Columbus Citizens Foundation wraps fresco training for scholarship students

Columbus Citizens Foundation completed a 10-day fresco painting course in New York for scholarship recipients, led by Italian master artists and backed by the Ladies Auxiliary. The program blended hands-on technique with cultural preservation and is expected to culminate in a triptych display at the Italian American Museum of New York.

Why it matters: - The program gave scholarship recipients direct access to a centuries-old Italian art form that is fading with the decline of traditional artisan workshops. - The course linked skills training with cultural preservation, helping emerging artists learn techniques that are difficult to pass on outside a studio setting. - The initiative reinforced the Columbus Citizens Foundation’s role in Italian American education, heritage and scholarship support.

What happened: - Columbus Citizens Foundation ran the “Legenda Major” Artistic-Painting Training Course from July 7 through July 17, 2026, in New York. - The Ladies Auxiliary underwrote the program and supported the Foundation’s mission. - Selected scholarship recipients took part in the immersive fresco painting course. - Italian art master Claudia Nodari of Studio ATMOSPHERE led the program with Alessandro Tortelli and an artistic team from Brescia and Matera.

The details: - The curriculum covered fresco history and its connection to Giotto and the life of St. Francis. - Students prepared arriccio and plaster layers, transferred drawings, ground pigments, practiced brushwork and shading, and completed finishing and retouching exercises. - The course also included gilding practice with simulated gold leaf. - Participants received personalized material kits, bilingual resources and daily handouts. - The studio setting was designed to mirror a professional training environment while introducing fresco as both a craft and an expressive art form. - Members of the Ladies Auxiliary, CCF members, guests and representatives of Italian and Italian American cultural and educational institutions visited during the two-week program. - The course also drew media attention through appearances and interviews involving Claudia Nodari and Alessia Pintossi.

Between the lines: - The program was framed as more than an art class; it was a response to concern that specialized artisanal knowledge in Italy could be lost. - Nodari’s teaching emphasized passing craftsmanship to younger generations as a cultural responsibility. - The emphasis on bilingual materials, ceremony and public visits suggests the Foundation wanted the course to function as both instruction and community engagement. - The final triptych reflects collaboration among participants, instructors and maestro Giuseppe Ponzanelli, underscoring the communal nature of the project.

What's next: - The assembled participant panels are expected to be exhibited at the Italian American Museum of New York. - The Foundation is likely to continue using scholarship and cultural programming to connect young artists with Italian heritage. - Opening and closing ceremonies, along with music and performances by Alessia Pintossi and Jared Seaver Marmo, signaled the program’s public-facing celebration of the work.

The bottom line: - The “Legenda Major” course used hands-on fresco training to preserve Italian artistic tradition while giving scholarship students a practical, high-touch cultural experience.