Hartford Art School’s associate dean of finance and administration Robert Calafiore is engaged in many activities, including toggling his administration duties with his commitment to teaching and cultivating his own artistic practice. Many HAS faculty and staff strike this delicate dance as well, weaving their own creative pursuits and their commitment to nurturing students’ growth and passions. As creatives, HAS faculty and staff know the importance of life-long creativity. Acts of creativity help unlock innovation, and adds richness, purpose, and meaning, and this is all found within the hallways of HAS and beyond.
A little further afield from the Hartford Art School campus, Calafiore infused some of his creativity and knowledge in a recent artist in residency at Kingswood Oxford school. Through the generous underwriting of the Goodman Banks Visiting Artists Fund, Calafiore was invited as Artist in Residence, which included conducting workshops with Upper and Middle School students, as well giving as a public lecture to the school community. He invited students to use pinhole cameras, with the students themselves as the subjects of the photography.
While Calafiore has a wealth of experience to share, his origins are rather humble, which provide a relatable quality to some, and make his achievements even more impressive. As a first-generation American, Calafiore was the first to attend college. Following his BA degree in photography from the Hartford Art School, he went on to receive a MFA in photography from the State University of New York in Buffalo. His work has been exhibited extensively, both nationally and internationally. He is represented by ClampArt Gallery in New York City and Kozlow Larson Gallery in Houston, among others. Recent highlights include being named the Second Sight Award winner at the Photo Fair in San Francisco and being featured at the Medium Festival of Photography in San Diego. His photography is held in private collections and museums across the country, including the New Britain Museum of American Art.
In reflecting back on the residency, a highlight for Calafiore was the public lecture to the entire school’s students and staff and faculty, making it about 600 people. “I found the experience to be rather unique and entirely rewarding. The most striking part for me was the cross disciplinary approach to teaching, and how every area of the school was engaged from the sciences to athletics and everything in between” says Calafiore. He also cited some similarities to this interdisciplinary approach and community engagement, which is found at the Hartford Art School and the University of Hartford. For Calafiore, the residency program left him feeling grateful and reiterated how much HAS is incredibly meaningful for so many. The Kingswood Oxford residency is “very remarkable, and similar to those visiting artist resources we are fortunate to have at the Hartford Art School.”
A full article about Calafiore and his residency as the 2024 Goodman Banks Artist in Residence can be found here.