Jersey City is a melting pot of culture and diversity. I love this job because it allows me to meet so many people from different backgrounds. Casa Colombo is an Italian Education and Cultural Center in Downtown Jersey City. Carla Mastropierro, the Executive Director, invite me for a tour of the premises. I was so amazed when I walked in! I had no clue this place even existed, it’s really beautiful and I highly recommend going there for a visit.
They have rotating exhibits, as well as an amazing room with old artifacts! It’s such a beautiful space. They also have many events there throughout the year! See below for more details and what’s in store!
What’s your name? Carla Mastropierro.
What do you do? I’m the Executive Director of the Italian Education and Cultural Center (IECC) at Casa Colombo.
How long has this center been open? Well this area was renovated in 2010, before [it] was an office place. Then in 2010, thanks to a grant we received from the city, we renovated this area and built this 2nd floor. The building was built in 1936, what is now the 2nd floor it was then a theater space. From outside you could still see the curve of the balcony. We realized how beautiful this place was and with the help of our architects, members of the board, we created this spacious beautiful gallery which was inaugurated on June 2010 as the Museum of Art at Casa Colombo (MACC).
MACC came up from an exchange of ideas and synergy of actions with artists from Turin, Italy and artists from the United States. We have all, artists, trustees and other volunteers, worked strenuously and passionately for its opening day on June 2010. It was a splendid day, the gallery was overflown with people to the point that we were afraid the floor would collapse. We had also the support of the Italian Consulate in Newark and New York.
What is the primary function of Casa Colombo? It changes according to demands. Right now the primary function is to offer our spaces for art exhibitions as well as for other activities.
Our aim is to reach out to the surrounding community. The building itself was built with the purpose of teaching Italian to immigrant children. Parents did not talk Italian with them because they wanted their children to get integrated as soon as possible, but at the same time they wanted to preserve their language and culture. That was then, today Casa Colombo is a different realty, it stands in the midst of a gentrification process which has brought many changes, therefore we are striving to keep pace with this factor and come up with programs more appealing to the new comers.
Do you live in Jersey City? Unfortunately, no, I wish I could, but no. I’ve been coming to Jersey City since the 80s. Again, going back, this place was first an immigration office, more precisely it was a satellite immigration office of the Catholic Community Service, assisting people of various ethnic backgrounds and I personally, was assisting the elderly Italians with pensions and other needs.
Can you tell me a little bit more about the Italian community in Jersey City?
According to some statistics, a few decades ago, circa 20,000 Italians were living in this area, it was a sort of an Italian village. Casa Colombo stands as one of the oldest building. The Italians were trying to maintain the Italian cultural heritage, however it seems that due to socio-economic factors, lots of Italian families moved away from Jersey City. However and ironically, the gentrification process of the last few years has brought back to Jersey City, and particularly to downtown, the grandchildren of those who had left the area in the 70s and 80s.
So right now you only do exhibits? Not really, we normally host two art exhibits per year on this 2nd floor gallery and 1 on the third floor. Also on the third floor remains the permanent collection of the Italian Heritage museum, a tribute to the Italians which I would like to preserve forever. But we also host a variety of cultural, musical and recreational events on a monthly basis, and it is for this that we changed the name from MACC to Center for the Arts at Casa Colombo.
I would like to summarize and clarify that under the umbrella of IECC we created first the Italian Immigration Museum, then the Museum of Arts at Casa Colombo and at the present time the Center for the Arts at Casa Colombo; last name change is precisely because we hold all the events within an artistic environment.
I would like to focus on the present and future of Casa Colombo. No doubt, the MACC has revitalized Casa Colombo and infused it with the artistic and historic luster that it deserved. However, over time, the new leadership or better the present Board of Trustees, headed by the chairman, Dr. Louis Iozzi, and a dozen of dedicated trustees as well as community liaisons, realized that Casa Colombo needed more than just a museum, its spacious and luminous galleries had to be kept alive with events reverberating with culture, music, poetry, film screenings and more.
And this is Casa Colombo today, a building standing tall and visible among residential buildings, a center for the arts, hence the present name of Center for the Arts at Casa Colombo, which is blossoming with all form of arts.
At the present, the large gallery on the 2nd floor still shows a great exhibit, “Jersey City’s Italian Village, Our Common Home” organized and meticulously curated by Maureen Crowley of the Embankment Preservation Coalition. On the third floor, [we are] still holding the exhibit of Frank Palaia “Roman Aqueducts in the landscape.” And another gallery on the 3rd floor is dedicated to the permanent Italian Heritage celebration, showing now a beautiful collection of mementos of Italian immigrants.
Do you ever get a booth at the Holy Rosary Festival? Yes, we were there for a few consecutive years.
Where do you guys get your funding? We have a small grant from the Hudson County and a annual membership drive. Another major source of income is our annual fund-raiser. It’s a traditional event celebrated every year under the name of “Carnevale Italiano”, because it’s held just before the Lent time, usually end of January or February.
Can you tell me a little more about Carnevale Italiano? From 1973, IECC under the leadership of Bishop Nicholas Di Marzio, then a Pastor of St. Nicholas Church in the Heights, now the Bishop of Brooklyn, [has] organized an annual event “Carnevale Italiano,” which is a traditional entertainment for entire families, a sort of Mardi-Gras, but it’s also our fashion for celebrating people who have distinguished records of accomplishments. It is usually attended by hundreds of people. Now it’s more of a gala, we usually hold it at the Valley Regency in Clifton. In order to have people participating, we keep the price relatively affordable for a gala, obviously the profits are tied to the number of people attending. This year will be held on January 31.
Anything else you’d like people to know about Casa Colombo? We all on the board are united in respecting the founding object of CC which is keeping alive and celebrating the Italian heritage in an environment which resonates of all form of arts.
Would you be open to different forms of art? Does it have to be tied into the Italian culture? Our calendar of events for 2016 is very colorful and rich, from a spring exhibit of table clothes sculpture by Michelle Loughlin, Director of Cultural Affairs of Hudson County Community College and other artists; various genre of musical performances by local and international artists; lectures and book presentations, film screenings; another exhibit in the Fall by Peter Delmont and most likely a solo exhibit of a famous art work from Italy.
As you can see, the future of Casa Colombo as Center for the Arts is very promising. We will continue our efforts in keeping pace with the revolving changes of the area with particular attention to the interests of the newcomers.
Do you have a favorite Jersey City hangout spot? Lately, I’m so pleased with the area the way [it’s] changing and there’s a nice place where finally I can eat good pizza. I go to Roman Nose and I like the pizza.
2016 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Italian Educational & Cultural Center
Center for the Arts at Casa Colombo
All programs are on Sundays at 4:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted
JANUARY 31: CARNEVALE GALA. Italian Cultural Festival. Performing Reeds, Rhythm & All that Brass Big Band. Italian Folk Dance demonstration.
JANUARY-DECEMBER: Heritage Hall open for visitors
MARCH/JUNE: A new Exhibiti by Michelle Vitale, Director of Cultural Affairs Hudson County Community College, Jen Mazza, art professor at Parsons School of Design and Laurie Riccadonna, art professor at Hudson County Community College. .
MARCH 13: John J Hebert/ acclaimed tenor and director of the West Hudson
Opera will perform
APRIL 10: (Tentative) Cristiano Pegoraro, Italian and international concert pianist.
MAY 15: Dr Michael Norris and Armchair Art Tours with
his humorous and informative talk: GO, VAN GOGH.
MAY 15-JUNE 22: Art Exhibition. Featuring the work of Senior Jersey city HS Art students
JUNE 12: Screening of Italian Film. In Italian with English subtitles.
SEPTEMBER 18: Soprano Laura Apruzzese as well as Lasagna and Conversation…. Free for
members
OCTOBER 8-DEC. 31: Art Exhibit featuring Jersey city Artist, Peter Delmon
OCTOBER 16: Jazz Concert. Dr. Lou and the Jazz all stars. A concert of jazz standards performed by outstanding metropolitan jazz artists.
NOVEMBER 13: Tentative “Almost Ghosts” classic rock band
DECEMBER 11: Annual Holiday concert and sing along. Artists TBA
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