Episode Details

First on ITALICS, We talk with Ruth Sergel and Mary Anne Trasciatti, Members of the Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition. On March 25, 1911, 146 people, mostly young women working as seamstresses, died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, at the Asch Building, in Greenwich Village, New York City.  A conflation of poor working conditions, like locked doors, and no fire escapes, combined with antiquated and obsolete fire fighting equipment for a rapidly high rising City, wrought such a scene of horrific loss of life that only the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center truly rival it. The Aftermath of such an event seared the consciousness of the Nation and turned it into a watershed moment in our labor and social history. The Remember The Triangle Coalition was founded three years ago to help coordinate and promote the myriad events being created by groups around the Nation as we approach the Centenary Observation of the Triangle Fire. The Coalition is also working to create a permanent Memorial dedicated to the Victims of The Triangle Fire.    

Next ITALICS takes you to Guitar Heroes, Legendary Craftsman From Italy to New York, a New Exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring the long tradition of Italian and Italian American Luthiers, or craftsman of stringed instruments, especially the work of those that settled here in the Greater New York area. This exhibition focuses on three Italian American Luthiers; John D’Angelico, James D’Aquisto, and John Monteleone, and displays over 50 unique instruments that they have crafted by hand. Guitar Heroes, Lengendary Craftsman from Italy to New York is on exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum through July 4th, 2011.

Next ITALICS takes you to see Digital Polaroids of Italy 1986-2010, Photographs by Franc Palaia, by Artist Franc Palaia, currently on view at the Galleria at the Calandra Institute. Mr. Palaia takes digital photographs of landscapes and other iconic images with a Polaroid camera, employs the digital Polaroid image as a “template” from which he modifies the original through painting, “scraping”, “gouging” and “Collage”, to create a hyper-realistic view of a familiar image. Mr. Palaia’s vibrant work will be on exhibit at the Galleria @ Calandra Institute until April 1st, 2011.

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