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 Museo ItaloAmericano, Landmark Building C
A groundbreaking exhibit at the Museo ItaloAmericano in Fort Mason Center highlights the development and coexistence of two European cultural groups that have contributed much to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Museo’s new show, “Il Ghetto: Forging Italian Jewish Identities, 1516-1870,” examines art and artifacts from a pivotal period in the evolution of Italian and Jewish communities in Europe. The Museo has also partnered with Bay Area Jewish groups to present lectures and public programs illuminating this important era in Italian and Jewish history.
Curated by David M. Rosenberg-Wohl, “Il Ghetto” looks at how Jewish culture existed within the larger dominant Catholic society, which imposed restrictions on Jewish people as early as the 16th century. Despite being isolated in major Italian cities such as Venice, Jewish culture thrived and influenced its Italian neighbors through trade and other activities. The Museo show also focuses on Jewish culture in less restrictive areas, including Florence, Rome and Livorno.
 “Il Ghetto” brings together objects from a number of major collections to tell the story of Jewish culture in Italy. The Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, CA lent the Museo silver and brass items used for worship at synagogue and at home. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco contributed ceramics, while a rare musical score composed by an Italian Jew appears courtesy of the Music Library of the University of California–Berkeley. “Il Ghetto” also presents images from more than 30 national and international collections, including the Museo Ebraico di Roma, and the Galleria degli Uffizi (Uffizi Gallery) in Florence, Italy.
In conjunction with “Il Ghetto,” a series of lectures and events take place at the Museo and throughout the Bay Area. On Sunday, November 9, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., noted scholar Hayden White discusses “Primo Levi: Describing the Unspeakable” at the Museo. White analyzes the techniques Levi pioneered to accurately document the Holocaust and develop the field of Holocaust witness literature.
On Sunday, November 16 at 2:00 p.m., lecturer Lisa Calevi presents “Season of Joy: Jewish Visual Art in the Age of First Emancipation.” Calevi looks at the art of outdoor sukkah booths, created to commemorate the desert wanderings of the Jews after their exodus from Egypt. Decorated sukkah booths commonly appear during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which is celebrated in autumn.
 Another seasonal event at the Museo in November is a lively performance of the holiday favorite La Befana by actress, singer, dancer, writer, and producer Emelise Aleandri. Aleandri is artistic director of Frizzi and Lazzi: The Olde Time Italian-American Music and Theatre Company, where she originated her La Befana production.
La Befana embodies the folk legend of the good Italian Christmas witch who visits children and leaves gifts for those who have behaved. Aleandri and La Befana visit Building C on Saturday, November 22 at 1:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Children’s Italian Art Outreach (CIAO) program at the Museo.
Admission to Museo lectures and events is $5 and reservations are advisable at (415) 673-2200. The Museo’s web site at www.museoitaloamericano.org has more information and images related to “Il Ghetto,” which continues from November 4, 2008 through February 15, 2009. The Museo is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. and admission is free.
Images:
Antique Ketubah (Marriage Contract) detail, Livorno, Italy Photo: Alberto Jona Falco, Milan, Italy, Italian Judaica Image Archive
Spice Box, 18th century, Italy, Silver, Judah L. Magnes Museum Purchase
La Befana The Olde Time Italian-American Theatre Company
Courtesy: Emelise Aleandri |
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