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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

Award-winning singer, percussionist, teacher and author, Alessandra Belloni presents a documentary, performance and Q&A.

Join us as we welcome back Alessandra Belloni to present the documentary Musical Journeys with the Black Madonna in Southern Italy, based on her best-selling book. This unique film takes the viewer on a mystical journey of initiation, transformation, and empowerment as she unveils the secret healing powers of the musical traditions in the Mezzogiorno regions.

The screening will be followed by a live concert presented by Artistic Director, Alessandra Belloni and Music Director, John La Barbera of the folkloric group, “I Giullari di Piazza”. They will be accompanied by Joe Deninzon (violin, mandolin and vocals), Mara Gerety (violin and vocals) and Dancers: Danielle Marie Fusco and Peter de Geronimo.

The performance will feature Southern Italian Folk Music and dances, that are part of the film, including the traditional drumming and dance of the Tammorriata, sacred chants from the regions of Campania and Sicily, Sicilian tarantellas, and original compositions by John La Barbera and Alessandra Belloni featured in their Opera The Voyage of the Black Madonna. Followed by a Q&A.

Saturday, March 29th, 3:00 pm

$35 per person

Italian American Museum

151 Mulberry Street

New York, NY 10013

Click here for tickets

Learn all about Italian American contributions to the genre from the Jazzy Italian herself.

Did you know that classic jazz standards such as Moon River, At Last and September in the Rain were composed by Italian Americans? That’s right! Italian Americans were instrumental in jazz from its beginnings in New Orleans to modern day. Join Vanessa Racci as she performs the songs and shares the history from Louis Prima to Chick Corea.

Ticket price includes performance, free spotlight talk on the lastest exhibit, Sicilian “Pupi” Theater in Little Italy: The Return of the Manteo Puppets at 2:15 pm and a prosecco reception immediately prior to the performance.

If planning to attend the Exhbit spotlight talk please arrive a few minutes earlier, and if planning on only attending the performance please arrive at 2:45 for seating.

Saturday, April 5th, 3:00 pm

$35 per person

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

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