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.

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

Little Italy Walking Tour

Now Offering:

Italian American Museum Amici Walking Tour

Individuals and families

Saturdays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm (weather permitting)

Schools and Groups

Weekdays by Appointment

To sign up or for more info, please email:

AmiciWalkingTour@gmail.com

For all other inquiries including media, please email:

info@ItalianAmericanMuseum.org

Renowned for its important place in American history, Little Italy in Manhattan is one of New York’s most iconic and intriguing neighborhoods, once the largest Italian American social enclave in the nation at the turn of the 19th century

On this tour you will learn about the exciting history of the neighborhood, once the largest Italian American social enclave in the nation at the turn of the 19th century. The treasures of Little Italy include the original site of the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, the Church of Most Precious Blood, beloved businesses kept in families for generations, and even the home of Italian American hero, NYPD Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino.

Events

The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884-1947):

The Paladins of France in America

A Book Presentation and Talk by

Dr. Jo Ann Cavallo

Thursday, December 5th, 6:00 pm

Jo Ann Cavallo’s book reconstructs the history of the Manteo Family’s Sicilian Marionette Theater across three generations and brings to light for the first time the contents of Agrippino Manteo’s extensive puppet theater scripts. In addition to 270 translated synopses of plays from the famous Paladins of France cycle, the volume provides translations of 8 complete plays with comparative analyses that uncover the creative process of adaptation from Italian Renaissance masterpieces of chivalric poetry (Boiardo’s Orlando Innamorato and Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso), to Giusto Lodico’s nineteenth-century Storia dei paladini di Francia, to Agrippino’s Opera dei Pupi scripts. Professor Cavallo’s talk will present highlights from the family’s trajectory as puppeteers and examples of Agrippino Manteo’s craft as a playwright.

Jo Ann Cavallo, Professor of Italian and Chair of the Italian Department at Columbia University, specializes in Italian Renaissance epics and their adaptation in popular performance traditions.

Thursday, December 5th, 6:00 pm at the Italian American Museum

Suggested donation of $15 per person

For reservations please send an email to: ItalianAmericanMuseum@gmail.com

Annual Appeal 2024

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.

The New Italian American Museum: Architectural renderings and model for the forthcoming newly designed museum.

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

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.

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

• Individual Membership $100
• Family Membership $150
• Senior Membership $50

Click here for more information on
Naming Opportunities

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