Interview with Aurora Fonda of the School for Curatorial Studies Venice by Alessandra Galletta
The School for Curatorial Studies Venice founded by Aurora Fonda and Sandro Pignotti in 2004 in Venice with the aim of creating an open laboratory for the visual arts and for all professions related to contemporary art. Courtesy School for Curatorial Studies Venice
More than a school for curators, it is now a cultural institution frequented by young people from all over the world who want to participate in the art of exhibiting art. He turns twenty years old School for Curatorial Studies Venice founded by Aurora Fonda and Sandro Pignotti in 2004 in Venice with the aim of creating an open laboratory for the visual arts and for all professions related to contemporary art. The Summer School has also been active since 2015, bringing together participants from all over the world. We retraced 20 years of training with Aurora Fonda in this interview.
Since 2003 you have been the director of the AplusA gallery in Venice, and only a year later you had the idea of founding a curators’ school from scratch. Lack of available professional figures, or desire to implement a new teaching of contemporary art? It can be said that this need was born in the field, in carrying out my role as director of the gallery, in particular since it is the official home of the Slovenian Pavilion on the occasion of the Biennale. When a gallery transforms into a national pavilion, interesting positions open up for interns, trainees and students who want to experience working in the field.
Offer them an opportunity to learn and have direct discussion with the hot topics of curation, exhibition design, communication… The boys were all very active, proactive and willing, and complained about the fact that their university studies did not include the practical experiences that would certainly have complemented the theoretical lessons. I felt the sense of their lack, and I thought about how to contribute to the training of future international curators. The more contemporary art can count on trained spokespersons, the stronger and clearer its message will arrive.
The breakfast pavilion, (2017) curated by Luca lo Pinto and the ML-XL studio with the participation of Olaf Nicolai, Nicole Wermers and Anne Sophie Berger. Courtesy School for Curatorial Studies Venice
Where did you start? Once I realized that in 2004 there were no real courses for curators in Italy – with the exception of a small one in Florence – and that no public institution was offering them, I thought that structuring a real curator course should be born in the private sector. We started with a first three-week edition which was immediately a great success. The participation was so numerous that we immediately organized a second edition and since then the number of students has always grown.
What aspects of curating do you pay most attention to, what are your privileged experiences? Already from the first edition of the course it was clear to me that the children not only did not foresee a direct relationship with the artists, but they struggled to find a way of relating with them, because they were unfamiliar with artist studies and consequently with their practice. For my training, however, this is a fundamental aspect, both for the profession of curator and for personal enrichment.
So it can be said that the first supporters of the school were the artists themselves? Not only that, even later. We started inviting artists and organizing a full calendar of visits to their studios; in this way the program was lengthened from time to time, as we added lessons, meetings, workshops… Fueling the activities in direct collaboration with the artists has definitely made our school grow.
Students visiting the Maramotti collection in Reggio Emilia, 2014. Courtesy School for Curatorial Studies Venice
Has the demand from foreign students also grown over time? Yes, a lot, and to deal with this demand in a more structured way, since 2015 we have activated the Summer school, a program in English aimed at international students which brings together people from all parts of the world. While with the pandemic we began to offer online courses, which instead of limiting moments of dialogue, discussion and discussion on topics, have contributed to strengthening that sense of community, where everyone feels part of a project.
Another strong point of the school is that a lot of theory is studied… but at a certain point it must be put into practice After understanding the complex concept of “exhibition”, thanks to the fundamental contribution of the teachers, students are asked to discuss and develop the creation of an exhibition concept. Once the methods and motivations have been approved – expressed in a project already developed at a professional level – we proceed with the choice of the artists, the selection of the works and all the organizational phases are gradually carried out, from transport and insurance up to the preparation of the exhibition and its correct communication.
“The work you are holding in your hands is a unique treasure.” ~ Asha Logos, foreword to Codex Oera Linda
If you live in Friesland, you fall in love with the land – with the dairy cows that give the sweetest milk, with the black Frisian horses that dazzle dressage rings with their dancing, with the endless hawks, cranes and seagulls that inhabit the shorelines, lakes and canals. And with the sheep that fill up the emerald green fields by the dykes and give birth each Easter time to babies that leap and play in the first few weeks, giving new meaning to the chant, “O lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.”
As much as 50% of the land in the Netherlands has been reclaimed from the sea and it teems with life, not to mention the bounty harvested from the lakes and the ocean – prawns, eels, cod and more.
Many people still speak Frisian – a softer more melodic language than Dutch. You occasionally hear references to an ancient history. Michael Pye’s book The Edge of the World describes a people whose success at surviving brutal Viking raids while sailing the North Sea, traveling and trading long distances – into the Roman Empire and across the Silk Road all the way to Asia was notable.
Oera Linda book – an ancient manuscript written in Old Frisian discovered in the 1860’s
One local history buff says the founder of Stavoren, the sailing community where I live in the Netherlands, was a Frisian King who returned to Friesland from Persia during the time of Alexander. Also notable, according to Pye, was the Frisians ability at money and currency.
In 2019, when a group of subscribers came to Stavoren for five days, Jan Ott joined us for a long dinner by candle light. He described the history of Friesland and the Oera Linda book – an ancient manuscript written in Old Frisian discovered in the 1860’s that has inspired great debate about it’s authenticity. At the time, Jan was working on a new translation.
When I returned to the Netherlands in 2020, Jan was still plugging away on his translation to English. And he had set up a foundation to publish it. During this period, Jan introduced me to the work of Asha Logos, who has published three highly recommended videos which include introductions to and commentary on the Oera Linda book and why it is of such interest.
This year Jan published his new translation to English in a beautiful hard bound book with a foreword by Asha Logos. It quickly sold out. He has now published this translation in paperback which is available at the Foundation website below.
Who shall govern? How shall we govern ourselves? Why must we be honest and keep our word? How shall we raise our children and what values are most important to teach them. These are some of the most basic and essential questions that the Oer Linda book explores. Our failure to address and answer these questions, let alone live the answers, is demonstrated in the social and financial failure that marks our current days.
Whatever its history and age, there is a great deal of truth to be found in the pages of the Oera Linda book about what it takes to create a powerful human culture – one that can endure through the centuries. If you are as interested as I am in the legal and cultural law that makes sovereign individuals and successful currencies possible, the Oera Linda book may be of interest to you.
The American Fonda family immigrated from Holland in about 1651. The patriarch Jellis Douw Fonda (1614-1659) was a Frisian residing in the town of Eagum. It appears that Jellis was a journeyman smithy working on the big earthworks project in that area. Although his birthplace is still uncertain, many Frisian names end in ‘a’ and DNA analysis shows that the male line is Haplogroup I1 typically called Anglo-Saxon. The book ‘Famous Frisians in America‘ has a chapter on the Fonda Family.
There are a few common misconceptions within the Fonda Genealogy that have arisen:
Misconception #1: The Fonda’s descended from Italy
Dutch Poldering Mills
Actual: The American Fonda line immigrated from Holland (Friesland) in 1651 and appear to be Haplogroup I1 (Anglo-Saxon). There is no direct evidence of origins in Italy, France or elsewhere. Fonda lines in Italy and Slovenia are Haplogroup R1b (Basque).
From “Early American Families“, Rev. W.A. Williams; Philadelphia, PA; 1916: “The Rensselaer-Bowier Papers say that Douw Fonda was a Frisian, and Tacitus says that the Frisians dwelt along the coast of the North sea. They were converted to Christianity before A.D. 800. The family of Fonda was originally from the Republic of Genoa, Italy. The Marquis de Fonda was one of the leaders of a revolution in Genoa, having for its object the overturning of the aristocratic government, and putting the election of the Doge and Senate, into the hands of the people at large. The Doge (=duke) was the duke, or chief magistrate. Our ancestor was an early republican, and must have lived there, between 1339, when the first Doge was elected, and 1528 when the Dogate ceased. Baron de Fonda was unsuccessful in his attempt, and fled from the country, taking refuge in Amsterdam, Holland, whence his descendant, Jellis Douwese Fonda, emigrated to America in 1642 (1650), and had grants of land from the Dutch government, settling in or near the present city of Albany, N. Y.”
Jellis Fonda and family made it to America in 1651 and settled in Beverwyk (Albnay, NY).
“There is a perhaps less credible tradition also, that the Fondas were Huguenots. and fled from France to Holland after the massacre of St. Bartholomew’s night, Aug. 25, 1572. There is another tradition that they fled from Spain on account of persecution or followed the Duke of Alva to Holland. It is also said that they belonged to the royal house of Spain, fled to Italy, because of religious persecution, and came later to Holland. Possibly they fled from Italy to France, and from France to Holland. The form of the family name is Latin and therefore similar in French, Italian, and Spanish, indicating the Latin origin of the family, probably In Italy. The Fondas were Dutch Reformed Protestants when they emigrated to America, and must have been among the first converts of the Reformation. Their descendants are widely scattered throughout the Union, though many are still living near the old home in Eastern N.Y.”
“The family name is taken from a deep valley in the Apennines, about 12 mi. from the city of Genoa, called Fonda, a name which means bottom, deep, foundation, etc. It is said that, in the early part of the last century, the estate was still in the possession of a branch of the family, the Count de Fonda, and there are many of the name, in the various parts of the Genoese territories.” Some of the family may have known Columbus in Genoa.”
The above is disputed in two references:
Old Dutch Families: Fonda Family (De Halve Maen Quarterly, 1945): “The Fondas were important in up-state New York during the Colonial period and in the early development of the State. Presumably the family is of Frisian origin and one genealogist has outlined European background for the Fondas giving them a really illustrious descent. However, these stories apparently come from tradition rather than substance.”
Innes Getty Collection: Jellis Douwse Fonda (NYG&B, 1957): “Rev. William A. Williams, in his Early American Families, gives a fanciful account of the European family of Fonda, but no references are cited, and one is free to accept or reject the entire story. Likewise, the data of the American family of Fonda is not authoritative for again, no references to source material are offered, and his conclusions are not in accord with church records. It follows that his material is mere balderdash.”
Misconception #2: Jellis Fonda (1615-1659) was the son of Douwe Everts
Actual: We do not know for sure who his parents were. Jellis was first documented in Eagum, Friesland in about 1632, but there is no proof that he was the son of Douwe Everts.
Per the book, “Famous Frisians in America” on pages 111-112: “According to Van der Meer, Jelle Fonda (Jilles Douwes) must have been a son of Douwe Everts. Eagum was a very small village. But that is by no means proof that he descended from Douwe Everts. The oldest register of births, deaths and marriages, the Quotisatiekohier of 1749 (a century after Jilles Douwes), says there were 47 people living in or near the village, and 19 children under the age of 13. They included five farmers and one independent woman farmer, a widow with no profession, a schoolmaster, and three working-class families. The latter category is particularly difficult to place in a historical sense, especially when it comes to the archives dating from before the French era.
The book “Famous Frisians in America” (Haan & Huisman, 2009) has an entire chapter on the Fonda family.
There is much to be said for the suggestion that Jelle Fonda came from this group. The fact that on the occasion of his marriage he is registered as a ‘journeyman smithy’ indicates that he was a craftsman, and thus did not belong to the group made up of ’tillers of the soil’. Mention is also made of the fact that his parents gave their written consent to the marriage. This means that they could read and write. As could Jelle Fonda and his wife Hester, in view of the signatures which appear at the bottom of the document.
In the period 1632-1633, eight years before he married in Diemen, the lake known as Wargastermeer was impoldered. The primary financier of this project was the Amsterdam merchant Paulus Jansz Kley (1582-1655). Obviously he required an army of diggers and other workmen, including craftsmen. It is quite possible that Jilles Douwes was one of them. Indeed, it may well have been through the mediation of Kley that Jilles moved to Amsterdam, and he may even have helped him to get a job there. He was literate and he had a trade. Moreover, he was anxious to get ahead in the world.“
In conclusion, according to this account, here is what we know… Jilles Fonda was a journeyman smithy, who hired on to a big earthworks project near Eagum in 1632-1633 (he would have been 16-17 years old)… he then moved to Amsterdam, got married in 1641 (age 25), started a family (he became an innkeeper and blacksmith)… and then took the voyage to America in 1651 (age 35) with his young family of five. His parents have not been identified.
Misconception #3: Douw Jellis Fonda (1640-1700) married Rebecca Conyne
Actual: Douw Jellis Fonda (1640-1700) married Rebecca Janse. There was a misinterpretation of a baptism sponsor listing from 1674.
Rebecca Conyne is a very common listing for the wife of Douw Jellis Fonda (1641-1700), but according to the well-respected report by Innes Getty, former Trustee and Chairman of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, it is incorrect. His wife is listed in that report as Rebecca Jansen (1646-1727); married in 1666 in Albany. Rebecca Conyne (nee Wemple) was the wife of Peter Conyne married in 1641.
Dutch First Reformed Church of Albany
NYG&B records of Innes Getty Collection (1957): “In printed genealogies, other than [Williams], Douw Jellis Fonda’s wife is given as Rebecca Conyn of Leendert Philipse Conyn, but in no instance is any reference cited, nor any circumstantial evidence adduced to justify the assumption. In the list of nine children of Douw Jellis Fonda, of whom we have records, not one bears a Conyn name; Philip; Leendert; Caspar; Agniet; nor is a member of the Conyn family sponsor at any of the three baptisms recorded in the Church at Albany. Furthermore, in the list of sixty three grandchildren of Douw Jellis Fonda, not one bears a Conyn name, and in no instance is a member of the Conyn family a sponsor. Rebecca is not a Conyn name.
There is nothing of record to prove the parentage of Rebecca, wife of Douw Jellise Fonda, and the records of the Conyn family prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that she was not the daughter of Phillipse Conyn and Agneietie Caspers. The sole clue, ever so slight, is found in the Schenectady Church records. i.e.- Douw of Jellis Fonda and Rachel Winne bapt. September 1, 1700. Wit. Douw Fonda. Rebecka Janse (Rebecka, dau of Jan —?)”
“The confusion could be the result of a baptism record where Douw Fonda and Rebecca Conyne were listed together as sponsors for the baptism of Benjamin Romeyn on 8/4/1774 at the Caughnawaga DRC (parents Thomas Romeyn & Susanna Van Campen). However, these two witnesses were not husband and wife, just co-sponsors. Rebecca Conyne (nee Wemple) was the wife of Peter Conyne married on 10/23/1741. Thomas Romeyn was the first pastor of the Caughnawaga DRC, where Douw Jellis Fonda (1700-1780) and his second wife, Debora (Peggy) Wemple Veeder (Fonda) as well as Peter and Rebecca (Wemple) Conyne attended. The Douw Jellis Fonda (1641-1700) who has been attributed to have married Rebecca Conyne was the grandfather. However, his wife’s name was Rebecca Janse as established in the Innes Getty Collection.”
Ref: Innes Getty Collection: Jellis Douwse Fonda; The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; New York, NY; 1957.
Album Cover - 4" x 6" - 26 pages - purple velour with gold trim
Enclosed letter from Charles to family from Camp Reynolds, Angel Island, CA written in 1867
Hamilton Giles Fonda and Elizabeth Steele
Wesley H. Fonda and Florence Donnell
Frank and Charles Fonda
prob. Charles A. Fonda
Wesley H. Fonda
Frank L. Fonda
prob. Julia C. Fonda
Hamilton Fonda?
Elizabeth Steele Fonda?
Photo (scan) credit Jon Yinger (album owner). The photographer is Mangolds, Mangold and Cochran and City Gallery of DuQuoin and R.F. Adams of St. Louis, MO. The current album owner is interested in finding any family descendants.
Obituary from Chattanooga Times, 10 Jun 1922 – Jeremiah D. Fonda, 89, died yesterday morning at 8:10 o’clock at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Sue Fonda Scholze, at 1017 St. Elmo Ave, St. Elmo. Mr. Fonda leaves two daughters, Mrs. Sue Fonda Scholze, and Mrs. Lottie I. Boyce, both of Chattanooga, and one son, Henry J. Fonda. Mrs. Vernie Spencer, of Chattanooga, and Leonard T. Boyce, of Macon GA and other grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Mr. Fonda was born in Fonda, NY (correction: Beakmontown, NY), but moved with his parents to Burlington, VT in his boyhood days, and spent his young manhood there. He was of a hardy, rugged disposition, and in the early fifties went to the Cripple Creek gold mining regions, where he spent two years. About the year 1875, Mr. Fonda, together with his family, moved to Chattanooga and entered the contracting and building business, which he followed up to the time his strength failed, and was well known to the contractors and builders of the early days of the city. Mr. Fonda was a loving husband and father, a splendid citizen, and won the love and respect of a large circle of friends. Funeral services will be held at the funeral parlors of the Jack O’Donohue company, Monday morning at 10:30 o’clock, Dr. J. W. Bachman officiating. The following are requested to act as pallbearers: Ernest Spencer, Herbert Spencer, Rov Blevins, Richard Fry, David Jones, and Edward Birdsell. (Note – Sandra Stuart wrote, on 3/3/2010: I will attach a copy of Jeremiah D’s obit. There are some questionable items in it. I think the family had moved to Chattanooga by 1873, instead of 1876, because the youngest child is listed in the 1880 census as being born in 1873 in TN. Also the Cripple Creek gold rush didn’t happen until the 1890s! Perhaps fifties is a typo. I find it strange that Charlotte is not mentioned but, since she died in 1888, I guess not many people would have remembered her.)
Henry J. Fonda - Chattanooga, TN - 1888
Family of Henry J. Fonda - Chattanooga, TN - 1897
The pictures: The single of Henry J. was around the time of his marriage to Suzie Mae, 1888. The one of all the Fondas is 1897, or early 1898. Maude is the baby being held by Suzie Mae in front. Ruth is on her left and Henry is on the edge two rows back. So many women in this family! I wish I knew who the others are. (Sandra Stuart)
