A quarter-million people visited Italian-Canadian exhibition at Canadian Museum of Civilization
Gatineau, Quebec, October 28, 2003 — Over a quarter of a million people visited the largest ever exhibition on Italian-Canadian heritage at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Presenza: A New Look at Italian-Canadian Heritage closed last month after an impressive 15-month run at Canada’s national museum of history and culture, the largest and most popular museum in the country.
Presented by Saputo Inc., Presenza offered a fresh and personal look at the values, skills and traditions that a generation of Italian immigrants brought to Canada. Via evocative scenes, videotaped interviews and over 300 artifacts from 140 individuals, Presenza dramatized the encounter between Italian Canadians and their fellow citizens and showed how elements of the lifestyles rooted in rural Italy have new relevance today for Canadians of all backgrounds.
“Presenza showed how Italian Canadians -- over one million strong -- have had a profound impact on Canadian life and more than a quarter of a million visitors realized that,” said Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. “It’s a great example of the Museum combining our research and museological expertise with information and other resources from the community to create an important and perceptive exhibition about Canada’s heritage.”
The more than 300 artifacts in Presenza were gathered together by the Museum from across the country. They include traditional clothing and kitchenware, works in metal, wood and ceramic, embroidered linens, folk art, an ornate Sicilian cart, a Venetian gondola, a lovingly restored Fiat Topolino, and many decorative and everyday objects.
Between 1880 and the 1970s, some 650,000 Italians came to Canada, where they formed one of the most visible communities in many major cities. Strong community ties, home production of food and wine, finely detailed handiwork, lively celebrations and spiritual attitudes were some of the things that characterized Italian Canadians. Presenza examined how these values and traditions respond to many contemporary concerns, and how they are reflected in new practices, from healthy eating to the search for a sense of community in neighbourhoods and public spaces.
Funding for the exhibition was assisted through the generous support of Saputo Inc. Additional support was been provided by the following sponsors: OMNI Television, National Bank of Canada and the Ottawa Citizen. Presenza: A New Look at Italian-Canadian Heritage will be shown at the Canadian Museum of Civilization from June 13, 2003 to September 6, 2004.
Media Information:
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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