The Art of Italian Printmaking:
From Renaissance to Contemporary
Friday, October 16 | 6:30PM
MORRIS J. WOSK CENTRE FOR DIALOGUE
Room 320
580 W Hastings St | Vancouver, BC
FREE ADMISSION | REGISTRATION REQUIRED
CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS AND TO REGISTER
Join us for an evening of show-and-tell about the fascinating art of Italian printmaking.
Meet master Italian printer Giancarlo Busato and learn about the artisan workshop in Vicenza where centuries-old techniques and traditions continue to flourish. Discover the world of Aldus Manutius, a pioneer of printing and publishing in Renaissance Italy, and hear from SFU experts about the magnificent Wosk-McDonald Aldine Collection housed in the university’s library.
Finally, listen to how students of Italian in SFU’s World Languages and Literatures Department are blending language study and printmaking in the classroom today.
Art exhibit to follow.
This event is part of the 26th annual edition of the Week of Italian Language in the World. This year’s theme is “Brilliant Language: Conceiving, Designing and Creating with Italian.”
Co-presented by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada West, the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Toronto, Graduate Liberal Studies, Simon Fraser University, the Master of Publishing Program, Simon Fraser University and the Department of World Languages and Literatures, Simon Fraser University.
Alessandra Bordini | SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholar and SFU Interdisciplinary Studies PhD student
Alessandra Bordini’s research encompasses publishing studies, book history, Italian Renaissance history, and the digital humanities. She is particularly interested in digital curation and design for rare book collections and in the relationship between humanism and print culture in Renaissance Italy, with a focus on the early history of Venice’s Aldine Press. Alessandra holds a Master of Publishing from SFU and a Master of Arts in Translation Studies from the University of Siena (Italy).
Giancarlo Busato | Printmaker – Vicenza, Italy
Giancarlo Busato is a master printer trained in the traditional letterpress techniques of Italian printmaking. Heir to the family workshop established in 1946, he continues the traditions passed down by his grandfather and father in his artisan workshop in Vicenza. Busato’s craft centres on hand-set type, hand-inked plates, and the physical processes that have defined Italian printing for centuries. This work treats printing not as a lost art, but as a living one.
Sonia Del Torto | Sessional Instructor, SFU World Languages and Literatures and School Administrator and Teaching Coordinator at La Scuola
Sonia Del Torto is a Sessional Instructor in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Simon Fraser University and School Administrator and Teaching Coordinator at La Scuola. At La Scuola she oversees educational strategy and curriculum development, designs and delivers educational programs, and coordinates and mentors a team of instructors . She has taught Italian in Vancouver since 2018 across university and private language-school settings, with a focus on language education, curriculum development, and Italian culture. She holds a Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Protection of Human Rights and has a professional background in project management, community development, and intercultural education.
John W Maxwell | Associate Professor of Publishing, Simon Fraser University
John W Maxwell’s research has focused on the past and future of publication technologies, the history of computing, and the evolution of scholarly communication. His teaching runs the gamut from practical digital publishing tools and techniques to cultural criticism of the publishing industries, and most recently to the early histories of print technology.
Vlad Vintila | Senior Lecturer and Dino de Poli Endowment Chair in Italian Studies, SFU World Languages and Literatures
Dr. Vlad Vintila is Senior Lecturer and Dino de Poli Endowment Chair in Italian Studies in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Simon Fraser University. His interests include language acquisition, Italian culture, literature, and history with a focus on the late medieval and Renaissance period (Dante, Boccaccio, Ariosto). He teaches courses in Italian language, culture and literature, as well as in World Literature and History.