L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano C e l e b r a t i n g a n d R e m e m b e r i n g a H o m e t o w n H e r o : L o u i s Zamperini Louis Zamperini has been celebrated and honored by many, not only around the world but als o es pecially in the Los Angeles community. His legacy will continue to live on through his books, his family, and his accomplis hments . A s w ell known as he was and still is in the Italian-American community throughout the United States for being a living symbol for what we all can agree is that of a super hero, Louis is very much still also known as the local home- tow n hero of Torrance, California. His experience in the United States Army Air Corps was one most treacherous and torturous, as many all across the world have come to read about. Louis's story of survival in the Japanese prison camps during World War II is not one to be forgotten, and immediately once the war had ended, Louis had undoubtedly enough been given a hero's welcome upon returning back home. His heroism and inspirational journey will forever remain in our hearts. In remembrance of Louis Zamperini's recent birthday on January 26 th (on which he would have turned 9 8 years old), Louis's son, Luke Zamperini, and his daughter, Cynthia (Zamperini) Garris came togeth- er with Louis's good friend and co-author David Rensin to relish in the memory of what a great man Louis Zamperini truly was. The public celebration started w ith a book s igning at the Torrance H is torical S ociety Museum for the book Don't Give Up, Don't Give In – Lessons from an Extraordinary Life by Louis Zamperini and D avid Rensin. In this book are the many valuable life les s ons , w ords of w is dom and even s ecrets of the extraordinary experiences of Louis Zamperini. Along with the book signing and an incredible heart- felt introduction for Louis, a Q&A was given by the co-author himself David Rensin, Cynthia Garris and Luke Zamperini as w ell as a view ing of the Torrance centennial DVD: Louis THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 4 Z am per ini – T r ium ph of the Torrance Tornado. Not only were visitors sustained in nostal- gia about Louis 's military accomplishments and triumphs, but they were also pulled further into the earlier memories of Louis with a viewing of a clip of Louis w inning the 1934 Southern California Track and F ield Champions hip, w hich showcases an what an astound- ing and stimulating young man Louis Zamperini truly w as . "Running in what was celebrat- ed at the bes t field of high school milers in history, Louie routed them all and smoked the mile in 4:21:2, shattering the national high school record, set Roman Silver Treasure back to its original splendor on dis- play at the Getty Villa in the 01/22 edition was authored by Valerio Viale BECKY ZEFERINO Jerry Ronan, Joann Miyamoto, David Rensin, Debbie, Jamie Ruth Watson, Janet Payne, Luke Zamperini, and Cynthia Zamperini Garris Louis Zamperini Mirella Bentivoglio, visual artist and poetess, was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, in 1922 to Italian parents : M argherita Cavalli and the scientist, Ernesto Bertarelli. She spent her child- hood in Milan and, then, she moved to study in the German- speaking part of Switzerland and in England, before the WWII burst out. At that point, she resumed her education, through her father's extensive book collection. To better understand her later artis- tic choices, I quote Mirella's own words: "My mother was alw ay s a bit jealous of my father's books, and by extension, of my relationship with him. She wanted me to paint, whereas my father encouraged my reading and writing. I hope that through the creation of artists' books and works of visual and concrete poetry, combining image and language, I have finally made peace between them." At 21 years of age, Mirella published her first collection of poetry: G iar dino (1943). H ow ever, s he gradually felt restrained by the rigidity of the printed words and, in the 60s, she joined the Concrete poetry movement, which shifts its focus from the meaning and content of a text to its constitutive elements (alphabetic letters, phonemes, syllables and words). Later, Bentivoglio joined the Visual poetry movement, which blurs the distinction between art and text in a more radical way. The artist, in her long career, has been recognized both domes- tically and internationally: in 2002, she was awarded the Silver Plate of the President of the Italian Republic; 65 solo exhibi- tions have been dedicated to her worldwide; she has taken part to the Venice Biennale (eight times from 1969 to 2001) and the MOMA - Museum of Modern Art (New York, 1992), just to name a few. A look at Mirella Bentivoglio's works at the Pomona College Museum of Art ERRATUM VALERIO VIALE The current exhibition, PAGES: Mirella Bentivoglio, Selected Works 1966 – 2012, on view from January 20 to May 17, at the Pomona College Museum of Art, celebrates her most exper- imental and provocative works. In the first room, along the walls, we see a series of works, which cleverly combine images and words, employing a variety of different materials and media. It immediately s tands out Mirella's fascination for the two Italian letters "E" ("And" in Englis h) and "O " ("O r" in English). The first expresses the connection with the community, while the second stands for iden- tity and individuality. Among her most remarkable works, imbued with feminism, we find: Il cuore della consuma- trice ubbidiente (The Heart of the Obedient Consumer), 1975. Mirella inscribes inside the con- tour, in shape of a red heart, the word "Oca" (a feminine noun in Italian, equivalent to "S illy Goose"). Doing so, she refers provocatively to the trademark of "Coca-Cola", which epitomizes the fierce consumerism. Lastly, in the center of the first room, we find three-dimen- sional sculptures, one of which materializes one of Leonardo Da Vinci's sketches. The second room displays some of Bentivoglio's works, which pertain to a new phase of the artis t's exploration. Remarkably, L'Ovo di Gubbio (The Egg of Gubbio), and Poesia all'alber o (T he Poem to the T r ee), both from 1976, and Operazione Orfeo (L'uovo nella caverna) – Operation Orpheum (The Egg in the Cavern) from '82-85. The three dominant sym- bols have become: the egg, the tree and the book. The first represents the birth and motherhood, but also unity and equality between the sexes. The second represents the con- nection to earth and nature. The third symbolizes the intellectual sphere. during World War I, by more that 2 seconds." — a quote from the DVD by author of Louis Zamperini's most acclaimed w ritten biography and now major motion picture (Unbroken), Laura Hillenbrand. The museum also displayed their collection from the Louis Zamperini Trust, exhibiting the unbroken 1934 trophy for setting the Interscholastic World Record for running the mile in 4:21:2, the training shorts and sweatshirt from the 1936 Olympics, the wallet in Louis's back pocket during the B-24 crash in the Pacific, and his death certificate along with other smaller "Lucky Louie" treasures. Thanks to exhibits and muse- ums s uch as the Torrance Historical Society, Louis's lega- cy has and will continue to live on in the minds and hearts of present and future generations to come, not only in the LA com- munity, but als o acros s the globe. The renowned hero has captivated our souls, and as a community we will remain in constant recollection of the great "unbroken" man Louis Zamperini has proven to be.

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