This past March I had one of the most enjoyable vacations in quite a while. A couple of friends and I wanted to go for a brief vacation that would provide an escape from the northeast Pennsylvania climate as well as some time on horseback (we’re all avid riders). I was nominated to make the arrangements, and the first place that came to mind was Provence.

For me, the trip would be a homecoming of sorts. I hadn’t been to that part of France since the 1970s. When I had first seen the region, it was through the eyes of a student. While an undergraduate at Sarah Lawrence College, I spent a summer at their studio arts program in Lacoste. As soon as I graduated, I was hired to teach French language classes for the program. The time I spent living in France was a time of intense personal growth and creativity, and the surroundings played an important role in that process. The beauty of Lacoste and Provence left an indelible impression on me.

It was all the more pleasurable, therefore, to not only return to that region but to be able to introduce the area to my friends. As it turned out, we all had a wonderful time. We stayed at an equestrian center near the village of Lauris. Each day we would go for exhilarating rides on horseback, through a variety of locales including villages, the Luberon mountains, the Durrance River, and even a winery (where we hitched our horses outside and went in for a wine tasting). My friends took a cooking course with a renowned chef (while I did my part by enthusiastically sampling the local cuisine).

But then, the entire vacation was a feast for the senses, as we took in the visual beauty of the scenery, the sounds of the “accent du midi mingled with horses’ hoofbeats, the smell of fresh herbs and lavender, and of course the taste of Provencal cuisine.

One of the highlights of the week was returning to Lacoste, where Ann Miller gave my friends and me such a warm reception. It was so kind of her to generously give her time to accommodate us and our impromptu visit. I was impressed that the school of the arts, under the aegis of SCAD, had grown in very positive ways, including the depth and breadth of programs and course offerings. I was also relieved to see that the beauty and spirit of the physical surroundings and architecture had been preserved (all while being updated and modernized as well). It is evident that SCAD values the native culture and beauty of the region while contributing the best of its own strengths to the area, with synergistic results.

I heartily recommend a visit to Provence and of course the school of the arts run by SCAD in Lacoste. Only by being there can one appreciate why so many artists, past and present, have drawn their inspiration from and been influenced by this unique and magical part of the world.


Julia Peterson
Lacoste alumna, 1974