HUMN3800 students to participate in national exhibit
HUMN3800 (ITAL3800) Students Lauren Prezio & Antonio Spadafora to Display Research at National Exhibit
Lauren Prezio and Antonio Spadafora of the University of Guelph have been invited to display their research produced in the new HUMA3800 (ITAL3800) course, Italian Heritage and Digital Applications, at the national exhibit, The Quiet Immigrant Project and the InHERitance Exhibit at the JD Carrier Gallery located in the Columbus Centre, Toronto. Under the direction of their professor, Dr. Teresa Russo, Lauren and Antonio interviewed their grandmothers and created an academic poster project, which was chosen by the curator Laura Libralato to be featured in the exhibit with her own oral histories and research. The students also designed their own Campus WordPress page with their interviews and photo gallery; the poster project and a recording of their oral history is also shared on the course’s new digital site, Italian Canadian Communities: Heritage, Culture, and Ethnographic Studies, a project with the Italian-Canadian Narratives Showcase (ICNS). The new digital project was created by Russo for the course in 2021 with support from Professor Sandra Parmegiani, Director of ICNS, and technical support from Kyra Bates, a student in the MA in European Studies at the University of Guelph. More projects will be created in 2022 when the course is offered again in the fall through the School of Languages and Literatures in the College of Arts.
“The Quiet Immigrant Project” (QIP) is a multifaceted, multimedia, and multilayered legacy exhibit that pays homage to the brave Italian women who immigrated to Canada after WW2 and through sheer strength of character wove their way into the fabric of society. Their stories of strength, courage, determination, and sacrifice are sure to move, amuse, and captivate audiences, according to Libralato, who created QIP and is curating the exhibit to share her initial research. “Laura heard about the student projects through the provincial heritage award received by undergraduates (2021) who studied Italian Canadian Heritage in which ICNS and the University of Guelph was named by the Lieutenant Governor for its support of undergraduate research in the area of heritage conservation,” states Russo, “We are grateful she included new research just produced by Lauren and Antonio for an exhibit already in its planning stage; the students should feel a great sense of accomplishment to see their work shared at a national exhibit.”
The exhibit at the JD Carrier is presented by Cultural Connections and sponsored by Villa Charities and Museum of Toronto, receiving a local and national audience. Students are also invited to the Tavola Talks on May 10 at the gallery to discuss their research with their professor on a panel that includes experts in the field of Italian Canadian immigration and heritage. The interactive exhibit will also play the student’s recordings of their interviews with their grandmothers. The students and Russo are further grateful to Experiential Learning at Guelph for supporting the students with a grant that allowed the printing of the academic posters and travel for the students to the exhibit. The exhibit runs from April 24 - June 24; opening day celebrations take place on Sunday April 24 at 2PM.
Follow the link for more information: https://www.villacharities.com/culture-heritage/joseph-d-carrier-art-gallery/exhibitions/