South Florida Artists to Share Perspectives from 2025 Farindola International Arts Festival

Boca Raton, FL – September 23, 2025 – The Cornell Art Museum is proud to present an engaging artist panel, Impressions of Italy, featuring seven South Florida artists who participated in the 2025 Farindola International Arts Festival this past August. The discussion will highlight the artists’ two-week cultural exchange (August 19–31, 2025) in Farindola, Italy, and explore how collaboration and immersion in the village’s culture influenced their work.

Impressions of Italy Artist Panel

Founded in 2015 with the Municipality of Farindola, the Farindola International Arts Festival (FIAF)brings artists from around the world for summer residencies that celebrate cultural exchange, creativity, and community. This year, artist Ralph Papa—along with six South Florida artists—created works inspired by Farindola’s rich traditions, breathtaking mountain landscapes, and the warmth of its people through painting, photography, and storytelling.

The panel will be moderated by Marusca Gatto, Cultural Arts Director at the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA), who also attended the festival.

WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2025 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cornell Art Museum, 51 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444. (Parking available in Old School Square garage.)
WHO: Panel participants include Ralph Papa, Debby Coles-Dobay, Andres Lopez, Lester Salazar, Leonardo Aballe, Gustavo Roque and Jan Engoren. Moderator: Marusca Gatto.
DETAILS: Refreshments will be served. While the event is free, please REGISTER below and consider donating to the Cornell Art Museum so that we may bring more world-class art exhibitions and programs to our community. 

The Cornell Art Museum is housed within the original Delray Elementary School building, which was built in 1913. The Museum hosts several curated fine art exhibitions each year featuring notable regional, national and international artists. It also has a Museum Store displaying original works by regional artists. The City of Delray Beach purchased the historic building on the Old School Square campus from the Palm Beach County School District in 1987. The building was named after benefactors George and Harriet Cornell in 1990, before being renovated in 2017 through the generous support of Margaret L. Blume.

Museum hours are Wednesday 12–5 p.m.; Thursday & Friday 12–7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. –5 p.m.; and Sunday 12–5 p.m. For a full list of events happening, visit https://delrayoldschoolsquare.com/cornell or call 561-654-2220. 

Old School Square is a historic cultural arts campus in the heart of Downtown Delray Beach. Old School Square’s mission is to create a welcoming space where the community comes together for high-quality, diverse and interactive art experiences, while honoring the 100-year-old historic campus. The 6-acre campus is owned by the City of Delray Beach and is home to early 20th century school buildings that have been renovated and are now a fine arts museum (Cornell Art Museum), wedding and events venue (The Vintage Gym), and a performance theatre and creative arts school (Crest Theatre building). The campus also boasts an outdoor Amphitheatre for live music performances, a park and its own parking garage. Old School Square takes up an entire city block at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Swinton Avenue. The address is 51 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444. Learn more at https://delrayoldschoolsquare.com/about.