Pablo Castro Estévez is the James R. Lamantia Jr. Rome Prize Winner in Architecture and a principal at OBRA Architects in New York.
The question of how to retain the transformative experience that the Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome offers is something that preoccupied even the earliest Fellows who embarked on a sojourn to Rome that would further their careers and change their lives. It seemed only natural that a group would form in order to ensure that the experiences and friendships cultivated at the Academy would continue to have a life beyond the Fellowship. It is therefore no surprise that the Society of Fellows (SOF) dates back to 1910, when the architect Lionel Moses approached William Rutherford Mead with the idea of forming a club for Rome Prize winners who had completed their residence at the Academy. Mead responded enthusiastically: “The project to form a society of Roman Academy Alumni is commendable in every way, and I assure you that should the idea be carried out you may count upon my good will in every respect,” in a letter to Moses dated May 26, 1910.
Over one hundred years later, this association—the Society of Fellows—continues its commitment of connecting Academy alumni to with their peers and advancing the Academy’s mission. The SOF currently includes over one thousand Fellows, Residents, and affiliates, many of whom are leading archaeologists, architects, classicists, artists, designers, historians, preservationists, conservators, composers, writers, and scholars.
We recently sat down with current Society of Fellows web editor Pamela Keech (1982 Fellow) to discuss her role, plans for the future, and why what happens in Rome does not stay in Rome.
Can you discuss your involvement with the SOF?
I first became involved with the SOF Council in the early 1990s. I worked with Margaret Brucia (1992 Fellow) to produce SOF News for several years; she was editor and I did the design. I retired from the council in 2004 after four years as president. For the past year and a half I have been working as subeditor for the SOF section of the new AAR website.
Would you tell us about the new Academy website section of the SOF?
The idea is to have a venue for SOF members, Fellows, Affiliated Fellows, and Residents, to post upcoming events and news, both professional and personal. When I started I was skeptical about being able to do the technical work of posting on the site, having only minor experience with this sort of thing. But thanks to the friendly site design and the patience of IT manager Benedict Campbell, I am feeling pretty confident.
We are tweaking constantly to find the most comfortable formats. We will soon be splitting the news and events into two separate pages so the section is constantly evolving.
We’d like the events page to jump up and down with current happenings that people can attend. We offer this as a service to our members, being able to market their concerts, lectures, exhibits, book signings, etc. on the Academy site. Listings are posted by location so people can quickly see if there is anything happening near them. I hope everyone will put us on their mailing lists, and I want everyone out there to know that we really hope to hear from you. Tell us what you are working on, keep us up to date.
What other projects have you been involved in?
Since about 2000 I have volunteered as a photo archivist at the New York office. One of the things I enjoyed most was becoming familiar with Academy history through the collection. Getting to know people and their work, connecting faces with names and events. Some of the photos are really wonderful.
Can you give us some examples?
My favorite is from the 1950s. Four Fellows and their spouses grinning in the Cortile during a big snowstorm.
You were a Fellow in the 1980s. Was the Academy very different back then?
Yes, very, very different because of the poor condition of the buildings. It was really cold in the winter, we had heat only four hours a day. Fingerless gloves were a staple in the library. And the food wasn’t very good. And there were only communal restrooms. Nevertheless, it was still the best year of our lives.
Tell us about a memorable experience you had while at the Academy as a Fellow.
Probably the performance piece (it was the ’80s) I did on midsummer night for which I built a ten-foot-tall man out of sticks and set it on fire a little too close to the Villa Aurelia for the comfort of the staff. That piece also featured some now very eminent professors singing, dancing, and lurking in the bushes.
How has staying in touch with other Fellows or the Academy impacted your work?
I am lucky to live in New York City where I am able to see a lot of work by SOF members. It doesn’t matter if I have never met the Fellow, the time spent in those same rooms in Rome is always a connection and an inspiration.
What other projects outside of the Academy are you working on?
I am now completing a six-year project as designer and curator of an 1871 German lager beer saloon for the new tour, Shop Life, at the Tenement Museum. I am also running all over the country for a book on the best flea markets in America to be published by the Little Bookroom in 2013.