveals the secrets and history of the vela al terzo tradition in the lagoon. Red Regatta’s collaborating sailors share their testimonies, collectively expressing passionate dedication to their Venetian family legacies, their city’s history, and the lagoon, with respect and love for their unique and delicate environment, and their hopes for the future.