December 6-7, 2024

Puccini Forever! The Maestro’s Centennial Legacy in the Arts
The Center for Italian Studies is co-sponsoring the 13th-annual conference at the American University of Florence. This year's topic is Puccini Forever, which focuses on the maestro's centennial legacy in the arts. The conference will consist of 6 panels with keynote speeches from several scholars in a number of fields. Representing SBU, Center Director Andrea Fedi, Professor Ryan Minor (Critical Music Studies), and Fulbright Fellow Michael Bennett (PhD candidate, Critical Music Studies) will attend and present their papers.
The American University of Florence, Corso dei Tintori 21, Florence, Italy 5012.

December 11, 2024
5 – 7 PM

Holiday Party
Join us at our annual holiday party! Dave Setteducati will play Italian and Italian American favorites, and we will have a spread of delicious food and drink. 

This holiday season, the Center is adopting the SBU Food Pantry for the week of December 9-13. We welcome donations of non-perishable, non-expired food items and sealed hygiene products at the Holiday Party. Pasta, Sauce, Cereal, and Snack Bars are some items in high demand.

E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

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September 12, 2024
1 – 3:30 PM

Caffè Italiano
Join us for espresso and biscotti to kick off our fall event season! Learn about our upcoming programs and scholarship opportunities, meet our staff, or just have a coffee or tea with us.
Open to all SBU students, faculty, and staff. A presto!
E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

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September 15, 2024
10 AM – 1 PM

Dr. Robert D. Cess Concorso d'Eleganza
The Center hosts its XVIII annual display of classic and modern Italian automobiles. Vehicles will rally in parking lot 2 (adjacent to the Wang Center and Tubman Hall). Visitor parking is available in parking lot 1.
Free and open to the public.
Lots 1&2, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.

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September 24, 2024
5 – 7 PM

Inauguration of the Parati Library of Migration Studies
A panel of speakers including Marie Orton (BYU), Simone Brioni (SBU), Loredana Polezzi (SBU), and Graziella Parati (Dartmouth) will discuss the state of Italian migration studies and honor Parati's gift of 268 books and pamphlets to the Center's library. Co-sponsored by the D'Amato Chair.
Free and open to all. SBU students encouraged to attend.
E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

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September 28, 2024
12 – 4 PM

CommUniversity Day
A day to explore all that Stony Brook has to offer to families and the community! Center staff will host a table with information on our Italian language programs for children and adults. Test your knowledge of Italian culture & win a prize! 90+ tables will be present and we'll be holding our annual LEGO competition.
Open to all! Families with children are especially welcome.
Academic Mall, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.
Rain location: IFCU Arena, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.

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October 9, 2024
6 – 8:30 PM

A Conversation with Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
Archbishop Caccia will engage in a dialogue with Dr. Vincenzo Pascale, Associate Professor at Long Island University and UN representative of the NGO Migrantes. Their discussion will explore the diplomatic efforts of the Holy See Mission to the United Nations, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Holy See's role in global peace processes and conflict resolutions. This event will be followed by a catered reception in the Wang Theater Lobby.
Free and open to all. SBU students encouraged to attend.
Wang Theater, Charles B. Wang Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.

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October 23, 2024
5 – 7 PM

Photography and the Memory of the Italian Diaspora
A conversation with Sicilian photographer Mario Badagliacca about his multiple projects on Italian diasporic identities. Light refreshments will follow the program.
Free and open to all. SBU students encouraged to attend.
E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

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October 28, 2024
5 – 6:30 PM

Fascism, Post-Fascism, Populism: From Italy to the Transatlantic Context
Speakers: Francesca Billiani (Manchester University, UK), Monica Jansen (Utrecht University, Netherlands), Simone Brioni (SBU). Respondent: Janet Ward (SBU). Chaired by Loredana Polezzi (SBU).

Starting with a reflection on the history and theorization of Italian Fascism in the interwar period, this conversation will address topical issues such as: definitions and redefinitions of ‘fascism’; the (inter)national and global reach of fascist ideology; the connections between (post)fascist and populist genealogies; the enduring echoes of fascist politics in the present day. Presented by the Center for Italian Studies, the D'Amato Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, the Humanities Institute (HISB), and the Institute for Globalization Studies (IGS). Free and open to all. SBU students encouraged to attend.
Humanities 1006, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.

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November 7, 2024
2 – 3:20 PM

Artemisia Gentileschi and Wily Women Artists of Italy, 1550 to 1776 (Richard Nasti Lecture Series)
This talk will explore the pathways and pitfalls for women artists in early modern Italy, revealing connections to the present and offering a portal to the past. Along the way, the audience will be introduced to women working in a range of artistic media, including painting, sculpture, and works on paper, from a variety of different backgrounds and social classes. While Artemisia Gentileschi is the most famous, there were hundreds of other women who worked as artists in the period who have yet to receive their due.

Eve Strassman-Pflanzer is curator and head of Italian and Spanish paintings at the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC). She previously held positions at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), Wellesley College's Davis Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Straussman-Pflanzer received a PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University and a BA from Smith College.
Free and open to all. SBU students encouraged to attend.
E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

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November 12, 2024
5:30 – 7:30 PM

Pinocchio, Past and Present (Joseph Tromba Lecture Series)
The Adventures of Pinocchio, originally written in 1883 by Carlo Collodi, is a tale that has been retold many times. This lecture will explore the original themes of Pinocchio, including honesty, hard work, respect, and, above all, obedience, as well as why these ideals were important in their original context. Then, the talk will explore two later adaptations of Pinocchio, Disney's 1940 Pinocchio, and acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio from 2022, to see how these contexts have or have not changed over time and why.

Anita Rescia is a PhD student and language instructor at Stony Brook University in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature. Her research interests include the intersection between Italian and Hispanic studies, children's literature, the representations of childhood in literature and film of the 20th and 21st centuries, and (post)memory studies of the Spanish Civil War.
Free and open to all. SBU students encouraged to attend.
E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

   
(Still shots from Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio)

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November 19, 2024
5:30 – 8 PM

Film Screening of Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio
Join us for an evening of Italian cinema, featuring a full screening of Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio. PhD student Anita Rescia (Hispanic Languages) will provide a brief introduction to the film. Please note that audio will be in Italian but English subtitles will be displayed for the duration of the film.
Free and open to all. SBU students encouraged to attend.
E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

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