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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

Looted:

Rescuing Italy’s

Stolen Treasures

A Book Presentation and Conversation

By Frances Vieta and and Margaret Burke

Saturday, May 17th, 3:00 pm

Click here for tickets

Looted: Rescuing Italy's Stolen Treasures by Frances Vieta
In 1973, Frances Vieta, an Italian American journalist living in Rome, is incensed to learn that New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has purchased a priceless Greek vase, the Euphronios krater, for $1 million. Ms. Vieta suspects the antiquity was illegally looted from Italy and smuggled out of the country. She sets out to investigate the acquisition, teaming up with Rodolfo Siviero, an Italian minister and art recovery expert, and the Carabinieri Art Squad, a special unit of the Italian army dedicated to protecting cultural heritage.
Ms. Vieta’s investigation uncovers a vast network of tomb robbers, smugglers, and unscrupulous dealers who have been plundering Italy’s archaeological sites for decades, fueled by the demand from wealthy collectors and prestigious museums.
Ms. Vieta’s investigation uncovers a vast network of tomb robbers, smugglers, and unscrupulous dealers who have been plundering Italy’s archaeological sites for decades, fueled by the demand from wealthy collectors and prestigious museums.
Saturday, May 31st, 3:00 pm
$20 per person
(includes admission to the
Museum’s current exhibition)
Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

The Invisible Spy

A Book Reading and Talk

By Thomas Maier

Saturday, May 24th, 3:00 pm

Click here for tickets

The Invisible Spy by Thomas Maier

The Invisible Spy tells the story of America’s first secret agent of WWII (Ernest Cuneo, an Italian-American former NFL player turned White House insider) who worked with Churchill’s spies at Rockefeller Center, including his pal Ian Fleming (who even dedicated one of his James Bond novels to Cuneo). This biography is fundamentally about the origins of U.S. intelligence, the fight against Nazis, and the effort of Churchill’s spies at Rockefeller Center to convince America to get into the war. It also touches on Russian “double agents” during the Cold War, the early days of the NFL, the Hollywood/Broadway worlds of Cuneo as private lawyer for media star Walter Winchell, and Cuneo’s influence on Fleming’s massively popular James Bond novels and movies. It also explores the strong sense of being an Italian-American in the mid-20th Century for both Cuneo, a feeling shared by his first boss, Fiorello LaGuardia.

Saturday, May 24th, 3:00 pm

$20 per person

(includes admission to the

Museum’s current exhibition)

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

 

 

Ciao Italia:

Plant, Harvest, Cook!

A Slide Presentation and Book Signing

By Mary Ann Esposito

Host of the long running

PBS Program, “Ciao Italia”

Saturday, May 31st, 3:00 pm

Click here for tickets

Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook! by Mary Ann Esposito

The Slide presentation, which is based on Mary Ann Esposito’s book, “Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook!”, will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.

About the book:

Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook! takes the reader on a seasonal home garden vegetable journey focusing on simple growing tips for anyone interested in growing their own vegetables and how to cook them Italian style. In simple language, anyone interested in growing their own vegetables whether on a grand or small scale will find this book filled with helpful gardening advice. No former green thumb necessary.

Over 30 years of trial and error and getting down and dirty, have been the foundation for this book, as well as a love for fresh homegrown food. The book highlights what’s growing in the early spring garden, featuring such cool weather crops as lettuce, radishes and peas and as the pages turn, progresses to what’s growing during the hot summer months with crops like tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.

Pre-Order your copy of

“Ciao Italia: Plant, Harvest, Cook!”

Special Discount for Attendees

$30 per book – Save $10 off retail price of $40

Please send an email to: info@ItalianAmericanMuseum.org

Books will be available for signing

at the Museum on 5/31

—

Saturday, May 31st, 3:00 pm

$20 per person

(includes admission to the

Museum’s current exhibition)

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

Send your contact information and email to
info@ItalianAmericanMuseum.org to receive
Museum news and announcements.