On April 15, 2023, Juliana Toohey, one of our Spring 2023 students, earned 2nd place in the Tuscan American Association’s photography competition titled “My Living Memory of Florence”. The competition, organized by TAA, whose aim is to “cultivate friendship between the USA and Tuscany through cultural, social and educational activities,” was open to all AACUPI students in Florence. Juliana’s photograph entitled “Bene” won over the judges and depicted a street artist showing a watercolor painting of the Florence skyline.
The award ceremony took place in the Aula Magna of the University of Florence and was attended by the Florence Councilwoman for Universities and Research, Elisabetta Meucci, who brought a message of congratulations from the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella. The ceremony featured a slideshow of all the pictures submitted, and after speeches from TAA presidents Andrea Davis and Maurizio Mancianti, the winners were declared. Out of the 60 pictures in the competition, six ended up in the final, with three winners and three special mentions.
Professor Galatoli, who teaches the Street/Travel Photography course at ISI, was also present at the event, along with Juliana’s classmates who came to support her and celebrate her achievement. Commenting on Juliana’s success, Professor Galatoli said, “Juliana has a great eye for capturing the essence of a place, and her photograph really conveys the beauty and spirit of Florence, using her very own personal vision.”
Professor Galatoli invited all his students to submit their photos to the jury, and among the selected entries were three photographs by Alina Taratorin, a student from Harvard College.
The prints of all the photographs in the competition will be put up for auction, with the proceeds benefiting the Italian Red Cross. This was the first time the TAA organized such a competition, but they are hopeful that it will become a yearly tradition.
Juliana is a junior at Penn State, and she is doing her spring semester at ISI Florence. We are incredibly proud of her achievement and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.