L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Staying in the world of architecture and just steps f r o m L o r e n ' s c i n e m a , w e can't overlook the mark left in the heart of Hollywood by R e n z o P i a n o , w h o d e s i g n e d t h e A c a d e m y Museum of Motion Pictures, the most important cinema m u s e u m i n t h e w o r l d . Located in the famous Mira- cle Mile, the museum revi- talized the 1939 May Com- pany building and created a modern spherical structure, the 1,000-seat David Geffen T h e a t r e , a n d t h e D o l b y Family Terrace. "The Acade- my Museum," said Piano, also from Genoa, "gives us the opportunity to honor the past while creating a build- ing for the future—or rather, for many futures." During the inauguration, the direc- tor of the Italian Cultural I n s t i t u t e i n L o s A n g e l e s , E m a n u e l e A m e n d o l a , stated: "Architecture plays a crucial role in building com- munity; it's not just about creating physical spaces but a b o u t d e s i g n i n g e n v i r o n - m e n t s w h e r e p e o p l e c a n connect and find a sense of belonging." This reflection holds true for Giannini, for Loren, and for all those who have helped build the Ital- ian-American community. Although Italy as a nation d i d n ' t e x i s t u n t i l 1 8 6 1 , i t sent millions of its people to North American shores. The first immigrants—Neapoli- tans, Sicilians, Calabrians, Ligurians, and Venetians— often struggled to under- s t a n d e a c h o t h e r d u e t o v a s t l y d i f f e r e n t d i a l e c t s . Once in the United States, they rolled up their sleeves and became Italian-Ameri- cans. At the beginning of the 2 0 t h c e n t u r y , t h e y p r o - foundly changed the conti- nent with hard work, inge- n u i t y , p e r s e v e r a n c e , intelligence, and a generous emotional charge—and they continue to enrich society today. This ongoing contribution is evidenced not only by the s t e a d y a r r i v a l o f researchers, technologists, scientists, innovators, cre- atives, and entrepreneurs in California but also by the c o n s t a n t d e d i c a t i o n t h a t each of these modern immi- grants puts into their work. Vito M. Campese, a pas- s i o n a t e s u p p o r t e r o f research from Puglia, is now Professor Emeritus of Medi- cine and co-director of the Kidney Research Center in L o s A n g e l e s , t o w h i c h h e has dedicated his entire life. "I've been here for 50 years, and today we celebrate," he said, visibly moved. "Here, I built my career, starting as a fellow, then becoming assis- tant, associate, and full pro- fessor in 1985. I've always worked on kidney diseases and hypertension. It's the recognition of a life dedicat- ed to work, to patients, to study and research, but also to educating new genera- tions of doctors." It's this lifelong dedica- tion that makes the differ- e n c e a n d e x p l a i n s t h e importance of Italian-Amer- ican Heritage Month, where t h e I t a l i a n a n d I t a l i a n - American cultural heritage i n t r i n s i c t o i n d i v i d u a l s becomes an added value to their professional qualities. Edoardo Ponti's tribute t o u c h e s o n e x a c t l y t h e s e themes and represents the light that has guided mil- lions of Italian immigrants who landed in America. From cinema to finance, from architecture to medi- c i n e , f r o m t e c h n o l o g y t o s p o r t s , f r o m f a s h i o n t o d e s i g n , a n d a r t i n a l l i t s forms—Italy is a multicol- ored world reflected in all its protagonists and inter- preters, who have built a piece of America by valuing their Italian origins. In this context lies the significance of L'Italo-Americano, a bastion of Italian culture since 1908. In our pages, there have always been sto- ries, emotions, places, and achievements of these Ital- ians and Italian-Americans. K n o w i n g t h e m , e n g a g i n g with them, and being part of this ever-evolving cultural dimension is a fundamental identity experience. Togeth- e r , w e b u i l d a s e n s e o f belonging to "our" cultural community. October is Italian-American Heritage Month, a time to recognize the contributions of the Italian community to American society. It is a celebration of the achievements and successes of Italian immigrants and Italian-Americans CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Photo: a katz/Shutterstock

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