A Legacy of Making: 29 Contemporary Artists Inspired by Their Italian Heritage
“We carry the history of our families and our cultures in our psyches as well as our genes,” says B. Amore. She is one of the artists featured in A Legacy of Making: 29 Contemporary Artists Inspired by Their Italian Heritage, which opens at the Hunterdon Art Museum on September 27.
American by culture and education, but Italian by heritage and home life, the artists in A Legacy of Making draw from both sources to create art that speaks to the immigrant experience. Visitors will recognize references to the journey over, the language and folklore, the traditions of cooking and cultivating, and of the handwork that was so much a part of domestic culture.
As is tradition in Italian American families, there is also room around the table for others. At the metaphorical tavolo of A Legacy of Making, there are places for artists born in Italy or elsewhere but living American lives here, and for those whose parents or grandparents emigrated to countries other than the United States. The exhibition includes artists with Italian roots in Argentina, Australia, and Canada.
The artists in A Legacy of Making are inspired by all of this, translating ideas from the original Italian into contemporary art. And because so much of the immigrant experience is universal, one need not be of Italian heritage to find resonant elements in this legacy.
Curated by Joanne Mattera.