https://retreat.pacifica.edu/the-illuminated-imagination/

Caterina Vezzoli and Cheryle Van Scoy were members of the Art and Psyche Working Group (chaired by Linda Carter) involved in the planning of the recent conference THE ILLUMINATED IMAGINATION in collaboration with Pacifica Graduate Institute, and the University of California at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Design, and Architecture (April 3-7, Santa Barbara CA USA).

Participants came from all over the globe to share presentations – including several members of the Jung family, view several extraordinary art exhibitions, and enjoy the launch of several new books, one being “The Art of C G Jung”. The pre-conference events and three art exhibitions were held at Pacifica Graduate Institute, while the main conference events and two art exhibitions were held at University of California at Santa Barbara.

 

HOUSING JUNG is an exhibition of historic and contemporary photographs of the Jung Family Home in Küsnacht, the majority of which are those of Andreas Jung, architect-grandson of Carl and Emma, and whose family has been in residence in the home since the death of C.G. This exhibition continues at the Ladera campus of Pacifica Graduate Institute. Cheryle Van Scoy collaborated with Andreas Jung in curating the exhibition, and supported the project by personally printing and mounting all of the photographs.

THE ILLUMINATED IMAGINATION was an exhibition of Jung’s art work, including the original Red Book and Black Books, much of which had not previously been in public exposure. Jung’s informative and detailed childhood drawings, his sketches and watercolors, sculptures, prints from the Red Book, and a few noteworthy books from his library were on view from January through April at the UCSB Museum of Art, Design and Architecture. His works were contextualized by pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, as well as photographs of Carl and Emma, at home and work both in Küsnacht as well as at Bollingen.

 

Also on view at UCSB were the remarkable paintings of Mary Conover Mellon, the granddaughter of the famed philanthropist Mary Mellon, the founder of the Bollingen Series which published the Collected Works of Jung in English. Mary Conover was present for the opening of this exhibition, and an informative film was also unveiled at the conference in which Nancy Furlotti interviewed Mary in her Colorado studio.

 

Caterina Vezzoli has been involved with the Art and Psyche for several conferences, and was the Italian leader for the previous one in Sicily. She presented two sessions at the Illuminated Imagination event, one on Dante and the other sharing her fascinating process of teaching the Red Book to analytic candidates through reading and painting experiences.

Marianne Meister attended the conference and presented an evocative case study focusing on the impact of painting in the analytical process.