of editorial illustration 2017-2018 10th Edition
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ARS IN FABULA THE PICTURE BOOK ACADEMY Specialized in the publishing sector of the picture book for children and young people, the school of Macerata has been the professional launching pad for many young talents. Andersen Award 2011 for training.
The children sector occupies for a long time a role of primary importance in the publishing field and has experienced a strong expansion in the last ten years. The illustrator who deals with this area is a professional who must have specific knowledge and
skills. Narrative, organizational and management skills must combine with creativity and stylistic originality. Ars in Fabula is the school of illustration specialized in this area.
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The School was born in 2001 in Macerata (Italy) and is hosted in the rooms of Palazzo Compagnoni Marefoschi, one of the most important buildings of the city, work of Luigi Vanvitelli. Ars in Fabula was always concerned with publishing and is acknowledged in this sector for the high level of preparedness of its graduates. Many, indeed, are the professional illustrators who have trained here and who today work internationally, consecrated by the most important trade exhibitions such as the prestigious Illustrators Exhibition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The school has several training offers: the Master in Publishing Illustration is the focal point of the high artistic and vocational training, and has been the real entrance into the labour market for many students with the publication of their first book. Ars in Fabula received the Andersen Award in 2011 for training.
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The cover illustration is by Giorgia Secchi. Thesis project for the publisher ZOOlibri. On the previous page: Front and internal staircase of Palazzo Marefoschi. On this page: Mauro Evangelista. Right: Vault of the loggia with decorative trompe l’oeil by G.Alberti.
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AIF MASTER TAKES TEN YEARS Born in 2008 from an idea of Mauro Evangelista, Italy’s first master for editorial illustration for children and young people arrives this year at its tenth edition.
Creating professional opportunities to get in touch young illustrators and publishers, this was the fundamental concept for developing a training course going beyond school desks. “Ten years are an important milestone. Those are the moments when you stop and think, turning your eyes back to see the way behind. I am reminded of the initially difficulties, to involve so many publishers in a project that seemed somewhat crazy and which was certainly difficult to implement. After about a couple of years of project work, the first edition of the Master could start in the academic year 2008-2009. It was immediately a success and not just for the enjoyment of the students: the educational plan proved to meet the expectations and from the first year came also the first publications of the graduates. This success proved that we were not just dreamers and that trusting young people and create the right opportunities can generate fruits that often are incredible. Today we have lost count of how many publications are born as theses or from other opportunities, always linked to the master. We would, in fact, hold a great exhibition at the end of the tenth course to make the point of this story. What we know, however, is that we have contributed to the
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growth of a new generation of internationally valued professionals. A birthday is also an occasion for greeting and acknowledgements and I hope that this path will still be for many people the opportunity to realize their dreams and I would like to thank the deputy manager Alessandra Sconosciuto, prof. Michela Avi, the partner publishers, the teaching staff and the whole staff, without whom this story would not have been”. Mauro Evangelista Director of Ars in Fabula
Illustration by Alejandro Uscategui, Master thesis project for publisher Orecchio Acerbo.
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THE MASTER IN EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION An advanced training course dedicated to those who want to enter the professional world facing a real editorial commission.
The original course of study designed by Ars in Fabula for the Master was born from the purpose of creating professionals for an important publishing industry that didn’t have in Italy a specific school of higher education. We put students to the test with real editorial boards, guided by high quality teachers. This is the simple and at the same time articulated Formula of Ars in Fabula Master. Articulated because the school has created a dense network of partners which includes thirty publishing houses and every year it works for the selection of book projects, which will be assigned to the course, one per student, managing in this way an editorial staff comparable to that of a publishing house.
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Learning by doing, this is the philosophy of Ars in Fabula Master.
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Each student is guided in his/her own project by professors who are internationally renowned illustrators with behind
even a consolidated teaching experience and from Italian and foreign publishers. The projects assigned by publishers are on original texts, selected for publication, therefore if the student’s work meets the needs of the publisher, the book will be published with the stipulation of a regular contract. There have been many book projects published by the Master in recent years (read the dedicated page) offering to students a real opportunity to express their talent, sure of a simple but successful principle: learning by doing.
On the left: Illustration by Pia Taccone, Master thesis project “Paul et Virginie” by JacquesHenri Bernardin de SaintPierre, new publication 2016 at the Book Fair in Bologna by publisher Eli Readers.
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THE TRAINING PATH OF THE MASTER Duration one year.1500 hours of lessons with leading professionals in the international field in order not to leave your book...in the drawer.
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The one-year course is divided into four modules of alternatively frontal lessons and individual study. It begins on October 16th, 2017 with the first five-weeks frontal module, facing the preparatory phase (led by Paola Parazzoli editor former Rizzoli, Pia Valentinis, Simone Tonucci and Fausta Orecchio publisher Orecchio Acerbo) with exercises on various matters of illustration during the first two weeks. This is a very important step because the Teaching Commission assigns the projects-book to the students based on the
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Deadline of applications for entry: September 14th 2017
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portfolio submitted for selection to the course and the results of the work of these two weeks. The third week is dedicated to publishing issues. The analysis of the texts, that of the authors of the project-book and the study of the catalogue of partner publishers are assigned to Michela Avi Professor of Literature and Illustrations for Children, and to Corrado Rabitti editor of the publishing house Zoolibri. At the end of this week the projects will be assigned.
Illustration by Francesca Pusceddu. Thesis project for publisher Orecchio Acerbo
The next two weeks are “captained” by Pablo Auladell and Joanna Concejo, called to lead the students in the delicate preceding steps of approach to the project. In the second module, of individual study and online classes (with Walter Fochesato, Luigi Dal Cin, Francesca Chessa and Michael Avi), issues related to the narrative through images are addressed, but this is especially the period of the personal experimentation. The student is individually followed with weekly checks and through collective monthly checks by Mauro Evangelista, coordinator teacher for the artistic part and Alessandra Sconosciuto for the editorial one. At the end of the trial we go to the wording of the proposal for the assigned project, which will be presented at the Book Fair in Bologna. In the third module, the program foresees frontal lessons for five weeks from May to June, the project finds its definition based on the publisher’s feedback. The narrative, technical-pictorial and graphic development takes place under the aegis of Stefano Bessoni, Fabian Negrin, Mauro Evangelista, Debbie Bibo, Simona Castellani. Then we enter the final phase of the course, the fourth module, where the student completes the project, always followed by the coordinators, for presentation to the publisher and the final dissertation.
ARS IN FABULA, AN ILLUSTRATED STORY More than fifty thesis published and countless books born from the many opportunities offered by the advanced training course.
Even when you are already good illustrators or you have a unique sign or you already attended some illustration course, it is always very difficult to find a publisher open to assign a project to those who have never done this before. What often an editor cannot see in a portfolio is whether the wannabe illustrator has narrative skills, if he/she can handle the job and
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Ars in Fabula Master: 26 publishing projects each academic year
confirmed by the continuity of partnerships of our graduated with their publishers after their debut book.
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the relationship with the publisher, if he/she works on time, if he/she can represent the text and give it a proper interpretation or be stylistically logical in the images and the list goes on. That’s why this course is not designed as a normal educational path but has been structured around real working stages, permitting young people to approach the professional world. Great is the effort of the school in building each academic year and in managing with partner publishers the projects on which the students of the Master work. An original formula and a constant engagement have made Ars in Fabula Master an advanced course in the international arena in the artistic and professional training for the publishing industry. The Master has given many fruits in recent years with several dozens of published books; a success also
On the left illustration by Vanessa Gai, above Marcela Badolatto. Project thesis for publisher Emme edizioni
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ARS IN FABULA GRANT AWARD Ars in Fabula and the Book Fair reward the talent.
The Ars in Fabula Grant Award has now become one of the usual appointments between the Bologna Children’s Book Fair prizes. The prize organized by the school in collaboration with the Book Fair has for years been rewarding the talent. Every year, in fact, the prize allows to attend the master course to one of the unpublished youths selected at the Book Fair Illustrator Exhibition. Teresa Manferrari, winner 2015, during the master faced a book project for the publishing house Sinnos entitled “Re Macina” (in publication). 2016 was Veronica Ruffato’s year. In the pho-
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to, Ruffato at a time of awards in the last edition of the Bologna Fair.
Illustration by Teresa Manferrari for “Re Macina” publisher Sinnos
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DIDACTICS Exceptional teachers for advanced courses in artistic and professional education, selected for their high profile and the consolidated teaching experience.
The book is the outcome of a team work where different points of view are compared and it is necessary to consider and mediate other’s opinions. It follows that it’s necessary to compose a teaching staff made up of professional illustrators, publishers, writers, scholars and experts in the field. The central idea about teaching that connects the different souls who constitute the teaching staff of the school Ars in Fabula is the firm belief they don’t have to transmit preconceived formulas, ready-made recipes.
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Many viewpoints for one goal: your first book
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Above all on the artistic side, when a personal style comes to light, it is also the result of internal investigation, the work on one’s own limitations and strong points. The teacher is the one who can motivate the emergence of this interiority, interpret the signs and sti-
mulate the student’s work in one direction or another. The technique, graphical or pictorial, is the result of a stylistic achievement, the most suitable tool for an expressive need. Indeed, Ars in Fabula has stood out for the diversity and originality of their students’ style, attributable neither to their teachers nor to the trends of the moment.
On the right: Illustration by Adriana Liuzzi for publisher Arka edizioni. On this page, Bianca Tschaikner, project ZOOLIBRI.
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ARS IN FABULA PARTNER PUBLISHERS
More than thirty publishers among the most prestigious on the international scene to test your talent. And from today the master is also MAXXI in Fabula.
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From the small to the big publisher, from that specialized in publications for the first childhood to educational, from fiction for children to that for adults: The Master Ars in Fabula offers the most extensive and representative publishing scene. The partner publishers have a central role in the Master, both with teaching in the classroom and with the tutoring of students work. The assigned projects can be: classical texts, texts by contemporary writers and all have been selected for publication. Obviously, this is a considerable effort for publishers, who have to wait for the entire
duration of the course to see the final results instead of the normal length of working for the illustrations of a book. But if by a professional illustrator, you already know what to expect so it’s not with a student to his/her first real experience and it is always exciting to see the evolutions, the achievements which often come sudden and surprising. It’s something more, then, than just see the birth of a book; the challenge is to see a new talent flourish. Great is also the research and development of the school for the selection and the drafting of the twentyfive book-projects, one per student, that each year the course pro-
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Ars in Fabula, the opportunity to become a professional illustrator
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vides. Each project has been discussed and structured with various publishers in the same way as a normal editorial board. But big is also the research of new partners to offer an increasingly large panorama and greater opportunities and we are proud to announce that new entry among the partners of the Master are the publishers Gribaudo, VĂ nvere e Settenove. In addition, on
Illustration by Beatrice Gasca Quierazza. Project for Barbara Fiore Editora.
the educational side Ars in Fabula opens this year an important collaboration with MAXXI, the National Museum of the Arts of the 21st Century, with the project MAXXI in Fabula. A training experience led by the leaders of the most important Italian contemporary art museum for educational workshops aimed at children.
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In this page: list of technical and editorial partners of Master Ars in Fabula.
On this page: Yvonne Campedel, project Feltrinelli. Marco Zaini, project Emme edizioni. Laura Ralli, project Fatatrac.
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On this page: Elena Ceccato, project for Carthusia.
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DO YOU WANT TO BOOK YOUR PORTFOLIO REVIEW? Do you want any advice on how to prepare or select your works for the entry to the Master? Request an appointment with the coordinators of the course to introduce yourself as well as possible in the selection phase. Secretariat Ars in Fabula: +39 733 231740
Request the Master notice for the Academic Year 2017/2018 by sending the coupon, or by calling the secretariat. You’ll have all the details on the program, on costs and benefits.
of editorial illustration 2017-2018 10th Edition I would like to receive the notice and the form for registration at Ars In Fabula, Academic Master I° Level on Editorial Illustration Surname Date of birth  Phone/cell 
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This form isn’t compulsory for the actual enrolment in the course
Send this coupon to info@arsinfabula.com or call the secretariat 0733 231740
www.arsinfabula.com
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