L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano 2 018 has marked the forty years of the first museum in the United States devot- ed exclusively to Italian and Italian-American art and culture. The so-called Museo Italo Americano, located at his- toric Fort Mason in San Francis- co, is a small non-profit institu- tion founded in 1978, but it has never purchased art. On the other hand, collectors and friends of the Museo have donated many works to its collections that you find when visiting. The mission of the Museo is twofold: to research, collect, and display works of Italian and Italian- American artists, as well as to promote educational programs for the appreciation of Italian art and culture, thereby preserving the heritage of Italian-Americans for future generations. L'Italo Americano had the pl easure to talk to Mary Serventi Steiner, Curator of the Museo, who has spent the last months preparing a celebration event that took place on September 13. The night marked the opening of a big exhibit showcasing 75 works by 48 artists. Mary, tell us a bit of this exhibition and how it honors and celebrates the anniversary of the Museo. As many know, 1978 was the year the Museo Italo Americano was founded by two immigrants, Giuliana Nardelli Haight and Franco Bruno, a North Beach coffeehouse owner. The Museo's first home, in fact, was in a room above Bruno's Caffè Malvina. In the last forty years, we have built a notable Permanent Collection, thanks to the generosity of many artists, collectors, and friends of the Museo. We took the opportu- nity of our 40th anniversary cele- bration to showcase works of art by artists from our Permanent Collection, many of which were recent acquisitions. Some others are older pieces that needed con- servation and, therefore, haven't been shown for quite some time. Some others have never been exhibited. The Museo Italo Americano is grateful to the Fleishhacker Foundation for helping to make this exhibit pos- sible. Why did you put together so many artists, rather than just a few? And which kind of mes- sage would you like to give to the public? We actually have a beautiful collection that includes many tal- ented Italian and Italian Ameri- can artists. My goal was to show- case as many of these as possible, representing diverse artistic styles and mediums, and to bring awareness among the public about the contributions SERENA PERFETTO The Museo Italo Americano marks its 40th year of Italian art and culture by the bay relevant and surely unmiss- able? The natural process of molds used as an artistic medium is strongly influenced by the spe- cific microclimate of each loca- tion. The works of art created in situ are able to capture the soul and atmosphere of each individ- ual location, transferring onto canvas the memory and the "genius" that is safeguarded within it. Therefore, the original- ity of the art produced on site derives from this: an artistic pro- duction conceived not only through the emotional "condi- tioning" of the artists, but also through the environmental con- ditioning of the space. Creating art in ancient locations such as these allows the realization of contemporary art with a concrete connection with the past. The anniversary celebration will continue in the fall with the 40th Anniversary Gala which will be held on Saturday Novem- ber 3 at Bimbo's in North Beach. It is going to be a party with hosted cocktails, a lovely seated dinner, music and dancing. and the impact of all the artists involved. In this exhibit, we have works by Giorgio De Chiri- co, founder of the Scuola Metafisica; Gino Severini, a leader of the Futurist Movement and Alberto Magnelli, an impor- tant member of the post-war Concrete Art movement. We showcase early Abstract Expres- sionists such as John Grillo and Felix Ruvolo, as well as current ones such as Peter Scaturro and Serena Bocchino. On display are metal and stone sculptures by such iconic artists as Arnaldo Pomodoro and Benny Bufano as well as contemporary sculptors Giuseppe Palumbo and Alan Shepp. I'm only mentioning a few but many, many more important and gifted artists are on display. How is the Museo keeping the connection with Italian cul- ture alive? What has changed in these four decades and what has stayed the same instead? Our mission at the beginning was very much as it is today – to research, collect, and display works of Italian and Italian- American artists, and to promote educational programs for the appreciation of Italian art and culture. For forty years, we have been collecting and displaying works of art and creating origi- nal documentary exhibits that highlight aspects of Italian cul- ture and the contributions of Ital- ians and Italian Americans. We also organize cultural events all year round, such as illustrated lectures on Italian regions, Ital- ian history, and Italian immigra- tion; food and wine tastings; musical events and concerts. We also offer Italian language cours- es for all levels, as well as a spe- cial Italian art program for Mid- dle School students in San Francisco called C.I.A.O. - Chil- dren's Italian History Outreach. Our membership, visitors, and attendees include Italian and Ital- ian American families, new expatriates, Italophiles. Thanks to the ease of travel, the internet, the proliferation of more authen- tic Italian restaurants and the expansion of the wine culture, more people are familiar with Italy and Italian culture than they were 40 years ago. This is great news for all of us, Italophiles are everywhere! What's coming up next? The next exhibit is a very exciting contemporary art pro- ject that is currently getting a lot of attention in Italy. It is the Genius Loci project by the Ital- ian artistic duo, Stefano For- gione and Giuseppe Rossi, who work under the pseudonym Tto- zoi. The Genius Loci project was developed under the patronage of Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The art is being created at three UNESCO sites which are universal symbols of Italian architectural, artistic and archae- ological culture: the Monumen- tal Complex of the Reggia di Caserta, the Archeological Park of Pompeii and, to conclude, the Roman Coliseum. The artists simultaneously perform an action in situ on a jute canvas, covering it with an organic mat- ter made up of various flours, water and natural pigment. They then seal the work in a case, inside which the molds are allowed to proliferate naturally. The molds then feed on the organic material, interacting with the work of art, following their own haphazard paths through the veins of the jute. The artists closely monitor the progress of the spores, over a period of sev- eral days to months, until they decide to interrupt it. The can- vasses are then cleaned and sealed with resins, used only for the purpose of protecting the work of art, without altering the naturalness of the results. What makes this project so Mary Serventi Steiner giving opening remarks The Birthday Cake Artist and Phantom of the Opera Star, Franc D'Ambrosio sings "Tanti Auguri" to the Museo Visitors at the Museo Italo Americano, which celebrates its 40th birthday this month The credit for the images publi- shed on page 24 in the edition of Sep. 6 2018, goes to Flavia Loreto Fotografia SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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