Art to be focal point for 2015 Italian Day
For this year’s Italian Day celebration, organizers have chosen Italian art as the day’s theme.
“Italy has had a profound influence on the world via its culture and arts and we choose themes that can represent this while offering avenues for us to develop the theme in interesting ways,” said Italian Day executive director Brunella Gaudio.
“Art represents value, expression. It is something that touches all of us, Italian and otherwise.”
Aside from the familiar food stands, kids zones and music that lines The Drive from Venables to the Grandview Cut, new this year for Sunday’s event is a third performance stage as well as interactive art exhibits, opera, Italian pop music, marionette shows and fashion.
Now in its sixth year, the daylong celebration, which drew an estimated 350,000 people last year, has looked outside of its organization to give the day a special boost.
“This was the first year where the theme allowed us to team up with partners prior to the event, too,” Gaudio said. Leading up to the event, film fans can enjoy some the greatest movies of all time.
Italian Day partner The Rio Theatre, located just off The Drive, is giving some classic Italian cinema the big screen treatment.
Friday you can enjoy Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and The Night Porter from Liliana Cavani.
On Saturday Fellini and Bernardo Bertolucci are centre stage with their films 8½ and Last Tango in Paris, respectively.
Also helping to put Italy on display in the city is a new show at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Opening Friday, Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums is organized by the American Federation of Arts and Glasgow Museums along with Italian Day cultural partner the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver.
The show covers Italian art from the Middle Ages to modern times. This is a great way to work up your cultural appetite for the actual Italian Day festival.
While the festival focuses a keen eye on all things Italian, Gaudio points out it is also a chance for shopkeepers, restaurant owners, boutiques etc., to thank the people who support them.
“This event really takes place due to community support,” said Gaudio, who added that the youth drama program Theatre Temp at Templeton Secondary School will be the recipient of raffle funds.
“They take the opportunity to mentor youth through film and theatre. So we thought something like this would fit well with the theme. We want to give back to the community. It’s not just about celebrating Italian heritage and culture, but it is about giving back to the community.”