Press Releases 2006

"Artigianato Popolare" Exhibition

CONTACT: Janet Peterson, Marketing and Public Relations Director
TEL: (856) 825-6800, Ext. 108
FAX: (856) 825-2410
E-MAIL: jpeterson@wheatonvillage.org  

DOWN JERSEY FOLKLIFE CENTER AT WHEATON VILLAGE PRESENTS “ARTIGIANATO POPOLARE: ITALIAN FOLK ARTS AND CRAFTS” EXHIBITION

MILLVILLE, NJ – The Down Jersey Folklife Center at Wheaton Village (soon to be Wheaton Arts And Cultural Center) will present a new exhibition as part of its Creative Community Connection Series. “Artigianato Popolare: Italian Folk Arts and Crafts,” opens May 12 and will continue through December 31.

The exhibition interprets the complex balance between continuity and change in the folk and traditional culture of the Italian-Americans in South Jersey from two perspectives. First, the cultural processes follow the community’s dynamics and provide examples of cultural vitality in a multicultural context. Preservation and adaptation have gone hand in hand for several generations in enriching the cultural tapestry of today’s Italian-American community in the region. The exhibition’s goal is to help visitors better understand the significance of Italian regional identities in a U.S. context, and their cultural expressions within and outside the Italian-American community. Visitors will have an opportunity to compare the Sicilian embroidery style of the Palermo province with that of Florence; or the majolica ceramics in Castelli d’Abruzzi style with those from the town of Deruta in the Umbria region or those from Bassano in Veneto region; to compare the Capodimonte decorative ceramics from Campagna region with the rustic pots of Sicily; and Milanese Bobbin lace with Burano lace; or copper work from the Sicilian province of Messina with that of Trento in Trentino-Alto Adige.

The exhibition’s second perspective reflects the multidisciplinary nature of folk culture and the basic roles of the folk arts in human lives. Folk arts are the core of traditional culture and can be seen in everyday life, in folk rituals, in the workplace, in family or community ceremonies. They mark each and every profound change in individual or community life. The exhibition offers decorated Easter and Christmas breads, a “Saint Joseph Table,” Venetian and Sardinian masks that are part of the Pre-Lenten celebrations, embroideries and crochets that are part of wedding dowries, the Bombonieras which are used in gift exchange ceremonies and many other items that convey symbolic messages of certain rituals.

Featured Artists: Maestro Roberto Paolinelli, Matteo Randi, Margarita Liguori, Giovanna Ciro, Tina Cappellari, Sister M. Assumpta Ferrara, Sister Maria Gina, Sister Piera Maria, John L. (Larry) Dichter, Fioresi Brothers - Gary, Dominick and Ron, Gerald Lynch, Janice Olivio, LuAnn Decoma, Paul Butler, Joe Luisi, Jesse Gugliermo Demolli, J. Kenneth Leap, Laura Friesel, Ann and George Neff from the Dr. Neff’s Incredible Puppet Company, Merry May, Duilio Clemente, Nina Porcaro, Candida Manna, Jennie De Maio, Candida Logan, and Marlene De Maio - DeMaio Family, Lucia Svaluto, Anna Svaluto, Paola Svaluto, Carla Pagano, Marchella Pagano, Laura Pagano, Maria Iori – Svaluto family, Michele DiMento, Joseph DiMento, Rosa DiMento, Carmela Torre, Giovanna Caruso – DiMento family, Vivirito family, Cesarina DeCesero and DeCesero family, Franko Sale, Maria Calovi, and Ervino Franch.

The Italian Project Advisory Committee:*Dr. Frank De Maio (Chair), *Clorinda Blasse, *Cesarina De Cesero, *Ezio and Rosemarie Galli, *Biagio and Sarina Infranco, *Vincenzo and Michelina Lombardo, *Janice Olivio, *Fr. Faustino Parisi, *Nicholas Possumato, *Joseph and Josephine Di Mento, *Louise T. Bertacchi, Anna Giusti Garcia, Rudolph “Skip” Luisi, Joseph Rollo, Teresa Casazza, Sandy Brown, *Sara Vivirito and the late John Vivirito. (*) Members who lent objects to the exhibition.

Lenders to the exhibition: The Newark Museum, Adela and Mario Svaluto, Lina Loui, Frank Marone and Vivirito family, Christina Ferus, Connie Dallas, Susan Gogan, Ricci Dichter, Molly and Arlene Rabin, Fern Camann, and Ruth Raphaelson.

 
Partners: Millville Arts District, Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, Middle Atlantic Arts Foundation, Sicilian-American Club of South Jersey, Italian-American Benevolent Society, Cumberland County, NJ, The New Jersey Italian and Italian-American Heritage Commission, Associazione Regionale Siciliana, Philadelphia, Filitalia National: M. Fabrizio and P. Nestico Center of Language and Culture, Philadelphia, SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism), Jefferson Center, VA, Middle Atlantic Folklore Association, and Mediterranean Section of the American Folklore Society.

 
Sponsors: National Italian American Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Sicilian American Club of South Jersey, Inc., Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance (ILICA), National Endowment for the Arts, Sicilian American Club of South Jersey, Inc., Italian-American Benevolent Association, and Order Sons of Italy in America Grand Lodge of New Jersey.

 
Patrons: Louise T. Bertacchi, Clorinda's Caterers, LLC, Frank De Maio, Peter Galetto, Dun-Rite Sand and Gravel Company, Ms. Phyllis Cedola, Festa Italiana (Parsippany), James and Faustina Geraci, Sarini Infranco, Royal Travel, and John F. Scarpa, Dr. Joseph Wachspress, Dr. Kristen Rainear, Robert Buono, Robert Desanto, Jeff DiMatteo, Daniel FeLasca, Rudolph Luisi, Thomas Merighi, Robert Olivio, John Pastore, Ken and Stephanie Pustizzi, Raymond Tamburro, and Michael L. Testa.

 
For more information, call 1-800-998-4552 or 856-825-6800, or visit www.wheatonvillage.org.
E-mail: mail@wheatonvillage.org.

The Folklife Center is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition is included with the price of admission to Wheaton Village. Adults $10.00, Seniors $9.00 and Students $7.00. Children five and under are free. The Village is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wheaton Village strives to ensure the accessibility of its exhibitions, events and programs to all persons with disabilities. Call two weeks in advance for special accommodations.

This program was made possible by a general operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of Cultural Affairs in the Department of State. The Down Jersey Folklife Center programs are supported in part by grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment of the Arts, by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the National Park Service. The Center is further supported by residents and groups with an interest in the traditional art and culture of southern New Jersey.

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