A 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization
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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
The Italian American Experience
A Lecture Series by
Prof. Santi Buscemi
September 27th – November 15th
1:00 pm
Session 5: Saturday, November 1, 1:00 pm
Session 5: Saturday, November 1, 1:00 pm
Power Point discussions based on the following units: Unit XIII: Italian Americans in Politics/Government Service, Unit XIV: Educators and Scholars, Unit XV: Italian Americans in the Military.
Session 6: Saturday, November 8, 1:00 pm
Power Point discussions based on the following units: Unit XVI: Italian Americans in Sports, Unit XVII: Social Activists.
Session 7: Saturday, November 15, 1:00 pm
Power Point discussions based on the following units: UNIT XVIII: Scientists, Unit XIX: Business People/Entrepreneurs, Unit XX: Important Events in Italian American History.
Saturday, September 27 – November 15
1:00 pm
$10 per person
(includes admission
to current exhibits)
Italian American Museum
151 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10013
2025 Long Island Ambasciatore Awards
Ceremony & Dinner
Sunday, November 9
Crest Hollow Country Club
Woodbury, NY
12:00 – 4:00 pm
Join us in honoring outstanding
Italian American leaders
and their
Italian American Organizations.
The 2025 Ambasciatore Award Recipients
Lt. Anthony Burgio
Columbia Association of the NYPD
Anthony Casaletti
Columbia Association of the DSNY
Jaime L. Ciffone
NYS United Teachers / Italian American Labor Council
Elisa Coccia
Coccia Foundation
Thomas J. Damigella
AIAE – Association of Italian American Educators
Richard Graziano, Ed.D.
Italian Genealogical Group
Ernest Lepore
Little Italy Merchants Association
Anthony Lofaso
Italian Charities of America
Christopher Loiacono
Columbus Citizens Foundation
Thomas A. Lupo
OSDIA, Supreme Lodge
Joseph Nasello, Sr.
UNICO National
John Signorile
Columbia Association of the FDNY
Robert Spata
Italian American Caucus of Council of School Supervisors
Arthur Spera
OSDIA, Grand Lodge of NY
Christopher R. Vaccaro
Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island
Keith Wilson
Lt. Det. Joseph Petrosino Association in America
Crest Hollow Country Club
8325 Jericho Tpke.
Woodbury, NY 11797
To RSVP or for further information,
please contact us at (212) 965-9000
or:
ItalianAmericanMuseum@gmail.com
Women of War:
The Italian
Assassins, Spies,
and Couriers Who
Fought the Nazis
Book presentation
by
Suzanne Cope
Thursday, November 13th, 6:00 pm
Women of War by Suzanne Cope
In honor of Veterans’ Day, author Suzanne Cope presents her book, “Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis”.
About the book:
The gripping, true, and untold history of the Italian anti-fascist resistance during World War II, told through the stories of four spectacularly courageous women fighters
From underground soldiers to intrepid spies, Women of War unearths the hidden history of the brave women who risked their lives to overthrow the Nazi occupation and liberate Italy. Using primary sources and brand new scholarship, historian Suzanne Cope illuminates the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders and Italian fascist loyalists.
Cope’s research and storytelling introduces four brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and pry their future from the fascist grasp. We meet Carla Capponi in Rome, where she made bombs in an underground bunker then ferried them to their deadly destination wearing lipstick and a trenchcoat; and Bianca Guidetti Serra who rode her bicycle up switchbacks in the Alps, dodging bullets while delivering bags of clandestine newspapers and munitions to the anti-fascist armies hidden in the mountains. In Florence, the young future author of Italy’s new constitution, Teresa Mattei, carried secret messages and hid bombs; while Anita Malavasi led troops across the Apennine Mountains. Women of War brings their experiences as underground resistance fighters, partisan combatants, spies, and saboteurs to life.
Essential and original, Women of War offers not only a reexamination of the elision of women from vital WWII history but also a valuable perspective on the ongoing fight for gender equality and social justice. After all, these were the women who launched a feminist movement as they fought for the future of their country, and what that could mean for its women, all while under Nazi and fascist fire.
Thursday, November 13th, 6:00 pm
$10 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.
Membership
Members receive a 10% discount on all in-house Italian American Museum events.
Naming
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Naming Opportunities
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