I was born and raised in Parma, Italy where I studied and pursued my High School Diploma at the Liceo Classico Maria Luigia. In 2000 I decided to move to the US after my participation in the AFS-Intercultura exchange program in 1998 that gave me the opportunity to receive a High School Diploma from Gorham High. In May 2004 I graduated with a BFA from Tufts University and School of the Museum of Fine Arts with a 4.0 GPA, also attending courses at Harvard, MIT, Berkley College of Music and Massachusetts College of Art. During my years in Boston, I worked as a teacher at SMFA Boston introducing new technologies and equipment in the world of digital photography and light sensitive materials. I also worked as a freelance translator and interpreter and did curate different translations of art-related essays for gallery catalogues and publications. In 2003 I assisted in the preparation of the American Pavilion of the 50th Venice Biennale while working for the MIT List Visual Arts Center of Cambridge. In 2004 I moved to New York City and I am now an adopted NY resident. Since in NY I have worked at the Italian Cultural Institute as a graphic designer and more, while teaching photography after-school programs in Italian and English in an attempt to experiment with different techniques to teach languages to children and adults. I then worked as correspondent/contributor for the Italian local newspaper La Gazzetta di Parma and also as a contributor/editor for the Italian television channel Teleducato. I recently covered the position of Assistant Director at Casa Italiana Zerilli–Marimo’ at NYU, coordinating all their cultural events, their fund raising program, creating their promotional material and web presence, as well as managing their building and facilities. I now embarked in a new adventure as a graduate student at New York University currently enrolled in my last year in the Interactive Telecommunications Program, while teaching Lego Mindstorms in elementary schools in the city, writing as a freelance journalist and assisting artists in residence at Eyebeam.
Contacts:
Benedetta Piantella Simeonidis
22-53 24th Street
Astoria, NY 11105
if you have an questions or comments, you can email me here!
Full C.V. available for download here!
The Slap of Poseidon 