One word a week

Every week the Palazzo Strozzi newsletter reveals a word or term linked to the artists and works on display in the American Art 1961-2001 exhibition, creating an original glossary to explore themes and connections.

To tie in with the American Art 1961-2001 exhibition, the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, in conjunction with Florence University’s SAGAS (History, Archaeology, Geography, Art, Performance Arts) Department, has developed a project entitled One word a Week, a formative experience for 14 girl students taking the master’s degree course in art history designed to create an on-line glossary enabling all of Palazzo Strozzi’s visitors to explore the exhibition in greater depth.

In the course of a series of remote encounters (October 2020–February 2021) the students explored the works, artists and themes of the American Art 1961-2001 exhibition, analysed the communication materials used by Palazzo Strozzi (explanatory panels, captions, timelines, family texts) and selected 14 key words for exploring the show in greater depth with the intention of making a number of concepts that recur in 20th century art accessible to all. In drafting the glossary, they alternated independent writing sessions and moments of collective revision, with the aim of clearly illustrating the various phases that lead to the drafting of a text.

Each entry in the glossary corresponds to a room in the exhibition, explains a term and sets it in context in relation to the work of the artists on display in the exhibition. Students involved in the project: Lida Artusio, Veronica Betti, Chiara Ciagli, Irene D’amato, Alessia D’Annunzio, Gioia Dipaola, Evelyn Monia Ferro, Francesca La Rocca, Sonia Luppi, Cristina Marcelli, Camilla Marruganti, Francesca Pinna, Caterina Vagniluca and Federica Valleise.

Photos: American Art 1961-2001, exhibition view, Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze, 2021. © photo Ela Bialkowska, OKNOstudio
Cover: Lorna Simpson, Wigs (portfolio) (det.), 1994, Minneapolis, Walker Art Center. © Lorna Simpson. Courtesy the artist and the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis