Museum and Italian Cultural Center News--- compiled by Sarah Cifarelli Wellen

We have joined the Museum Association of New York, a professional organization that is a voice for museum advocacy with a growing array of professional resources. ---A recent visitor said this about our museum, “Incredible labeling and interpretation of exhibits, a wonderful, surprising place.” ---Our thrift shop received a “thank you” for items donated to the Albany Maritime Ministry. ---This summer, our out-of-town visitors came from PA., NJ., WA., FL., GA., MN., IL., and Sicily. ---Our Italian Meal on the Lawn in June was a huge success with many diners visiting our museum. ---We are networking with Alignable to further encourage people from the business community to visit our museum. ---Through social media, Prof/Cav. Philip J DiNovo has been contacting other Italian American organizations, ethnic groups, and educational organizations, hoping to promote our museum across the country.

Composed by Sarah Cifarelli Wellen (posted 5/1/2018)

We were very happy to welcome the Guilderland High School Italian Club to our Museum... The “Visions of Italy” art exhibit was a total success, bringing new people to the Museum. Five paintings were sold with a portion of the sales going to the Museum…More old photos have been added to our photo room…The Albany Times Union gave great coverage of our annual Italian Easter Bake Sale with a photo including members, Cathy McGuire, Roseanne Kwarta, and Nancy Macy, Chair of the event… In April, the Museum hosted the New York State Sons of Italy Youth Summit…. Prof./Cav. Philip DiNovo continues to speak to community groups about our Museum. He recently appeared on the Ann Parillo TV show, spoke on the Nick Coluccio radio show, and addressed the National Association of Retired Federal Employees…He also gave a talk to the Troy “Little Italy” Neighborhood Association. He will be speaking at the Frank Chapman Memorial Institute in June and the Glen Wyck Senior Center in May.
 

Composed by Sarah Cifarelli Wellen ( posted 3/1/2018)



Chaplain Anthony Sidoti, a local priest, served in WW2 and was awarded the Purple Heart, two Silver Stars, and a Bronze Star. Recently, Albany County Executive, Daniel P. McCoy presented the museum with a flag that had flown over the White House in honor of the chaplain, along with a proclamation. The event, held at the museum, made the local news. Since then, Linda and Gene Loparco purchased and donated a container for the flag…We were pleased to have entertained a group of seniors visiting from the Meadows at Glenwyck in Glenville, and The Spinney at Van Dyke…Our library, with its wide selection of books including research volumes, has been expanded by an addition of 25 new books…Prof./Cav. Philip J. DiNovo, in his continual effort to promote the museum, gave lectures to two local senior groups and spoke at the Vartanantz Day Commemoration at St. Peter’s Armenian Apostolic Church…Our exhibits have been greatly enhanced by recent contributions: a very old statue of St. Benedict the Moor (born in Sicily), an Italian Shabbat candelabra, a 1914 photo of members of the New York State Sons of Italy convention held in Glens Falls, N.Y., a 1941 book of minutes of the Albany Sons of Italy, a beautiful, large Venetian mask, a manual of the D.A.R. in Italian, and a 1919 Singer Sewing machine used by Giuseppe Zappone, a tailor…Ed Gasparini, the owner of Gasparini Sales (Italian Food Broker and Direct Imports), signed up 11 new members! Thank you, Ed…We also thank Linda and Gene Loparco for representing the museum at the Multi-Cultural Festival at the Sand Creek Middle School.

 

Feast of St. Joseph was celebrated at the American Italian Heritage Museum on March 15th, at the museum.
 

Festival of Nations 2017
 

Our New Italian Choir 2017