“The goal of the capital campaign is to create the preeminent cultural experience in the U.S. dedicated to the significant, indispensable and untold artistic, cultural and social contributions of Italians and Italian Americans. ”
— Museo Capital Campaign Committee
Current Museo Managing Director Paola Bagnatori, Museo Founder Giuliana Nardelli Haight, former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and former Museo Board President Modesto Lanzone in 1978.
Founded in 1978 in by Giuliana Nardelli Haight in San Francisco’s North Beach, the Museo Italo Americano is the preeminent museum in the United States devoted exclusively to showcasing Italian and Italian American art and culture. Nardelli Haight received tremendous support from Mark Luca, who was a professor of art at the University of California, Berkeley.
The Museo’s mission is twofold:
· To research, collect, and display the works of Italian and Italian American artists
· To promote educational programs for the appreciation of Italian art and culture, thereby preserving the heritage of Italian Americans for future generations
After Dr. Jerome Cocuzza, a longtime benefactor of the Museo, donated from his estate a building to be used for the purposes of promoting and sharing Italian heritage and culture, the Museo drafted plans to embark upon a capital campaign to renovate the building to serve as its future home. A new permanent exhibit to highlight the stories and contributions of Italian immigrants and their descendants in California since the mid-nineteenth century will be installed in the Museo’s new home. Designed by San Francisco firm Macchiatto, this exhibit will also be formally dedicated to the memory and legacy of A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of America.
The neighborhood surrounding the building has a decidedly Italian American history and flavor; the Northeast waterfront location, once a prominent commercial trade and warehousing center dating back to the Gold Rush era, is now a designated historic district.
The original “Italy Harbor,” where Ligurian fishermen moored their feluccas in the latter part of the 19th century, was located approximately where the building stands today. Quintessential Italian American businesses populated the area, including the Italian Swiss Colony, Ciocca-Lombardy Wine warehouses, and the Petri Italian American Cigar Company.
The Museo’s new home offers spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay, the Financial District and Telegraph Hill.
