Tuesday,
January 08, 2008
The
ANNOTICO Report
As
is true with Italians and other Ethnicities, Immigrants followed their
predecessors to the same towns and cities in the
Those
from
But
little Calatafimi (
recent max of 12k, now 6k) is notable for a number or reasons:
(1) The
extraordinary festival of Il Santissimo Crocifisso (the Most Holy Crucifix) a
three-day expression of religious devotion, civic pride, generosity and one-upsmanship that thoroughly exhilarates and exhausts its
populace, (The once-triennial event now takes place only every seventh or
eighth year.)
(2)
In 1860, it was the site of Garibaldis first battle for Italian
unification, so every Italian school child has heard of it, and streets
throughout
(3)
The town name Calatafimi
is Arabic for "
(4) Is best known for its remarkable 2,500 year-old
treasure,
(CALATAFIMI)
A Selection of
Photographs From the Festival of the Most Holy Crucifix
(Festa del Santissima Crocifisso)
January 16th through March 16th,
2008
Opening Reception Thursday, January 24th
at 6 p.m.
Artist Led Discussion, Thursday, January 31st
at 6 p.m.
New York, January
8, 2008 -The Italian American Museum of New York is proud to announce a new
exhibition on the "Castle of
Eufemio" on exhibition of
photographs by artist/author Blaise Tobia, will be on view at the Italian American Museum in
New York City from January 16 to March 16, 2008.
The photographs
and accompanying texts present the extraordinary festival in the west Sicilian
town of
Tobia has a special relationship with the town -
all four of his grandparents were born there and many relatives remain. He had
already extensively documented Calatafimi
photographically during numerous visits before his first experience of the
festival of Il Santissimo Crocifisso
(the Most Holy Crucifix) in May, 2004. (The once-triennial event now takes
place only every seventh or eighth year.) During the festival, the town opened
itself up in a very special way; these images offer remarkable glimpses into
its social and cultural life.
Calatafimi is best known for its remarkable 2,500
year-old treasure,
Additionally, in
1860, it was the site of Garibaldis first battle for Italian unification,
so every Italian school child has heard of it, and streets throughout
Like many southern
Italian towns, Calatafimi has been weakened by more
than a century of emigration; its population once topped twelve-thousand but is
now barely half that. From about 1910 to World War II, a large concentration of
its emigrants lived in the
Most of the prints
in this exhibition are enlargements of the photographs in Tobias
recently issued book
Blaise Tobia is a
Professor of Media Arts in
The
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