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The Italian American Museum
cordially invites you to attend
a screening of Claudio Bellante’s film
Don Q
and a Q&A with lead actor
Armand Assante
Thursday, December 11th at 6:00 pm
151 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10013
Claudio Bellante's latest film, "Don Q" starring Armand Assante.
A Question and Answer segment with lead actor Armand Assante, writer/director Claudio Bellante and other members of the cast will follow the film screening. The Q&A segment will be moderated by media personality Premium Pete.
About the film:
Don Q, a Little Italy resident, imagines himself as a powerful mafia boss aiming to restore the neighborhood’s values. The return of a ruthless ex-con challenges Q’s delusion, embroiling him and a loyal recruit in a turf war over the area.
Thursday, December 11th, 6:00 pm
Free Admission.
Guests must register in advance.
Finger food and refreshments will be
available for reserved guests.
Sponsored by Made In Italy Group, Columbia Surgery for Italy and Gava Group
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: By appointment only
Wednesday: By appointment only
Thursday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm
Friday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm
Saturday: 12:00 – 5:00 pm
Sunday: No public hours
Featured Exhibits
Andrea Doria: The Final Voyage
A Tragic Collision. A Heroic Rescue. A Lasting Legacy
In 1956, the majestic transatlantic ship of the Italian Line, the SS Andrea Doria was nearing the end of its journey from Italy to New York when disaster struck. Just off the coast of Nantuck et, Massachusetts, it collided with the MS Stockholm. Onboard were 1,706 passengers, including many Italian immigrants seeking a ne w life in America. Des pite the massive damage, the Andrea Doria remained afloat for nearly 11 hours, allowing time for one of the greatest sea rescues in history. Thanks to the bravery and quick action of rescuers, 1,660 lives were saved.
This powerful exhibit is a tribute to the courage of the survivors, the bravery of the rescuers,
and the 51 souls whose lives were lost at sea. This exhibition features rare original artifacts
from the collection of John Moyer, who made over 120 dives to the wreck.
Sicilian Theater in Little Italy:
The Return of the Manteo Puppets
On the mezzanine level we have as our guests, 32 life-sized puppets which the Manteo Family has generously donated to the Italian American Museum. In the early 1900s Agrippino Manteo created a Marionette theater at 109 Mulberry Street where he and his family held nightly performances of the tales of Orlando Furioso, a knight devoted to loyalty and chivalry in the medieval kingdom of King Charlemagne.
The Manteo family constructed and painted the puppets, created backdrops and assembled them so that they could withstand nightly battle scenes. This was an extremely popular form of
entertainment and enjoyed by the masses as the Manteo family brought these inanimate objects to life.
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
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
Silent Knights,
Living Stories:
The Manteo
Marionettes
at the IAM
Presented by
Prof. Jo Ann Cavallo
Saturday, December 6th, 3:00 pm
The Manteo Puppets are currently on display a the Italian American Museum
Step into the world of chivalric heroes! Join Prof. Jo Ann Cavallo as she brings the legendary Manteo marionettes to life!
The Catanese-American puppeteer Agrippino Manteo brought countless characters from the Paladins of France cycle to life for Italian American immigrant communities in New York City, performing nightly from 1923 to 1939. From 1950 to 1989, his descendants crafted new stories for wider audiences featuring some of the cycle’s most beloved heroes. Today, over thirty Manteo marionettes – including Carlomagno, Gano, Rinaldo, Orlando, Rodomonte, and Agramante – have found a home at the Italian American Museum. The intricately constructed and exquisitely decorated figures silently gaze back at visitors, as if awaiting the chance to enact their chivalric adventures once again.
In the absence of a puppeteer, Jo Ann Cavallo offers the next best thing: reintroducing these figures to contemporary audiences by describing their character traits and sharing highlights from their stories. Attendees will then have the opportunity to meet the puppets face to face in the exhibit – and to continue the conversation.
Jo Ann Cavallo is Professor of Italian at Columbia University, where she has taught since 1988. She has published numerous studies on Italian literature and culture, with particular attention to Renaissance chivalric epic and its afterlife in popular traditions. Her latest books, The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884–1947): The Paladins of France in America and The World beyond Europe in the Romance Epics of Boiardo and Ariosto, received multiple awards and have been published in Italian translation.
Saturday, December 6th, 3:00 pm
$15 per person
(Includes admission
to Museum exhibits)
Italian American Museum
151 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10013
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.
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Members receive a 10% discount on all in-house Italian American Museum events.
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