Woodstock School of Art
Staats Fasoldt
I sipped my coffee as I listened to Adam Weiss talk about Italy. We
were sitting in a large white room, in what was once John Pikeąs home.
My ears were popping in sympathetic rhythm to the chewing of a woman
sitting next to me. I was just getting over a cold; she was eating a
muffin. John Pike was a watercolorist, very important in the 1940ąs,
and a Woodstock legend. I began my own watercolor painting career many
years ago using one of his books, and I got to meet him once near the
end of his life. It was a real pleasure for me to be sitting there
soaking up his presence.
Adam bought the house 17 years ago and slowly moved his family up from
the city, first as weekenders and now full time residents. A tall and
handsome fellow, full of crackling energy, he was talking about an
experience he had in Umbria --- a festival he attended with his son,
called the Vinarelli. This was an ancient harvest festival celebrated
in the hill towns during the ripening of the grapes. The communities
would gather for a feast and drink new wine made from the new harvest.
One particular twist to this celebration was the invitation of local
artists to attend, and after dinner, paint pictures with the local wine
as their medium. Adam got involved in this and had such a great time it
truly captured his imagination.
łYou see what fun it was Staats...I want to recreate this festival in
Woodstock, at the Woodstock School of Art,˛ Adam said. ˛Picture a
beautiful August evening under the stars at the school, a sumptuous
sit-down dinner with the freshest foods and the best Hudson Valley
wines, served by a professional staff and cooked by Chef Gianni
Scappin, an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America. After we
eat, the artists will paint watercolors with the valleyąs best wines
and we will auction them off as a fund raiser for
the School.˛
łJeez Adam,˛ I said,˛ this is pure genius. This Chef from the Culinary,
you can really get him to do it?˛
łSure,˛ said Adam˛ Iąve already asked him. And with my experience in
the food service industry, I can put together a dinner people will
remember for years.˛
łCount me in Adam. This is a really great idea...but the name
Vinarelli...thatąs awfully...you know...European. I think for America
we should shape it a bit, for the locals...how about...how
aboutŠVinaroony!˛
łNo Staats.ł Adam said sternly. ˛The Vinarelli is a classic festival,
we should keep it classy...no goofy Vinaroony.˛
Adam could be quite parental when he wanted.˛ Ok,˛ I said, ˛but you
know Iąm the President of the Alumni Association at The Woodstock
School of Art. What can we do for the Alumni? Can we give them a
discount?˛
łNo Staats, this will be a fund raiser for the School, and the Alumni
in particular will see the value in this." He was beginning to remind
me of my father.
łAdam,˛ I said, ˛after our Alumni events we usually go to the big deep
for naked swimming. Can we do that after the Vinarelli?˛
Adam looked away thinking; I could see he was trying to compose
himself. łStaats, we want this to be a dignified and elegant event. Is
there someone else at the Art School I could talk to, perhaps that nice
Paula Nelson?˛
łSure Adam.˛ I blew my nose with a loud honk which rattled John Pike's
storm windows and echoed into the woods beyond.
Coming August 19thŠThe Woodstock Vinarelli!
you won't need a swim suit
