by Maureen | Jun 30, 2009 | Featured Articles, People
The opening of NABA’s Summer Session! The campus is abuzz with the anticipation of 85 new students here for two- and four-week programs. They will study Fashion, Graphics, Photography, Interiors and Product Design. They will volley their ideas across the courtyards. NABA students will collaborate in their classrooms, chat over lunches and take their curiosity out into the city. They will mine Milano for all the sustenance and inspiration it offers.
The vitality and energy of this community adds a charge to the air. There is palpable, creative expression around campus. Faculty members bring their passions to the classrooms and staff share the enthusiasm.
For those ardent students, relentless in their desires to learn from everyone and everything around them, how could there be a richer sweet spot to occupy? NABA feeds the voracious student.
1st Session:
June 29th to July 10th
Introduction Level
Introduction to Interior Design
Introduction to Product Design
Introduction to Graphic Design
Introduction to Fashion Design
Introduction to Fashion Marketing
Introduction to Fashion Styling
Introduction to Fashion Accessories
Intermediate Level
From Haute Couture to Pret-a-Porter: Paris/Milan
Lighting Design Studio
Landscape Architecture Studio
Advanced Level
Costume Decoration and Painting
Each student received a “Welcome Bag” filled with an International Student’s Guide, maps, schedules and student resources.
2nd Session:
July 14th to July 24th
Intermediate Level
Interior Design Studio
Product Design Studio
Fashion Styling Studio
Fashion Accessories Design Studio
Fashion Journalism Studio
Fashion Merchandising Studio
Fashion Photography Studio
Fashion Textiles and Fibres Studio
Graphic Art Design for Fashion Studio
Photography and the Moving Image Studio
Advanced Level
Jewellery Design for Costumes
4-week session:
June 29th to July 24th
Advanced Level
Digital Set Design
4-week session:
June 22nd to July 3rd
Advanced level course in Theatre Lighting Design
NABA students gather for the Welcome & Orientation Presentation.
Students were oriented to the school, its services and surroundings and the City of Milano.
Luca Buttafava, NABA Special Programs Coordinator, along with other faculty and staff, encouraged students to embrace the richness offered here in Milano, and charged them with the excitement of design.
Students were hosted at an end-of-the-first-day “Apperitivi”, a casual mingling party with food and drinks so the students could get to know one another.
A group of students from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, enjoy the apperitivi party hosted by NABA.
by Maureen | Jun 28, 2009 | Canals, Discoveries, Featured Articles
“Bici“, (bee-chee) short for “bicicletta“: bicycle! I borrowed a bike and have been for a couple of rides south from Milano down the Naviglio Pavese canal. It’s a nice straight shot used by lots of other bikers, both serious and casual. Decked-out cyclists, leathery tan from habitual riding in Italy’s sun, clustered in speedy packs, must have all been in their 60s and 70s. They were in contrast to the couples and families out for an easy Sunday stroll on wheels.
In some places it’s one lane, shared with cars; on other stretches, it’s bikes only. The canal fronts warehouses, apartments and office buildings…wheat, rice and corn fields and p-patch gardens. Quite a mix and it all makes for a pleasant ride. I saw a few p-patch cats at the path-side, and geese nesting in the tall grass along the edges. When seeing the intensely-green rice fields, I flashed back to being in the China countryside! Some of the scents were similar, too.
There are locks along the canal, and a very occasional boat. I saw these two twin boats heading up-current and wondered what-the-heck kind of boats those are! Any ideas? (Further north, in town, a few tour boats make short runs, and there are also some restaurant barges.)
Peering down into the aerated water just below one falls, there were big schools of big fish. A foot and a half long? I was told they were related to carp, but they had a pretty streamlined silhouette from above. The water is fairly shallow and murky for the most part, so it does seem like carpy habitat.
It felt good to ride. Good to get my heart rate up, get some exercise and fresh air, and see the surrounding area. Nice to know that the canal road/path is just a block away from my apartment and an easy-out-the-door!
by Maureen | Jun 21, 2009 | Introspection, Journal
The 10-foot high French doors are wide open. (Are they called “Italian doors” since we’re in Italy?) We had a long, strong rain last night and the air is cool. The sky is blue. Someone in an apartment that faces this courtyard has the stereo playing Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World” and other American oldies that include the likes of Glenn Miller.
There are the sounds of an easy weekend morning: The tick of the gas range lighting; dishes pulled from cupboards for a meal; a not-well competing radio program. Occasionally, there is traffic noise, but surprisingly (and thankfully) it doesn’t color the sound here much. Air conditioning units add their hum, and above and beyond it all, I do hear the birds singing, here in the middle of Milano.
by Maureen | Jun 19, 2009 | Featured Articles, Photo of the Day
Wandering around Milano yesterday, not far from the duomo, I turned into the old, enclosed Piazza dei Mercanti. I was struck by this incredible staircase and think it’s simply a construction staircase for workers, as it looks like the building is under renovation.
by Maureen | Jun 19, 2009 | Food!, Journal, Meals
Sono qui! Sono arrivata a Milano!
I’m here! I’ve arrived in Milano!
My plane got in yesterday morning at about 8:30. I found the ticket office for the Malpensa Express train from the airport to the center of town and took the 40-minute ride to Cadorna station. From there, I went to my new home in Milano enjoying and marveling at the familiarity of the streets along the way. I knew where I was! How cool is that!
This fabulous apartment is just one block north of the apartment I had for two weeks last summer, and just a few blocks’ walk to the school, NABA. So I know where the grocery stores are, and the nearest subway station, 4 blocks away. On the nearest street corner is the place where I bought bottled water. Another block away is the “bar” where the guy custom-made me a tosto for breakfast because I didn’t want a Nutella-filled pastry. He took two slices of bread, some prosciutto and formaggio and cooked it for me: a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. (Gotta start the day with some protein, not sugar!)
The first groceries join a few other things left behind. Where did the “America’s Choice” Vinegar come from?!
The first quick trip to the grocery store filled my bags with tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta, pesto, grated hard cheese, acqua frizzante (sparkling water), butter lettuce, pears, lean pork, fresh mozzarella. Some white and red wine was already here waiting for me.
I puttered around the apartment for a while. Succumbed to the urge for a long nap. Awoke and cooked a bite to eat, then unpacked my bags and settled in. I’m here. I’m home.
