

An alternative reality
Inside the mind of Leonora Carrington By Margie MacKinnon Originally published in RESTORATION CONVERSATIONS magazine SPRING/SUMMER, Issue 9 Courtesy of the Freud Museum London. Artworks © 2026 Estate of Leonora Carrington / ARS, NY and DACS, London. Ph. © Lewis Ronald In 1938, the English author and artist Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) was living an idyllic life with her lover, the Surrealist painter Max Ernst (1891–1976) in Saint-Martin d’Ardèche in the south of France. Leo


Album: Alii Horti Dance Performance and Grant. From the archive to the garden stage
Photographers Viola Parrietti and Marco Berni immortalise the 'Alii Horti' outdoor dance events at Villa La Pietra and Villa La Quiete in Florence on June 29 and July 2 2026. Enjoy highlights from this all-female, student-led performance conceived by Il Palmerino Cultural Association through a grant from the Calliope Arts Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Florence's museum circuit (SMA) and NYU's Villa La Pietra as part of the Estate Fiorentina 2026 programm


A chance encounter with Juana Romani
In the article 'Sweet dreams and tragic heroines' Federica Parretti explores World Fair sweetheart, Juana Romani, portraitist and model. Originally published in RESTORATION CONVERSATIONS magazine SPRING/SUMMER, Issue 9 By Federica Parretti Juana Romani, La fille de Théodora, 1892–1893. Private collection. Source: Wikipedia My partner Stefano and I happened upon painter Juana Romani unexpectedly. We were traveling from Paris to the Normandy coast, after Covid-related travel r


DANCE PERFORMANCE: Alii Horti II. From Archive to Garden Stage
Alii Horti I, dance performance grant at Villa La Pietra, ph. Viola Parretti Join Calliope Arts and Associazione Culturale Il Palmerino for the performance 'Alii Horti II' at 5.45pm on July 2, at Villa La Quiete (Via di Boldrone 2), Florence. 'Alii Horti II: From Archive to Garden' is an all-female, student-led dance performance conceived by Associazione Il Palmerino through a grant from the Calliope Arts Foundation. Choreographed by Sophie Robinson (University of Toronto), i


Blue prints: Anna Atkins’ Cyanotype Impressions
"As a skilled botanical illustrator, Anna was part of a largely invisible community of women whose significant contributions to scientific advancement have gone mostly unnoticed." By Margie MacKinnon Originally published in RESTORATION CONVERSATIONS magazine SPRING/SUMMER, Issue 9 Anna Atkins, Carix (America), c. 1848-1853, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, New York In 1842, scientist John Herschel coined the term ‘cyanotype’ to d


The Illusion of Time: Major retrospectives for photographer Ruth Orkin
Until July 2026, the retrospective exhibition Ruth Orkin: The Illusion of Time is on show in Bologna’s Palazzo Pallavicini, following major European exhibitions over the last five years, in France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary and several other stops in Italy. By Linda Falcone Originally published in RESTORATION CONVERSATIONS magazine ISSUE 9 SPRING/ SUMMER 2026 Ruth Orkin, Jinx and Justin in MG, Florence, Italy, 1951, courtesy of © Ruth Orkin Photo Archive This interview begins
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