New Frontiers Exhibition

The unique personal stories of Italian emigrants from Friuli Venezia Giulia in Northern Italy to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries are told in this new photographic exhibition "A New Frontier Across the Ocean" at the Western Reserve Historical Society in University Circle. The exhibit features photographs from the personal archives of 50 families who built new lives in the United States as skilled artisans bringing their knowledge and talents to the New World.

The Friuli immigrants settled in 10 states, including Ohio. Many were highly sought-after artisans skilled in mosaic and terrazzo work, stone-cutting, and masonry. Thus, the immigration experience of the people from Friuli differed from that of the typical emigrant from Southern Italy who often found employment as an unskilled laborer.

This collection of photographs documents the life experiences of this unique group of Northern Italian immigrants. It translates the aspirations of a new way of life, the safeguard of cultural models tied to the places of origin, and the acquisition of new languages and customs. These images were conserved with pride. They offer current and future generations stories of difficult moments, of happy events, and reminiscences of the people who deserve to be remembered.

Images for this exhibition were collected and catalogued by the digital archives of Multimedial Archive Memoirs of Regional Emigration (AMMER) www.ammer-fvg.org and edited by Antonio Giusa and Manuela Astore. This exhibition is being shown at the Western Reserve Historical Society in partnership with the Consulate of Italy in Detroit and is a program of the WRHS Italian American History Collection. The mission of the Italian American History Collection is to preserve, document, and promote the Italian American heritage and culture in Northeast Ohio.

A New Frontier Across the Ocean opens January 16, 2010, and runs through March 4, 2010, at the Western Reserve Historical Society’s University Circle Complex, 10825 East Boulevard in Cleveland. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm. Admission is $8.50 for adults; $7.50 for seniors; $5.00 for ages 3-17; Free for WRHS Members and for children 2 and under.