Articles by: I. I.

  • Events: Reports

    Chiara Civello Returns to the US

    Italian singer, pianist and songwriter Chiara Civello announces her return to the US this October with an East Coast tour in support of the album release of "Canzoni" (Songs).  Available October 9th on Quarter Moon via SonyMusic Independent Network (SIN), "Canzoni" is the contemporary Italian songbook as never heard before.  Drawing on repertoire from Paolo Conte to Vinicio Capossela, Ennio Morricone to Rita Pavone and Subsonica to Negramaro, Chiara creates a celebration of love songs which looks out from Italy to the entire world. 

    On Canzoni, her fifth studio album, Chiara has gathered an extraordinary array of collaborators:  the monumental Gilberto Gil, the poetic Chico Buarque, the pop diva Ana Carolina and the jazz star Esperanza Spalding all lend their artistry to the project.  The lush, almost hypnotic orchestral arrangements were conceived by the legendary Eumir Deodato.  DJ/Producer Nicola Conte provided an alluring blend of contemporary sensibility and old school analog sound.

    Chiara kicks-off her tour on Sunday October 11th at New York City's famed Joe's Pub, offering Italian music fans a fitting "festa" for Columbus Day eve.  On Wednesday October 14th Chiara marks her return to Boston, the site where she marked a musical milestone becoming the first Italian artist signed to the iconic Verve Records label upon graduating the city’s renowned Berklee College of Music. 

    Chiara visits her alma mater hosting a master class for Berklee students on October 13th before taking the stage at Scullers Jazz Club on the 14th.  This Scullers set is part of the second edition of Boston’s Sounds of Italy Festival.  Another festival appearance follows for Chiara in Miami as part of the annual Italian Hit Week on Sunday October 18th at the North Beach Bandshell.  Washington DC and nation’s capital’s newest hotspot The Hamilton will host closing concert of the run on Monday October 19th.

    CHIARA CIVELLO EAST COAST TOUR

    Sunday, October 11, 2015                New York, NY
    Joe’s Pub

    425 Lafayette Street
    New York, NY 10003
    Doors: 6:00pm / Show: 7:30pm
    Tickets: $15.00 in Advance / $20.00 the Door
    (212) 967-7555

    Wednesday, October 14, 2015             Boston, MA
    Scullers Jazz Club
    part of Sounds of Italy Festival

    400 Soldiers Field Rd
    Boston, MA 02134
    (Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotel Boston – Cambridge)
    Show: 8:00pm
    Tickets: $25.00 ($15.00 for Berklee Students) >>
    (617) 562-4111

    Sunday, October 18, 2015                Miami Beach, FL
    North Beach Bandshell
    part of Hit Week

    7275 Collins Ave
    Miami Beach, FL 33141
    Show: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
    Admission: Free/Gratis
    (305) 672-5202

    Monday, October 19, 2015                Washington, DC
    The Hamilton

    600 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
    Doors: 6:30pm / Show: 7:30pm
    Tickets: $16.00
    (202) 787-1000

    CHIARA CIVELLO VIDEO

    Chiara Civello  - Io che non vivo senza te ft.  Gilberto Gil >>

    Chiara Civello - Io che amo solo te ft.  Chico Buarque >>

    CHIARA CIVELLO SOCIAL

    Chiara Civello FaceBook

    Chiara Civello Twitter

    Chiara Civello Bio

     

     

  • Events: Reports

    Between The Seas 2015 - A Festival of Mediterranean Performing Arts

    Between The Seas, the only festival in New York celebrating Mediterranean performance, returns to the Wild Project for its fifth year. The Festival was founded in 2010 by theater artist and scholar Aktina Stathaki as the first and only festival in North America focusing on contemporary Mediterranean performing artists.

    The annual festival that runs for one week each summer in New York City, has quickly grow into a unique platform of high quality work, presenting some of the most exciting and thought provoking artists working in the Mediterranean region.

    With an eclectic programming of performances that so far have included Egypt, Israel, Greece, Lebanon, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Canada, Morocco and the US, the festival's past editions have offered NYC audiences over 30 new works including NYC, USA and world premieres by established and young artists: Balletto Teatro di Sardegna, Lina Abiad, Mancopy Dansekompagni, Elias Aguirre, Rachel Erdos, Ido Tadmor, Korhan Basaran, Malika Zarra, are some of the artists that have honored Between the Seas with their participation.

    Program highlights include: the English language premiere of The Dictator by Lebanese playwright Issam Mahfouz, an absurdist exploration on the nature of tyranny; Catalan artist Borja Gonzales on a performance piece based on puppetry and sand drawing; Italian dance company Esperimenti in a sparkling performance inspired by Italian songs of the 60s and 90s; and the fiery flamenco dancer Rebecca Tomas.

    Full festival program details:

    DANCE & PERFORMANCE ART PROGRAM:

    Wednesday, September 9 - Thursday, September 10th at 7pm

    DREAMS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, directed by Borja González / Julio Hontana

    Featuring illustrator Borja González Martínez, accompanied with live music by Roc Sala Coll

    Produced by Cie. Ytuquepintas

    Country of origin: Catalonia

    With only sand and his hands, renowned illustrator Borja González tells stories through sand art created on a light table, which are then projected on a big screen. The audience travels through different atmospheres, sensations and parts of the world as the images are revealed. Accompanied by large-scale puppets, speed painting and the live music of pianist Roc Sala.

    Friday, September 11 at 9pm; Sunday, September 13 at 6pm

    Rebeca Tomas / A Palo Seco Flamenco

    Produced by A Palo Seco

    Country of Origin: USA

    One of Between the Seas' most popular artists, flamenco dancer Rebeca Tomas, returns to the festival for two shows with her acclaimed company A Palo Seco.

    Saturday Sept 12 at 6.30pm; Sunday Sept 13 at 8pm (on a double will with Influx)

    PER ...INCISO, directed by Patrizia Salvatori, choreographed by Federica Galimberti

    With Federica Galimberti, Francesco Di Luzio, Mattia De Virgiliis, Andrea Ferrarini, Silvia Pinna, Eleonora Lippi, Filippo Braco

    Produced by Esperimenti Dance Company

    Country of Origin: Italy
     

    Italian songs of the 60s and 90s sparkle in this entertaining work by one of Italy's most exciting young companies. From Modugno to Sinatra, from De Andrè to Gaber, from Capossela to Jovanotti, seven dancers bring together different generations sharing similar experiences and emotions with irony and humor. The company uses its signature style of combining a variety of genres to reconcile young and old, tradition and innovation.
    Here's a video of the piece <<<

    Saturday Sept 12 at 6.30pm; Sunday Sept 13 at 8pm (on a double bull with Per...Inciso)

    INFLUX, choreographed by Nadra Assaf and Rain Ross; music composed by Martin Loyato; lighting designed by Caitlin Quinn Pittenger

    Produced by Rain Ross

    Country of Origin: USA/Lebanon

    Transition between cultures. Dance crossing borders. INFLUX is the cross-cultural dance collaboration between Nadra Assaf (Lebanon) and Rain Ross (USA), with music composed by Martin Loyato (Argentina). Dancers from the USA and Lebanon perform with live musicians from Lebanon, showcasing narratives of community and exchange, of fluidity and discovery.
     

    THEATER PROGRAM

    Thursday September 10 at 9pm; Saturday, September 12 at 2pm

    THE DICTATOR written by Issam Mahfouz in a new English translation by Robert Myers and Nada Saab, directed by Sahar Assaf

    With Raffi Feghali and Sany Abdul Baki

    Produced by Robert Myers

    Country of Origin: Lebanon

    Called "a masterpiece of claustrophobia, an exploration of despotism, delusion and power games” (Daily Star, Lebanon), THE DICTATOR, written in 1969 by Issam Mahfouz, tells the story of a tyrant, a mentally disturbed individual under the illusion that he is humanity's long-awaited savior. With the present turmoil in the Middle East in mind, the revival of this Lebanese absurdist classic feature a minimalist staging and a world premiere English translation by Robert Myers and Nada Saab.

    Friday September 11 at 7pm; Saturday, September 12 at 9pm

    HEARTS BEATING LIKE DRUMS, written by Angels Aymar and directed by Àngels Aymar

    With Elisabeth Hess, Okwui Okpokwasili, Hillary Spector

    Produced by Collectif Lyon.05

    Country of Origin: France/Catalonia

    HEARTS BEATING LIKE DRUMS is a play built around women and war. Three actresses embody different characters that share stories about the consequences of the disaster and the dysfunction that comes from living through war. US Premiere.

  • Art & Culture

    Erene Performs Live in BK

    Her pure, soul-touching voice captures emotions ranging from joy and self-affirmation to grief and introspection. Even when Erene sings in her native Italian, the audience invariably understands the emotion she is expressing.

    She is best known for her original version of the Italian national anthem which she was asked 

    to sing several times at Italian Consulate. Her unique interpretation on the Italian anthem has gained the praises of the press both in Italy and in the US.

    Her self-titled debut album was released to critical acclaim, and she is currently in pre-production on a sophomore album to be released next year. Erene is in the rotation of Italy’s national radio, and the artist has been featured at festivals throughout Europe. In addition, her live performances have generated a spectacular impact at NYC venues such as The Living Room, Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall, The Knitting Factory, Spike Hill, and LIC Bar.

    She’s developed a loyal following both online and live; her proponents include hit-maker Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies), with whom she has co-written, and four time Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Larry Dvoskin (David Bowie, Brandy, Ricky Martin, Van Halen).

    Erene Bio:

    Italian-born singer-songwriter Erene, having settled in New York City in the aughts, has developed a significant presence stateside in addition to her established career in Europe. Part of a reflective young generation of chanteuse singer-songwriters, Erene composes songs exploring her unique process of self-discovery through a bi-lingual voice. Erene is a skilled guitar & piano player influenced by the likes of Pat Metheny, Michael Hedges, John Adams, and Keith Jarrett, whose songwriting inspirations range from James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Joni Mitchell and Carol King, to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, and Caetano Veloso.
     

    Erene’s self-titled debut album was released to critical acclaim in the US and abroad, and she is currently developing a sophomore album to be released in late 2016. Erene is in Italy’s national radio rotation and has appeared at festivals throughout Europe during the past decade. Her live performances have also had a spectacular impact at established NYC venues such as The Living Room, The Knitting Factory, Rockwood Music Hall, Bitter End, and Spike Hill. She has developed a growing and loyal fan base both live and online. Among her proponents are hit-maker Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies, also a longstanding writing partner, and four time Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Larry Dvoskin (David Bowie, Van Halen, Ricky Martin, Brandy).

    Erene is also known for her original version of the Italian National Anthem, which has been praised by the Italian press both in Italy and the US. She is the sought after singer by the Italian Consulate in New York and other Italian American Institutions to perform at official events. Most recently Erene was asked to perform at the United Nations as well. She is considered the Italian voice in New York.
     

    In addition to her forthcoming LP, Erene is in talks with European record labels for international distribution and is building a national American audience, with plans to tour across the nation in the coming months. In the meantime you can find her releases in all digital stores and keep updated on Erene news at <<<

  • Arte e Cultura

    Piccoli scarabocchi di movimento




    Graffito Works
    , tradotto come “piccoli scarabocchi di movimento”, e’ la piu’ recente iniziativa di Steven Weisz, di Philadelphia, negli Stati Uniti. Weisz e’ il fondatore di Philadelphiadance.org e del Dance Journal, seguiti da piu’ di 800,000 lettori. 


    Weisz ha prodotto n
    umerose iniziative di danza moderna negli Stati Uniti e nel contesto internazionale.


    Con Graffito Works, ha reinventato il formato della tradizionale troupe di danza, offrendo invece una piattaforma collaborativa per artisti nel mondo della danza e di altre discipline.
     
    I pezzi creati nell’ambito di Graffito Work vengono mostrati in spazi non tradizionali, invitando i danzatori ad esplorare possibilita’ interpretative che vanno oltre le usuali convenzioni artistiche, e offrendo al pubblico dei pezzi rilevanti ed accessibili.
     
    Lo spettacolo del 26 luglio centrera’ su movimenti di improvvisazione ispirati dal suggestivo parco che circonda Ca’ Shin. Questa produzione e’ il frutto d una collaborazione con gli artisti del centro Spazio Seme di Arezzo, con i quali Weisz ha collaborato nel 2012.

     
    Weisz e’ stato ispirato dall’uso di contact improvisation dei danzatori di Spazio Seme. Weisz spiega che “gli artisti creano un dialogo con il pubblico  fuori dal comune, un momento interpretativo transitorio che condividono con i presenti ”. Questo e’ il tipo di esperienza che Weisz spera di offrire nel corso di future collaborazioni internazionali di Graffito Works. “ Danza, movimento e musica sono lingue universali, capaci di unificare culture e generazioni diverse, e che danno l’opportunita’ di condividere la nostra natura umana”.

     
    Per Weisz, questa nuova collaborazione con gli artisti di Spazio Seme e’ un modo di offrire al pubblico di Bologna “la semplice gioia del movimento e della natura umana” e un’opportunita’ per  il pubblico di essere toccato emotivamente da questa nuova esperienza.


    Graffito Works
    26 luglio, 2015 19:30, a Ca’ Shin

    via Cavaioni 1, Bologna

     Lo spettacolo e’ gratuito

     
    Per informazioni: [email protected] o Tel. 051 589419

    FaceBook:
    https://www.facebook.com/events/623160307821050/

    Spazio Seme

    Spazio Seme - arti in movimento è un centro artistico internazionale in cui si organizzano corsi e laboratori per adulti e bambini, si producono e ospitano spettacoli, concerti e mostre, così come eventi pubblici o privati. Seme s.n.c. è la società che lo gestisce, operando nel mondo della cultura, dell'arte e dello spettacolo ideando e favorendo occasioni di ricerca e di collaborazione fra diverse realtà italiane e internazionali. Spazio Seme è un luogo d'incontro fra varie "arti in movimento", al di là delle lingue e delle differenze.  Seme lo ha creato tre anni fa: 400 mq suddivisi in due ampie sale attrezzate, con bar interno, parcheggio privato e resede.  Spazio Seme collabora con associazioni, fondazioni, enti pubblici e privati in iniziative e progetti internazionali.

    Cà Shin

    A Parco Cavaioni, a 10 minuti dal centro di Bologna, si trova Cà Shin, uno spazio pensato per grandi e bambini ideato e gestito dalla cooperativa sociale Le Ali. Cà Shin è un luogo di ristoro, biblioteca, teatrOrto, palestra, bosco e giardino. Salvaguardia, tutela, promozione culturale e ambientale sono le parole d’ordine. Un luogo che coniuga cibo sano, ambiente caldo e accogliente e una particolare attenzione all'arte, all'infanzia e all'ecologia. Cà Shin è un luogo dove prendersi del tempo ed avere ritmi più in sintonia con la natura, un luogo dove riscoprire il piacere di chiacchierare.... senza fretta.

    CONTATTI

    Steven Weisz |  Tel. 001-610-587-7313 | [email protected]

    Claudia Zuccato | Tel. 001-416-617-5389 | mailto:[email protected]
    Alice Boscardin, Ca’ Shin | 340-9660067 | [email protected]

    Web. www.graffitoworks.com



  • Events: Reports

    PopDogs: a Public Art Installation by Carlo Sampietro

    Italian-born artist Sampietro presents PopDogs, a giant popcorn machine that appears to spew out toy dogs at an alarming rate, to mimic the birth rate of real dogs worldwide. As visitors arrive they are confronted with a cascade of toys spilling out of the PopDogsmachine and onto the floor. 

    Viewers cannot help but connect this absurd spectacle to the millions of domestic animals that come into the world and are subsequently abandoned, ignored or destroyed—the sheer volume is clearly unsustainable.

    The installation also includes a workshop July 17th at 10.30 a.m. and July 19th where kids can paint dog toys and learn about the responsibilities of dog ownership.
     

    On July 19th at 1.30 p.m., experts in the fields of animal sheltering and pet care will participate in a public forum at the Queens Museum.

    Panelists include:

    Robin Brennen, DVM, founder and CEO, Pets Without Vets

    Steve Gruber, director of communications, Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals

    Stephanie A. Mattera, spokesperson, Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals

    Sharon Mear, owner, Training Cats and Dogs
     

    This forum is intended to function as a conversation starter—a judgment-free and informative environment in which viable solutions to NYC’s dog overpopulation issues can be discussed

    Sampietro’s goal is to exhibit PopDogs in New York, Paris, Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Mexico City, all cities in which dog overpopulation has caused unique sets of challenges and dilemmas.

    GENERAL INFORMATION

    The conference includes over 65 sessions in others topics including best practice, panels and hands on workshops as part of the 2015 USSEA Regional Conference. This event is a three day conference that gathers local, national, and international museum curators and educators, directors of cultural arts programs, teachers and professors of the arts, and gallery owners and artists. The goal of the conference is to explore how the participants in these various disciplines might share resources, knowledge, and expertise to enrich their respective fields.
     

    Join the Discussion! PopDogs: When An Object Of Desire Becomes Unwanted

    Want to learn more about public art installation PopDogs and dog overpopulation in urban cities? Join the conversation online at our Google forum page “PopDogs – When an Object Or Desire Becomes Unwanted.” Share photos, videos and information about how we could protect and curb the increase of dogs. Join us in person for our public forum at the Queens Museum July 19th at 1:30 p.m.

  • Art & Culture

    Cuba: Then and Now

    Selections from Bazan’s recently completed trilogy on Cuba, shot during the so-called “Special Period,” are paired with Spanish-born Solé’s latest series CUBA - Hasta Siempre (Cuba Forever), taken between 2011-2015.

    Ernesto Bazan’s black-and-white photographs, from the vivid street life he captured in the first years after his arrival in Cuba in 1992, to the contemplative panoramic images of ISLA published for the first time in 2014, documents one of the most complex times for the island country. Yet, grounded in warmth, and borne from the artist’s deeply treasured connection with the people of Cuba, the series conveys the heady, erratic energy through the lens of an insider.

    For Solé, the island became an unexpected balm, transporting the artist to the Spain she remembered from her childhood. While Cuba remained in the backwaters of American consciousness, Solé rejoiced to see the simple repasts of 1960s Spain alive and well in Cuba, and sought to reveal through her signature eye for color the first stirrings of transformation in a country on the brink of change.



    Ernesto Bazan, b. 1959 in Palermo, is represented in the collections of such prestigious museums as the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography in New York City; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX. Bazan is the recipient of the W. Eugene Smith Grant; Mother Jones International Fund for Documentary Photography; Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize at Duke University, NC; and the World Press Photo award; as well as fellowships from the Alicia Patterson Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

    In 2009, his book “Bazan Cuba” was awarded Book of the Year at the New York Photo Festival.

Magdalena Solé is a social documentary photographer concerned with communities at the edge of society. Known for her sensitive expressions of culture through distinctive color artistry, her photographs describe brief moments of human existence, carried by the rhythm of a setting.

    Her previous series Mississippi Delta, featuring the oft-overlooked community of the iconic Delta region, has most recently been exhibited at the Southeast Museum of Photography in Daytona Beach, FL; and the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA. In 2011 she was awarded the Silver Prize at Slow Exposures, Concord, GA.

  • L'altra Italia

    “Born To Freedom. Alberto Juninger”

    “Born To Freedom. Alberto Juninger”. Trenta opere esposte compongono, nell’insieme, un singolare percorso che unisce immagini, suggestioni, forme e colori da tardo Novecento, e creano uno straordinario album dove ancora avanzano le influenze dell’Avanguardia storica.

    Nelle opere pittoriche le geometrie e i movimenti policromi si posano su campiture di colore puro e brillante, i colori di Juninger attraversano l’intensità della luce e divengono forma e, soprattutto, pittura permeata di intensa suggestione.

    Le sculture, siano fusioni in bronzo, pietre o legni, sono caratterizzate da forme geometriche in movimento, creano sinuose torsioni  e restituiscono allo spettatore singolari profili. Sono forme immobili racchiuse nella intrinseca staticità del peso e della materia, ma diluite in un nitido movimento che le conduce verso un’inusitata leggerezza. 

    Alberto Juninger è un artista singolare, la sua è una ricerca continua della libertà, il suo sguardo cattura istantanee di vita e ogni movimento si trasforma in arte. Francesco Gucci, curatore della mostra, definisce Juninger “un testimone a piede libero”, per manifestare la capacità dell’artista di attraversare e compenetrare onde e movimenti che, catturati, si trasformano in opere, sulla tela o in forma plastica.

    Alberto Juninger nasce in Svizzera nel 1947, a San Gallo. Dopo un periodo passato ad apprendere l’arte tradizionale della scultura del legno, si trasferisce, ventenne, a Parigi per studiare grafica presso l’Ecole des Beaux Arts. L’acquaforte è la sua prima, vera passione. Il “segno” sembra il mezzo comunicativo più adatto a dar vita a stravaganze e sogni, e a dare corpo alla sua esigenza di libertà. Da qui nasce il suo progetto di una vita, in cui tecniche miste, disegni, colori, forme in legno, bronzi, vengono messi al servizio della libertà di esprimersi.
     

    Nel 1978, poco più che trentenne, si trasferisce a Legoli, in Toscana, e frequenta l’Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, dove completa la sua formazione come scultore. Gli influssi che gli giungono dal surrealismo  e dall’astrattismo vengono assorbiti all’interno di un disegno naturalistico, suo personale. Ogni segno è simbolo e significato di una autenticità radicale, ricca e feconda. Numerose le mostre, personali e retrospettive, dedicate alle sue opere, sono il frutto di un’intera vita dedicata all’arte ed alla creatività.

    Inaugurazione  : sabato, 4 luglio 2015,  h. 18.00

    Orari di apertura della Galleria : mer-sab dalle 15.30 alle 19.30

                                                                  dom  10.00-13.00 , 15.30-19.30

    Contatti : [email protected]  ph.333-1389884

                       [email protected]

  • Facts & Stories

    OSIA: Honoring Joseph Sciame

    Joseph Sciame has been an active member of the Order Sons of Italy in America® since September 1968 when he joined the Cellini Lodge #2206 in New Hyde Park, NY. From 1993-1997, Mr. Sciame served as the Sons of Italy® Grand Lodge of New York President where he doubled the Grand Lodge's scholarship endowment and actively raised funds for various philanthropic efforts.

    Mr. Sciame was elected National President of the Order Sons of Italy in America® in 2003 becoming the 30th president to serve. Since 2010 he has served as the Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations where he brings over 45 organizations together to work on issues affecting Italian Americans. 

    Mr. Sciame also serves as the Vice President for Community Relations at his alma mater St. John's University. He has served on numerous boards and committees including the Queens Division of the American Cancer Society, John D. Calandra Italian American Advisory Council of CUNY, the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee - NY, Inc. and the Board of Directors of the Cooley's Anemia Foundation.

    Mr. Sciame has also received over 150 awards for his leadership and commitment to the Italian American community and his profession. He was appointed to the rank of Cavaliere Ufficiale (Knight Officer) by the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy. He has also been honored by the Vatican, among others, with orders of knighthood.

    Please join us as we celebrate the history and legacy of OSIA. OSIA lodges and the Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF) award more than $1 million every year to Italian American college-bound students. The SIF also funds cultural programs, medical research and disaster relief - nearly $163 million to date. Proceeds from the Marconi Gala support these OSIA and SIF programs. Joseph Sciame has been instrumental in helping raise these funds. 

    Please help us support these programs and pay tribute to Joseph Sciame by attending the Marconi Gala and/or placing an advertisement in the Biennial National Convention commemorative journal. Please see below for information about ticket and ad purchases, contact Diane Crespy or call 202.547.2900. Thank you in advance for your support. 

    2015 Guglielmo Marconi Award Gala
     

    Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa | Bonita Springs, FL
    Saturday, August 22, 2015 | Reception: 7-8 p.m. | Dinner: 8 p.m.-11 p.m.
    Formal Attire (White Jacket preferred for men)
     
    MARCONI AWARD GALA TICKETS/TABLES
    Tickets and tables must be reserved by July 31, 2015

     
    COMMEMORATIVE CONVENTION JOURNAL ADS 

    The Commemorative Journal is 8 1Ž2" x 11". Deadline for advertisement submission is July 31, 2015. Advertising/listing contributions are tax- deductible, and proceeds go to the SIF's education and charitable funds. 

    Please contact Diane Crespy to reserve ad space. 

     
    VIEW/PRINT AD SPEC SHEET
    VIEW/PRINT THE ADVERTISEMENT & TICKET RESERVATION FORM

  • Fatti e Storie

    Riacquisto cittadinanza. Cambiamo la legge!


    Fucsia Fitzgerald Nissoli, deputata di “Per l'Italia” eletta nella ripartizione America settentrionale e centrale, segnala la possibilità di aderire on line alla petizione che sollecita la calendarizzazione nei lavori della Camera dei Deputati della proposta di legge per il riacquisto della cittadinanza da parte dei soggetti nati in Italia da almeno un genitore italiano, che l'hanno perduta a seguito di espatrio (modifica dell'articolo 17 della legge n. 91 del 5 febbraio 1992), a sua prima firma.


    “Con questa proposta di legge – sottolinea Nissoli - si intende venire incontro alle aspettative di quegli italiani che vivono all’estero e che hanno perso la cittadinanza ma che vogliono riacquistarla in seguito a mutamenti avvenuti nei vari ordinamenti giuridici”. In caso di approvazione, spiega la parlamentare, “gli italiani all'estero che hanno perso la cittadinanza una volta andati via dalla madrepatria potranno riacquistarla con una semplice dichiarazione al Consolato competente territorialmente, cioè senza un anno di residenza legale nel territorio nazionale italiano”. “Ci sono molte persone nella nostra comunità che sono nate in Italia, parlano italiano, hanno frequentato le scuole in Italia e addirittura hanno anche prestato il servizio militare, ma hanno perso la cittadinanza italiana. Ciò significa – afferma Nissoli - riconoscere sul piano giuridico una situazione di fatto, cioè un’identità italiana che non è mai venuta meno, colmando una lacuna legislativa per dare veste giuridica a una cittadinanza che è già viva nei cuori. L'augurio – conclude - è che con il vostro aiuto il Parlamento sarà ancora più consapevole di questo problema, e procederà presto a mettere nell'agenda dei lavori parlamentari tale proposta di legge e ad approvarla”.



     

    La petizione indirizzata alla presidente della Camera dei Deputati Laura Boldrini è sottoscrivibile all'indirizzo   >>>


  • The Mayor “Of the Streets”, Between Past and Present

    Luigi De Magistris’ trip to New York kicked off nicely on June 3rd with Luigi de Magistris visiting Manhattan’s historic Little Italy, which also inspired a long New York Times article. We all know how hard it is for any foreign personality, who isn’t a movie star or a president visiting the UN, to get the attention of the iconic American newspaper. But the mayor of Naples, immediately met them: a young journalist and a photographer, in Little Italy, his first stop after stepping off the plane. 
     

    Meeting the Italian American Community.

    The context certainly had something to do with it: very few Italian politicians go visit the historical sites of Italian immigration with such respect and sincere interest.

    It’s true that the Times' article wasn’t free of superficial nods to antiquated stereotypes that drive the Italian American community crazy, but it’s also true that the paper caught one of the trip’s most important purposes: to strengthen a tie between two realities – that of Naples and that of the Italian community in America – both wishing to free themselves from their common fate of being too often associated with the negative “pizza and mafia” stereotype.

    This theme is discussed in a video produced by the City of Naples that de Magistris brought with him “Naples, Not a Common Place” Luigi de Magistris explained it upon his arrival, as he took part in a crowded reception organized by Monsignor Donald Sakano, pastor of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

    He was accompanied by the Neapolitan priest, theologian and essayist Gennaro Matino, who is working alongside Sakano on a spiritual and cultural partnership between their two parishes, which as of next year will lead to a series of events between Naples and New York.

    The neighborhood welcomed the Mayor enthusiastically during his informal stroll, during which he stopped by historical food stores (Alleva and DiPalo), shook various hands and let people take many selfies with himself, on his way to the Most Precious Blood Church, also managed by Monsignor Sakano, the national temple of San Gennaro in the US and heart of the old community of mainly Neapolitan and Southern Italian origins.
     

    Among the participants were also the leader of the neighboring Chinese community of Chinatown and Victor Papa, the president of the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council who is in charge of celebrating the cultural diversity of the area, and of promoting the coexistence of the Italian and Chinese communities.

    An important message echoing another main theme of De Magistris’ visit: depicting Naples and New York as examples of inclusive and “mixed” cities, welcoming places, accepting of migrants, centers of cohabitation between peoples and cultures.
     

    But the dialogue with the Italian community went even further when the mayor of Naples visited another “Little Italy”, even more neglected during typical official visits, that of the Bronx.

    Guided by Nicola Trombetta, the highly popular president of the American Campania Federation, De Magistris was engulfed by the crowd of the historical Arthur Avenue Market, where the tireless David Greco, a representative of Italy in the area and the owner of Mike’s Deli even taught him how to make mozzarella!

    Amid an enthusiastic crowd and in front of the cameras of local TV stations, the mayor washed his hands, rolled up his sleeves, and followed the instructions of David Greco, working the dough into shape.

    Once tasted and certified, the mayor’s mozzarella was distributed to those present, who savored it like a delicacy.
     

    After this came the walk on Arthur Avenue and Belmont Avenue (“New York’s true Little Italy”, as its inhabitants like to call it, not without a hint of resentment towards the better known one in Manhattan): alongside stores, restaurants and artisan shops, crowned by moments of joy and the poignant memories of the old Neapolitan immigrants. Once again, they reached a church, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to meet the young pastor Jonathan Morris, who, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, was busy fixing a wall of his church (also known as a TV commentator for important networks such as Fox and CNN, Morris was Mel Gibson’s theological advisor for The Passion of the Christ movie and is the campus minister at Columbia University).

    Finally, they lunch at San Gennaro complete with real ragù and many projects.
     

    An ideal follow-up to this trip among migrants, the visit to the famous entrance port of Ellis Island, nowadays an extraordinary museum, led by Prof. Robert Viscusi of Brooklyn College (CUNY), an essayist, writer, poet, and an expert in Italian immigration in the US.

    Also valuable was the guidance of the ranger of Italian origins, Anthony D’Antonio, who presented the mayor and his team with an extremely accurate simulation. In front of the unsuspecting public of visitors and tourists, De Magistris impersonated the president of a commission in charge of evaluating the case of Frank, a Canadian typographer who in 1906 was denied entrance due to “psychological disorders” (actually guilty of being a woman attempting to immigrate dressed as a man, due to the problems she would have faced as a woman in American business).

    Half-jokingly, “the president of the commission” – highlighting the inclusiveness of his migration policy as the mayor of Naples – decided to admit Frank into the US (the ranger then confided that that’s how the case was actually resolved a hundred years ago).

    Professor Viscusi thus rewarded him with a copy of his poem Ellis Island. recently translated in Italian.
     

    Into the world of culture
    In the world of Italian culture in New York welcomed de Magistris with two conferences, so crowded that in both cases they had to open an extra room connected to the main one through a closed circuit TV. The first was held at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute (CUNY), the largest American university institute entirely dedicated to the experience of Italian.

    Here the mayor of Naples was the guest of honor of scholarly event titled “L’oro di Napoli” (the gold of Naples), whose regulators included the dean of Calandra, Anthony Tamburri, and professors Robert Viscusi (Brooklyn college), Fred Gardaphe (Queens College), Stanislao Pugliese (Hofstra University) and Gennaro Matino (Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, Naples). It was an occasion to discuss “high culture”.
     

    The same message brought to the “people” of the Little Italies: “Crossed by many peoples throughout its history – conquered by Arabs and Spaniards, Frenchmen and… Americans – Naples has never been and never will be a bigoted and racist city”.

    And if Italy is behind many countries regarding migration policies, Naples is actually ahead – underlined the mayor, anticipating a topic which he will then discuss in detail also with mayor Bill de Blasio: The initiative by the county of Naples to offer “honorary citizenship” to immigrants and their children, allowing them access to services that, according to his administration, are part of the inalienable rights guaranteed by Article 3 of the Italian Constitution, which promotes equality among humans. Because, he concluded to the sound of the audience’s applause, with modern globalization “money and merchandize can travel from one place to another and cross all boundaries – but this right is denied to humans.”
     

    The following day, at the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, the discussion continued as part of a series of encounters titled “Eppur si muove”, dedicated to the political and social changes of Italy today. Welcomed to the sound of “Napule è” by Pino Daniele, interviewed by the Director of the Casa prof. Stefano Albertini and the editor-in-chief of i-Italy Letizia Airos, de Magistris discussed his experience as a magistrate having taken part in important investigations against the mafias and corruption, then as a member of the European Parliament and finally as the mayor of his city.
     
    Later, overwhelmed by the questions from the audience who refused to leave, he answered everyone discussing his experience as “mayor of the streets”, his passion for participatory democracy, his vision of Naples and New York, so distant geographically but paradoxically so close, connected by the inclusive conception of diversity – not as a threat, but as a resource.

    “Naples isn’t the city of fires, it’s the city of Fire” he exclaimed. “A city with a fire burning inside, of love, passion, and the desire for redemption. A fire that has crossed the ocean.”

    Not only universities, but schools as well.

    De Magistris visited another Italian institution in New York, the Scuola d’Italia “Guglielmo Marconi” – the only school offering, from primary to high school, an entirely bilingual (Italian and English) curriculum, certified both in Italy and in the US.

    Greeted by the president of the board Steve Acunto and the principal Maria Palandra, the mayor of Naples spoke to a large group of parents, then addressed the kids, sitting down on the floor with him to play and answer many questions about “what does a mayor do” – just as he often does in his own city. Under the dynamic direction of the Scuola d’Italia, now in great expansion, potential exchanges with Neapolitan schools were brought up.

    Promoting Naples

    Many were the institutional meetings and encounters with entrepreneurs and professionals from various sectors to promote Naples using the most diverse aspects: tourist destination, movie set, location for weddings and honeymoons, but also a city where Neapolitans who found success abroad could return to and invest in. De Magistris discussed these themes with the Consul General Natalia Quintavalle, with the director of ENIT North America Eugenio Magnani, with the Italian Trade Agency’s Director Maurizio Forte and Deputy Director Romano Baruzzi. With everyone, in different forms, the mayor reiterated the intention of his Administration to act as a facilitator for those who want to develop business in the area.  

    Two meetings seemed particularly productive. The first was at the gourmet megastore Eataly on Fifth Avenue, directed towards tour operators specializing in trips to Italy and sponsored by the airline Meridiana (with direct flights Naples-New York during the summer) and the association “Pizza Village”, that for years has organized the eponymous event in Naples in September. Here the mayor presented the “Naples package” from his Department of Tourism and, once again, the beautiful video “Napoli, Not A Commonplace”.

    The second meeting of great interest in the area of promotion was organized by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce at the elegant headquarters of the Buccellati jewelry store on Madison Avenue, where de Magistris met the President of the Chamber of Commerce Alberto Milani along with many entrepreneurs, several of them Neapolitan, working in New York in different sectors from real estate to clothing, from food and wine to distribution. And here too, new ideas were born that will be developed in the coming months.  

    Always following this promotional vein, de Magistris also participated in the inaugural lunch of Open Roads, the Italian film festival of the Film Society of Lincoln Center directed by Antonio Monda, now in its 14th edition.

    Here, in the presence of many of the Italian directors involved (including Francesca Archibugi, Duccio Chiarini, Eleonora Danco, Cristina Comencini, Ivano de Matteo and others), the mayor announced the establishment of the Office of Cinema of the City of Naples, to facilitate the work of film productions that intend to choose Naples as their set.

    The meetings with individual entrepreneurs tied to Naples and its metropolitan area were numerous and very diverse: from the aperitif at the American headquarters of the famous tailor Kiton, with President Antonio Paone and manager Luca Infantino who invited a select group of friends for the occasion, to the lunch offered by Rossopomodoro to the mayor, the tour operators and the press in their new location in the Village.

    A special dinner was also enjoyed at the restaurant Ribalta, where the owner Rosario Procino and his partner-chef Pasquale Cozzolino summoned the members of the Club Napoli of New York to greet their mayor.

    Procino also took the opportunity to deliver to don Gennaro Matino a donation from Club Napoli to benefit a charity organization in Naples, the association”Medici di Strada,” (Street Doctors) as testimony to the willingness of Neapolitans abroad to help their city.

    But de Magistris also visited tiny family businesses like the “Panineria Italiana” of the brothers Mario and Giuseppe Pesce, in Greenwich Village, as well as the elegant, recently-opened The Vicoletto, a delicious restaurant founded by entrepreneurs Giovanni Colavita (a young entrepreneur from Molise, president of Colavita USA) and Jerry Turci (a Neapolitan who immigrated 40 years ago, today the owner of a large food market across the river in New Jersey). And always with the same message of openness and collaboration towards those who come to invest in Naples, but also those who came from Naples to New York to discover America and yet remain tied to their origins.

    Naples and New York, cities of peace on the 41st parallel

    As the reader can see, there was a clear common thread that tied together the different aspects of this trip, that of the flows of migration, in the past as in the present. And certainly in the future, due to a globalization that must be addressed culturally and governed politically in order to exploit not only its economic and financial aspects, but also its human and civil potentialities.

    This is a theme that, in the view of de Magistris, ties Naples to the world—on the one hand, through the Mediterranean sea of which Naples is the center, and on the other through the 41st parallel that, across the Atlantic Ocean, connects Naples and New York. For a week, the mayor brought this theme in the streets and in the universities, amidst the people, amidst the entrepreneurs, amidst the intellectuals. But he also brought it to more diverse institutions and administrations, from the UN to the City of New York.
     

    In the headquarters of the Permanent Mission of Italy to the UN, de Magistris met Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi and his deputy Inigo Lambertini (who, incidentally, originates from Campania).

    The conversation focused on the strategic role of cities in the global world and in particular the role that Naples intends to play to promote the development of a peaceful Mediterranean bgased on shared citizenship rights.

    Global issues like the wave of migrations in Europe, the peace in the Middle East, cannot but pass through the cultural and political mediation of the big cities that overlook this sea, from north to south, from east to west. Ambassador Cardi said he was willing to engage with the City of Naples in a joint effort to work on these issues, in particular on supporting inclusive policies in European cities and the strategic role that Naples—a city of peace and integration par excellence—can play in this area.

    This theme re-emerged with strength in what was perhaps the most important meeting the mayor of Naples had during this trip—that with the mayor of New York, the Italian-American Bill de Blasio. An hour-long conversation of high political profile and great human affinity, held in the presence of their respective delegations and then continued in private at de Blasio’s residence, where de Magistris was invited for an unscheduled drink. The two agreed on just about everything and in the coming months, will put in place a series of joint initiatives. 

    The City of New York will offer its support to the projects of the City of Naples to encourage touristic and cultural “reverse migrations”whereby New Yorkers from Naples and Campania could visit their ancestrgal homeland to rediscover their roots.

    But also, and most importantly, the two mayors will collaborate on an in-depth discussion regarding their policies of acceptance and inclusion of migrants, with the same certainty that the influence and exchange between different cultures is a source of wealth and not a reason for fear.

    De Blasio and de Magistris also compared some concrete initiatives already put in place in their respective cities, like the new identity card that the City of New York has offered all residents, including “without papers” immigrants, compared to the Neapolitan initiative to offer “honorary citizenship” to all immigrants which, as de Magistris had already said at the Calandra Institute’s conference,  would allow access to essential services on the basis of shared citizenship rights.
     

    Bill de Blasio and Luigi de Magistris have promised each other that they will collaborate effectively on these issue making Naples and New York the promoters of a world coalition of cities committed to policies designed to combat inequality and to promote human, social, and cultural integration.

     

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