From Perugia:

President's Report, July 2008

Ciao Everyone!

We've had an incredibly busy, successful, and eventful spring and summer, many thanks to hard work and enthusiasm and contributions from many of you.

The dramatic and evocative sculpture (left) by Seattle artist Marvin Oliver goes to the top of the list. Sister Orca finally landed in Italy (Genova) in June, and made its way overland to Perugia in time for a most exciting installation and dedication during the weekend of July 12. As Marvin said, in the poem he read at the dedication, Il Viaggio Mistico di Sorella Orca ("The Mystical Voyage of Sister Orca") - finalmente a casa — home at last.

The sculpture will stand into the future as a symbol of the relationship between our two cities, Perugia and Seattle, and also, with special masks honoring Native American and Etruscan traditions, as a link to our two ancient cultures (below).

Details of Sister Orca: Salish mask, left, by Marvin Oliver; Etruscan mask, left, by Elisabetta Giovagnoni.

There's not enough space to thank everyone, but cheers to Saleh Joudeh, who was really Marvin's chief advocate to the comune of Perugia, and to the Boeing Company, Caffe` Umbria, and SPSCA member Spencer Lehmann, whose contributions made the sculpture shipment and dedication celebrations possible. Cheers as well to the many members of SPSCA who attended the dedication, and to Seattle Council Member Sally Clark and Intergovernmental Relations Director Emelie East, who represented the City of Seattle. Bravo to all! (See the Sister Orca photo album for much more.)

15 Anniversary Re-dedication. The same weekend, at the Palazzo dei Priori (city hall, left) and with the Perugia-Seattle Sister City Association, we celebrated the 15th Anniversary of our sister city relationship, and re-dedicated our common commitment to friendship.  In the photo above Mayor Renato Locchi (blue shirt) is surrounded by past and present presidents of the two associations, and to his right by former Perugia Mayor Mario Valentini, who signed the original sister city agreement 15 years ago.

The day after the Sister Orca celebration, the local Perugia-Seattle Sister City Association hosted our SPSCA delegation, and all the friends and relatives of Marvin Oliver, for an entire day of visits to Castello Montecapanno (Bepi Vicarelli's home, right), to the ceramic museum and workshops of Deruta, and to a traditional Umbrian dinner in Perugia.  Many thanks to Bepi, one of the sister city founders and PSSCA President for many years, to Elisabetta Valentini, our new president in Perugia, and to the citizens of Ripa, who wore medieval costumes to make our welcome at Montecapanno very special.  They set a very high standard for us to meet when Mayor Locchi brings a Perugia delegation to Seattle in November!

Finally, just a word about our Sister City Market experience this year.  Our team, Josie DeLellis (our leader), Mike and Donna James, Debbie Jaeger, plus Perugia friends, had a great time talking about Seattle, showing off pictures of our city, telling people about the Sister City Orca sculpture, selling T-shirts and also tickets for our annual trip to Seattle lottery (below, left and right).  This year we sold more than 500 lottery tickets!  Good fun, and we made many new friends.  We expect to see this year's round-trip winner, Paolo Lolli, and his wife, the first week of October.

Ciao for now,

Mike James, President
Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association