Italian Art Walk

All Things Italian in Fairfield, Iowa, in June

Pasta, pizza, madonnari, cannoli, bocce ball—just a fewof the things Americans have come to know and love about Little Italy in Chicagoand New York. On Friday, June 2, 2006, you’ll find la dolce vita justa short drive away when Fairfield’s square goes Italian as part of the1st Fridays Art Walk, 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Co-sponsored by SOFIA—the Society of Fairfield Italian Americans—ItalianNight has attracted support from the entire town—regardless of ethnicheritage. “All of us are participating,” says Jerry Fischer, ofTop of the Rock restaurant. “Right from the beginning, we were made apart of this celebration.” Eight Fairfield restaurants are “goingItalian” for the night of June 2nd, with special dishes and beverages.

Outdoor cafés will populate the sidewalks, offering unique Italianspecialties like grilled calamari and sausage sandwiches in addition to a widevariety of pizzas and pastas. The At Home store will host Italian cooking demonstrations.On the south side of the square, Café SOFIA will offer heavenly fruit-flavoredgelato (Italian ice cream) and Café Paradiso’s award-winning espresso.Yummy’s will sell its espresso-laced mini-tiramisu.

Fairfield’s quiet town square will be transformed into a festive Italianpiazza, with strolling musicians, an opera tenor from the University of Iowa,an Italian folk dance troupe, and a zampogna (Italian bagpipe) player. At 9p.m., visitors can get a bird’s eye view of the Italian peninsula withthe film Visions of Italy, to be screened on the square.
Throughout the evening, displays and presentations will celebrate the contributionsof famous Italians and Italian-Americans, classic Italian art, and Italianfoods. Travel information will be provided by the Travel Designer. A Venetianbead display, a bocce ball tournament, and a collection of rare Italian motorcycleswill be part of the festivities. SOFIA members will sell imported cheese andhomemade Italian desserts, including freshly made cannoli.

The event will also include a professional demonstration of Madonnari sidewalkart, a street art form innovated in Italy. Craig Wilson, direct from Iowa’sfirst large-scale Madonnari Festival, will be creating a masterpiece on thesquare.

The Northwest Cultural Corner will feature an audio-visual exhibit from theEllis Island Foundation and a display from the Italian-American Cultural Centerof Iowa Museum in Des Moines. Heartland Realty will offer access to a computerprogram to research ancestry through U.S. immigration logs.

21st Century Books and Gifts will host Italian-American author and poet JosephBenevento, professor of English at Truman State University in Missouri. Dr.Benevento will be reading from his novel Plumbing in Harlem, which recountsgrowing up Italian-American in New York City.

www.WineVault.us will host a talk on Italian wines, with tasting, too.
Art galleries and venues around the square are finding innovative ways to connectwith the Italian theme. Americus Gallery will feature original oil paintingsby Christopher Kufner, who has just returned from the hills of Tuscany with12 new landscapes. Betsy Huffsmith, of Skyline Fine Art Gallery above SomebodyCares, will be demonstrating a venerable Italian art form: painting on tile.ICON I will present photographs by Sam Oppenheim of New York City, the great-grandsonof Italian immigrants. Deb Danaher’s Haut House will host Denise Gallagher’sRenaissance-inspired nudes and oil paintings, and Chris Soth’s oillandscapes. Galen Satterley will also present stunning photos of Italianarchitectural detail.

SOFIA has over 50 member families, all of whom are putting their hearts intomaking this a spectacular event. “Make your plans to come early and staylate,” says SOFIA President Dick DeAngelis. “And tell all yourfriends they won’t want to miss this one. It’s going to be a funnight for everybody.”

For more information on All Things Italian Night, call (641) 919-4277 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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