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151 Mulberry Street
New York City

Museum Hours:
Thursday - Saturday
12:00 - 5:00 pm

A New Home

in the Heart of Little Italy

The new Italian American Museum (IAM) will serve as a cultural hub and community nexus for Italian Americans and the Little Italy neighborhood. Through permanent and temporary exhibits, robust educational and cultural programming, and collaborations with the community, the IAM will become the preeminent center for learning about and engaging with Italian as a platform for sharing Italian American voices and celebrating Italian American achievements, the IAM will be interesting to both Italian Americans and non-Italian Americans, bringing Italian American culture and heritage to younger generations and a wide range of new audiences.

The Italian American Museum preserves, promotes, and celebrates the culture and history of Italian Americans, serving as living record of their contributions to America and a bridge between the remarkable past and the evolving future of the community.

By allowing Italian Americans to share their story in their voice, the Italian American Museum will encourage a full appreciation of what it means to be Italian American.

News

Progress Photos

Museum Hours

 

Monday: No public hours

Tuesday: No public hours

Wednesday: By appointment only

Thursday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm

Friday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm

Saturday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm

Sunday: By appointment only

Featured Exhibits

Sicilian Theater in Little Italy:

The Return of the Manteo Puppets

Verrazzano’s Voyage to America:

The Quincentennial Year

Goodnight, Maria

A tribute to all the women

who worked tirelessly

in the garment industry

to live the American dream

Life-sized sculpture of 95 year old Maria Pulsone who was a “master seamstress” in the garment district. The plaster statue of her was placed in the lobby of the Saint Laurie suit company where she worked. Each night as the women left the building they would pass by her and say “Good Night, Maria”.

Events

Stroll in the Piazza:

Italian Music Collection

Concert Performance

By Dr. David Podles

Saturday, June 14th, 3:00 pm

Click here for tickets

Dr. David Podles

Acclaimed International Concert Violinist Dr. David Podles presents the most famous, poignant and celebrated Italian pieces from the Classical beauty of Vivaldi and Paganini to Traditional tarantellas and mazurkas Plus Italian-American music created by immigration to the U.S. flanked by Opera greats such as Rossini and Puccini.

Acclaimed International Concert Violinist Dr. David Podles of Riga, Latvia, is laureate of 3 prestigious international competitions and graduated from Music Conservatory in Riga, Latvia obtaining a PhD in Music. He performed in symphony, chamber, opera and ballet theatre, both solo, in orchestra and on tour across Russia, Europe, Central Asia and the former Soviet Republics, including The Bolshoi & Kirov. In the U.S. David has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, 92nd Y and at Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center.

Saturday, June 14th, 3:00 pm

$35 per person

(includes event ticket

and Museum admission)

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

Peperoncino

Jazz Festival

NY Session – Night 1

Thursday, June 19th, 6:00 pm

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Mafalda Minnozzi presents "Metti Una Serra a Cena"

The first of the five evenings of the “Peperoncino Jazz Festival – New York Session” presented at the Italian American Museum, an elegant and contemporary venue located in the center of New York City, will feature Mafalda Minozzi.

Mafalda makes a triumphant return to NY and the Peperoncino Jazz Festival on the heels of the chart-topping RIOFONIC album that placed her in the top 10 of JazzWeek charts for 5 of the over 3 months on the chart.  It has also been on the prestigious NACC and ROOTS MUSIC Jazz Charts while still enjoying airplay on the top US jazz stations.

Derived from the Morricone soundtrack from the film of the same name, the show “Metti una Sera a Cena” will delve into her acclaimed work with jazz readings of themes from Italian film, along with a taste of her career in Brazil, Italy and NY.  With an innovative scat style, the songs become sensorial examples of what might be expected and unexpected.  Her unique blend of Italian lyricism and mastery of Brazilian Bossa and Samba have earned her a place on stage with greats like Milton Nascimento, Joao Bosco, Leny Andrade and Roberto Menescal, and collaborations with Dave Liebman, Joe Locke, John Patitucci and others.  Joining her will be NY stalwarts, with longtime partner Paul Ricci on guitar and rising star Rico Jones on sax.

Thursday, June 19th, 6:00 pm

$20 per person

(includes event ticket

and Museum admission)

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

 

Peperoncino

Jazz Festival

NY Session – Night 2

Monday, June 23rd, 5:00 pm

Click here for tickets

Peter Bernstein meets Elio Coppola Trio

The second of the five evenings of the “Peperoncino Jazz Festival – New York Session” presented at the Italian American Museum, an elegant and contemporary venue located in the center of the “Big Apple”, will feature an international artistic connection between Italy and the USA.  Protagonist of the event, in fact, is guitar maestro Peter Bernstein, who has been a part of the jazz scene in New York and abroad since 1989.  During that time he has participated in over 300 recordings and numerous festivals.  His collaborations with musicians of all generations goes from Sonny Rollins to Jimmy Cobb, from Brad Mehldau to Diane Krall, from Dr. Lonnie Smith to Lee Konitz and Al Foster.  As a leader, Peter has released 14 albums and a DVD, Live at Smoke.

For this special event Peter will be performing with the “EC Trio”, led by a true talent of Italian jazz: the Neapolitan drummer Elio Coppola, who despite his young age, has already made his way across the Italian and international scene (his “rhythms” have accompanied, among others, Enrico Rava, Benny Golson, Jerry Weldon, David Kikoski, John Patitucci, Gerald Cannon, etc.).  Coppola will be joined by two other great musicians: the New York based bassist but with Italian roots, Mr. Joe Lepore and the Italian guitarist Daniele Cordisco.

Monday, June 23rd, 5:00 pm

$20 per person

(includes event ticket

and Museum admission)

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

 

Peperoncino

Jazz Festival

NY Session – Night 3

Tuesday, June 24th, 6:00 pm

Click here for tickets

Davide Cerreta Quartet presents "Myths and Tales, Beyond Time and Space"

This performance of the “Peperoncino Jazz Festival – New York Session” will be held at one of New York City’s most prestigious cultural venues: the Italian American Museum, a vibrant center for music, art and cultural exchange in the heart of Little Italy.  Taking the stage is the Davide Cerreta Quartet, presenting the premiere of Cerreta’s new project, “Myths and Tales, Beyond time and Space” – a bold and imaginative journey through jazz, myth and poetry.  This original work reinterprets the music of jazz legends such as Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner, blending it with Cerreta’s own compositions, evocative lyrics and spoken word poetry.  The result is an immersive narrative that offers an alternative vision of history, one shaped by archetypes, timeless stories and the emotional language of jazz.

Davide Cerreta is an Italian singer, composer, lyricist, poet and professor at Berklee College of Music, based in New York City.  He is known for his deep baritone voice and innovative approach to modern vocal jazz.  He has received numerous awards, including Umbria Jazz Young Talents Award 2017 and second place at the 2024 Made in New York Jazz Competition.  He will be joined by an exceptional lineup: Daniele Cordisco on guitar, Joe Lepore on bass and Elio Coppola on drums – together creating a richly textured performance that fuses music, myth and poetry in a deeply personal and contemporary jazz experience.

Tuesday, June 24th, 6:00 pm

$20 per person

(includes event ticket

and Museum admission)

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

 

 

Peperoncino

Jazz Festival

NY Session – Night 4

Thursday, June 26th, 6:00 pm

Click here for tickets

Lorenzo Iorio Trio presents "Anatomy of a Dream"

Night four of the “Peperoncino Jazz Festival – New York Session” presented at the Italian American Museum, an elegant and contemporary venue located in the center of Little Italy, features a special performance by the Lorenzo Iorio Trio. The group is led by acclaimed musician, composer, songwriter, guitarist Lorenzo Iorio and is sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs through its “Oltre Confine – Il Jazz Italiano Nel Mondo” program, an initiative aimed at supporting and promoting the Italian jazz scene at an international level.

Thursday, June 26th, 6:00 pm

$20 per person

(includes event ticket

and Museum admission)

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

Peperoncino

Jazz Festival

NY Session – Night 5

Friday, June 27th, 6:00 pm

Click here for tickets

Chiara Izzi Trio presents "Canzoni Senza Tempo: Radici e Orizzonti"

Warm, magnetic voice and a cosmopolitan spirit: Chiara Izzi is one of the most captivating voices on the international jazz scene.  With a growing career and notable awards, first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition, awarded by Quincy Jones, and an Independent Music Award for her song “Circles of the Mind’, Chiara is a refined interpreter of jazz traditions and contemporary styles, as well as a composer with rich influences.  She has collaborated with jazz greats such as Chris Potter, Omer Avital, Grégoire Maret, Leon Parker, Nilson Matta and Kevin Hays.  She has graced major stages like The Kennedy Center, Montreux, Aspen and Sarasota Jazz Festivals, and NYC Clubs like Birdland, Blue Note, Smalls and 55 bar.  Her acclaimed albums include Live in Bremen (2022), praised by DownBeat as “immediate and unfiltered”, Across the Sea (2019) with Kevin Hays, and her debut Motifs (2013).

In Timeless Songs: Roots and New Horizons, Chiara honors her Italian roots and second home, New York, weaving tradition with modernity.  She brings to life Italian classics spanning from the’30s onward, hidden gems reflecting cultural ties between Italy and America, and originals born in the vibrant energy of New York City.  A journey through lyricism and improvisation, where warm Italian traditions (the roots) meet metropolitan skylines (new horizons).

Friday, June 27th, 6:00 pm

$20 per person

(includes event ticket

and Museum admission)

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

North Hills Country Club, 200 Long Island Expressway, North Service Road, Manhasset, NY 11030

All Payers – Automatic entry to win $10,000

which can be applied towards an

Alfa Romeo Tonale 24 month lease

or purchase of any other Alfa Romeo.

(In lieu of the Alfa Romeo, winner can opt to take $10,000 as a cash prize)

 

Maximum Odds: 1 in 200 Chance / Drawing to be held, June 30, 2025 / Winner must be present at time of drawing / Made possible through Alfa Romeo of Westbury

Monday, June 30, 2025, 11:00 am

North Hills Country Club

Click here for online registration

Annual Appeal 2025

Dear Friends:

We are pleased to announce that on October 1, 2024 at the beginning of Italian American Heritage and Culture Month we cut the ribbon opening our new facility for the Italian American Museum.

 

October 1, 2024 / Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - Pictured (left to right): Hon. Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President; Hon. Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller; Hon. Jerrold Nadler, United States Congressman; Hon. Fabrizio Di Michele, Consul General of Italy in NY; Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, Founder and President, Italian American Museum; Hon. Kathleen Hochul, Governor of the State of New York; Hon. Joseph Addabbo, Jr., New York State Senator; Hon. Michael Benedetto, New York State Assemblyman; Hon. Thomas Suozzi, United States Congressman

Currently we have on display 32 Manteo Puppets, made by Agrippino Manteo on Mulberry Street one hundred years ago.  In addition we have a tribute to Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first European to sail into New York Harbor in 1524, 500 years ago.  This exhibit was given to us by the Verrazzano Institute in Chianti, Italy.  We also have the statue of Maria Pulsone, a seamstress in the NYC garment district, a tribute to all who toiled in that industry.

In Summer 2025, we will open our permanent exhibition, The Italian American Experience, which will document the struggles and achievements of our people from before the birth of our Nation up to the present day.

It will have five interactive exhibits and thousands of artifacts.

Of course, all this is not possible without your support so we ask you now  at this time of our Annual Appeal to be as generous as possible.

Wishing you a happy and healthy Holiday Season.

Sincerely,

Uff. Prof. Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D.

Our Story

From Columbus to Cuomo

From our beginnings in Little Italy

The IAM is located on Mulberry Street in the heart of what was once the largest Italian community in the United States in the first quarter of the 20th century.

We became aware of the need for our own Museum in 1999, with the launch of the first major exhibition on Italians in America at the New York Historical Society, “The Italians of New York: Five Centuries of Struggle and Achievement”. The exhibit was a great success and we realized that in order to be part of the cultural dialogue in America, we needed our own Museum. So in 2001, we were chartered in New York State as the first Italian Museum in America. In our Museum, we seek to tell our whole story from Columbus to Cuomo and everything in between, our struggles and our accomplishments through hard work, ingenuity and perseverance. It has not always been easy but we have much to be proud of, for our contributions to American society are enormous. Now we will have a secular cathedral for all to see, experience and appreciate where we came from and what we have achieved.

Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa
Founder and President
Italian American Museum

Our Future

Invest in the Italian American Museum

Click on the image above to view Vision Book for the new Italian American Museum

Support

Saying Thank You the Right Way is a Priority

Remembering our past by supporting our future

Support the Italian American Museum and choose to make a difference by sustaining a rich visual arts and cultural heritage for future generations. Donors impact the museum in different ways either through immediate or planned gifts. The Italian American Museum is grateful for all levels of support — big or small. The future holds many opportunities for the Italian American Museum to provide enhanced programming, increased access, deeper understanding and broader community engagement. Through our ongoing commitment to create new experiences that challenge and inspire, we are pleased to offer a variety of ways donors and members can be involved.

Donors to the Italian American Museum are more than just supporters. They are a community of believers in the power of art and cultural heritage to help interpret and shape the world. While there are many ways to say thank you to such visionaries, the most meaningful is often a reflection of the donors themselves. That’s why the Italian American Museum’s gift recognition is highly personalized and tailored to the individual wishes of donors.

Membership

Members receive a 10% discount on all in-house Italian American Museum events.

Naming

Click here for more information on
Naming Opportunities

Subscribe

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