New York Journey Blog

The Italian American Museum can be found in the heart of Little Italy, Manhattan New York. It is located at 155 Mulberry Street in conjunction on Mulberry and Grand Street. The museum is a celebration of the Italian American culture with its achievements and struggles made throughout history. The museum was officially employed by the University of New York’s Education Department in 2001 with means to maintain and establish an institution or gallery solely dedicated to Italian Americans.
 

It is more than a museum thought, it has a sole purpose to document all contributions made by Italian civilians and its descendants to society by philosophers, scientists, adventurers and explorers. It is a great reference point to learn the story of everyday life that flourished and progressed in the United States to becoming the fifth biggest ethnic group in the country, not the world.
 

History
The museum is located where the Banca Stabile first originated. Banca Stabile was a bank in the 1885 founded by Francesco Stabile that housed more than just financials it was a shipping point for immigrants that imported in from Italy. It became a center point for Italians with postal services, travel planning and more.
The main objective of the museum is to display the many ways Italian Americans not only influenced New York, but the entire United States. The building has been renovated throughout the years and is the permanent home of the museum.
 

Exhibits and Events
Many exhibits take place, in present time and the past that consists of artifacts, illustrations and memorabilia that displays the struggles of the Italian Americans culture. Informational lectures, films, festivals and music programs are offered on a regular basis that displays a more in-depth look into the antiquity.
 

Past Exhibits
Madonna di Pietranico
National Enquirer and I1 Progresso
Presepio Napoletano
Italian Americans in Law Enforcement; Petrosino, Serpico, Sprizzo
Dresses of Transformation by Caterina Bertolotto
Faith and Identity; Saint Dominic Church and the Italian Americans of Brooklyn
The Italians of New York; The Immigrant Experience, “Banca Stabile”
 

Museum Goals and Aims
Besides educating visitors about the intriguing history of the Italian American immigrants the museum has implemented many goals and aims that consist of establishing and continuing to solely display the contributions made to society.
 

Gathering reminiscences of the oral histories, documents and memorabilia and keeping the archives in order of the massive collection is high priority so that all visitors can fully appreciate and understand the history of this interesting culture. Collecting the artifacts and preserving the appropriate objects with special programs, lectures, films, theater, festivals and art exhibitions are available for public appreciation and awareness.
 

Visiting the Museum
The museum is open daily and can be reached by bus, car and subway. Museum merchandise can be purchased in-store as well as online. The museum is a great landmark for the entire family to learn about the history and culture of the Italian immigrants and the uncountable contributions made by descendants of the American society.

Children’s Museum of Art’s is an art museum solely dedicated to children from all communities. It is located in the neighborhood of SoHo, Manhattan located at 103 Charlton Street, and has been inspiring kids, the next generation art lovers since 1989 when it opened its doors. CMA is a hands-on workshop that offers self-guided studies of performing arts.
 

CMA has one mission, and that mission is to keep kids interested with the beauty, structures and inspiration that come with all forms of art. They strive to secure each child’s future by giving back with outreach programmes, exhibitions, hands-on experiences and the art filled museum that is full of interactive activities for all ages to enjoy.
 

All families have access to the inventive tools that will help with promoting individualism that comes with expressing yourself through art. Each child is trained by professional artists through various collections, programmes and exhibitions. Celebrating New York City’s lifestyle is executed through partnered community organizations to help promote CMA.
 

History
CMA was first founded by Kathleen Schneider in 1988. It sits in Manhattan right in the middle of SoHo since its creation and employs in-house artists to work with children directly through its nonprofit organization. Over the years the museum has grown to what is considered a monumental landmark. With the teachings, the training programmes available and the giving back to the community makes the dreams come true to many children in today’s culture.
 

Collection, Exhibits and Outreach Programmes
A day at CMA is always commendable with a 2,000 sq. ft. gallery, Clay Bar, Fine Art Studio, WEE Arts Studio that is dedicated to all young artists ranging from 1-5 years old, Quiet room for down time, and a Media Lab and Sound Booth featuring state of the art equipment.
 

A permanent collection of art is maintained with more than two thousand drawings and paintings from 50 different countries dating all the way back to the 1930s. The entire collection is made up of stunning fixtures that have been a huge influence with the teaching. Some of the great collections include The International Collection, The Kuniyoshi Collection, The Young Artists Residency Collection and The Operation Healing Collection.
 

The outreach programmes are second to none ranging from community needs, free summer programmes, teen programmes, and inclusive programmes for all ages. CMA is committed to making sure schools and all children have the access needed to further the education of arts. With this said, they provide art instruction to all community camps and schools with special programmes to accommodate all needs.
 

Visiting CMA
The museum welcomes all visitors, of all ages. There are general business hours that vary day to day. Special hours apply to different studios. There is street parking as well as many transportation options that includes Subway, Bus, Path Train, and Car. CMA offers membership that gives all membership holders endless benefits such as discounts on parties and special invite only events. All proceeds are giving back to the museum to help support daily operations and to continue to provide the ongoing community help that is needed.