RI Photographer Susan Duca Opens Exhibit at Newport Art Museum

Email to a friend Permalink

Thursday, March 24, 2011

GoLocalProv Lifestyle Team

Nearly a decade ago, Newport-based photographer Susan Duca turned a corner on a street in Florence, Italy only to discover the cacophony and joy of school children frocking on the grounds of the Scuola-Città Pestalozzi. Inspired by what she describes as a scene reminiscent of a Fellini film, Duca whipped out her camera to capture the moments. From that serendipitous encounter blossomed the project, her most recent Stop. Run. Play., which opens at the Newport Art Museum tomorrow evening.

Through the Years

For eight years, Duca returned to the school in Florence, capturing the children as they played, as they grew and as they matured. The Newport Art Museum exhibit, which opens on one of the museum’s “4th Friday” nights, a monthly after-hours art and live music event from 6-9pm, includes more than 40 stolen moments all shot on film. “I alternated between a spontaneous plastic Holga camera and a precise Rolleiflex, and shifted from classroom to play time,” she describes. To help fund the exhibit, Duca turned to Kickstarter.com, the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world.

International Reach

Stop.Run.Play. will be on exhibit from March 25 - May 15, 2011. For Duca, the undertaking kindled memories of her own childhood, when schoolyard play was more free-wheeling. "My goal was to capture their spirit. The children told the story; I followed a memory," says Duca. In June, Stop. Run. Play travels to Scuola-Città Pestalozzi in Florence, Italy, where the inspiration began.

Duca will speak about her work during an informal gallery talk on Newport Gallery Night, Thursday, May 12 at 5:30 pm. Free. The Museum is open from 5 - 8 pm on Gallery Night and admission is free.

To Go

Admission: $10 adults; $8 seniors; $6 Military and students with valid ID; Museum members and children under 5: no charge. By donation Saturday from 10 am to noon. Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday 12-5pm.

If you valued this article, please LIKE GoLocalProv.com on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.