FINAL WEEKEND!! "COMBUSTIONE": Alberto Burri and America

Be sure not to miss the last weekend of the art exhibit Combustione: Albert Burri & America, presented by the Santa Monica Museum of Art. This tightly focused exhibition features 40 major works from 1945 to the late 1980s, paying particular attention to both Burri's reception and his production in the United States. This exhibition was organized with the special support of the Italian Cultural Institute. 

Alberto Burri (1915–1995) was a seminal artistic figure of the 20th Century, an inspiration to many artists and artistic movements from Pop Art to Arte Povera, both in Italy and the United States.

Burri’s fame is great in his native Italy, but he remains relatively unknown in the United States, despite the fact that for over 25 years he would winter in his home in the Hollywood Hills, where he produced more than 60 major works of art.

For information and details on other upcoming events, please visit the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles.

The IIC promotes Italy as a center of conservation, production, and cultural diffusion from classical times to the present. In addition to organizing cultural events in fields such as art, music, cinema, theater, dance, fashion, design, and photography, the Italian Cultural Institute offers courses in Italian language, arranges contacts and venues to facilitate the involvement of Italian cultural operators in cultural exchanges and productions at an international level, and support initiatives that favor intercultural dialogue based on principles of democracy and international solidarity.

Joseph R. Cerrell (June 19, 1935 – December 3, 2010)

Joseph R. Cerrell, the legendary Los Angeles political consultant and public relations practitioner, who advised local elected officials, corporate executives and presidential hopefuls alike, died early this morning near his beach home in Oxnard, Calif. following complications from pneumonia. He was 75.

Cerrell’s storied political career began in the 1950s at the University of Southern California (USC), where he started the Trojan Democratic Club. Cerrell played key roles in the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert H. Humphrey, Lloyd Bentsen, John Glenn and Al Gore. As the founder of Los Angeles-based Cerrell Associates Inc., he built a public affairs firm known for not only expert political campaign management, but also for its public relations and public affairs services to corporate and nonprofit clients.

Proud of his Italian-American heritage, Cerrell (born Joseph Cerrella) energetically promoted the contributions of Italian-Americans in Los Angeles and around the world. He served as vice-chair and president of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF); vice-chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, and was appointed to the California Italian-American Task Force by Gov. Pete Wilson. Additionally, he was chairman of the board of the Italy America Chamber of Commerce West and served as regional vice president of the American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit. He was also a member of the Sons of Italy, UNICO, and the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California.

Joseph R. Cerrell Memorial Website

Save the Italian Studies Master of Arts Program at Cal State University, Long Beach

The Italian Studies MA Program at CSULB, originally slated to begin the Fall 2011 Semester, has recently been stalled, leaving countless prospective students' plans for the future in jeopardy. The George L. Graziadio Chair of Italian Studies at California State University, Long Beach was the first endowed chair established within the CSULB College of Liberal Arts, and this MA Program would only make the department even richer, offering students the opportunity to continue their studies in one of the leading university-level Italian Studies programs. 


According to UNESCO, 60% of the world’s art treasures are found in Italy, a country whose heritage and creative spirit continues to fuel the most innovative advances in the arts, sciences and humanities. Knowing Italian allows you to understand, appreciate, and analyze this treasury of human expression, so, indeed, Italian at CSULB is as essential as is Spanish, German and French. Graduates of the program are uniquely positioned to find jobs in public service, business, consulting, academia, the arts and communications.


Help us to save this program! Please sign the petition at Change.org!!!

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A Festive Evening of Opera

Internationally renowned “basso profondo” Andrea Silvestrelli will perform again, Tuesday, December 14, at the Italian Cultural Institute, together with soprano Paola Antonucci, presenting a recital of music by Giuseppe Verdi and Gioachino Rossini. Andrea Silvestrelli has been invited by Placido Domingo to sing as Sparafucile in the LA Opera production of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by James Conlon, with Italian tenor Gianluca Terranova as the Duke of Mantua.

Silvestrelli has performed in many prestigious theaters such as La Scala in Milan, Bastille in Paris, Covent Garden in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Sydney Opera House and Lyric Opera in Chicago, working with celebrated maestros like Riccardo Muti and Claudio Abbado.

SEATING IS LIMITED. RSVP MANDATORY by December 12 to serena.camozzo@esteri.it. MAX 2 PEOPLE, PRIORITY TO IIC MEMBERS, DONORS AND PATRONS. Reservation will be confirmed by email by December 13.


For more information and details on other upcoming events, please visit the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles

The IIC promotes Italy as a center of conservation, production, and cultural diffusion from classical times to the present. In addition to organizing cultural events in fields such as art, music, cinema, theater, dance, fashion, design, and photography, the Italian Cultural Institute offers courses in Italian language, arranges contacts and venues to facilitate the involvement of Italian cultural operators in cultural exchanges and productions at an international level, and support initiatives that favor intercultural dialogue based on principles of democracy and international solidarity.

Company Profile: Landi Renzo USA

Landi Renzo USA is the ninth international subsidiary of Italy-based Landi Renzo S.p.A., a world-leading company serving more than 30% of the market for LPG and CNG alternative automotive fuel systems and components. 

After the passing earlier this year of the Natural Gas Act of 2010 by the United States Congress, Landi Renzo USA is at the forefront of the push to speed up the rollout of natural gas fuels. With an ever-increasing demand for responsibility and accountability with the fuel consumption in our country, the Landi Group is dedicated to promoting the use of modern and advanced systems in order to combat atmospheric pollution, environmental changes and to improve the quality of life.

Andrea Landi, President of Landi Renzo USA, notes that "USA is rich in natural gas resources and currently CNG is the cleanest option for transportation". With this abundance of natural gas, and through the help of government-offered incentives, he believes the mass production of Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) can become a viable reality in the near future. 

For a full interview with Andrea Landi, read Automotive Industries spotlight on Landi Renzo USA: "Business is a Gas for Landi Renzo"

Within the Landi Group, the American organization will be a hub for Research & Development, especially innovation, which has always been the core of Landi Renzo's philosophy. Headquartered in Torrance, CA, Landi Renzo USA is a proud member of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West. 

Landi Renzo

Eurochocolate Ski: International Chocolate Exhibition

If you find yourself lucky enough to be in Italy this holiday season, be sure to check out Eurochocolate Ski, the International Chocolate Exhibition in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the sought after resort by skiers, mountain lovers, and celebrities alike, right in the heart of Northeast Italy's Dolomites. 


From December 16th-19th, Eurochocolate Ski provides even more reason to visit this beautiful Alpine Ski Resort... as if any further reason was needed!


For more information, please visit eurochocolate.com.

Italian Advanced Placement Exams Return to American High Schools

Announced last month by the Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C., The teaching of Italian has returned with the utmost regard and diffusion to the American scholastic system: next year, Italian courses and exams that guarantee college credits will return to high schools in the US. After a year of suspension due to a lack of funds, the Advanced Placement (AP) Program in Italian Language and Culture will be reintroduced in American schools, a scholastic program that allows for high schools to offer Italian language exams that count toward college credits.

The new courses will begin in the 2011-2012 academic year. The reinstatement of the program was possible also thanks to the contribution of the Italian community in the US. Italian courses were suspended in August 2009 along with French literature, Latin literature and computer science courses. The reason for the suspension was purely financial: the cost (90 dollars per student for approximately 1,900 students) was not sufficient to cover the expenses for organizing the exams.

The number of Italian students is increasing; it is for this reason that the reinstatement of Advanced Placement was possible. According to the Modern Language Association, in the past ten years, the number of Italian students in American universities has increased from 49 thousand (in 2000) to 78 thousand today. Credit also goes to the Embassy of Italy and the efforts conducted under the ‘Sistema Italia’ program which organized support, including funding, from the major Italian-American organizations and the most important Italian firms that believed in the initiative.

“At this moment in time, Italian is the only European language that can boast of a positive trend in the United States – underlined Under Secretary Scotti. I am confident that American families will welcome the opportunity that the College Board has offered them. The dissemination of Italian abroad is an absolute priority for Italian foreign policy, and it is for this reason that on behalf of our government I thank all those who have made this possible.”

“Today – added Ambassador Terzi – is a success for both the Italian government and the Italian community in America.” This opinion is shared also by Gaston Caperton who recognized that thanks to the work of the Embassy and the Italian-American community, courses now have full funding. “Today – he concluded – is an important day for Italy in America and for all of us.”

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