The Queens Historical Society (QHS) will celebrate the Italian American experience in Queens with a live YouTube fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 25, as part of Italian American Heritage month.
The fundraiser will feature special guest City Councilman Paul Vallone, who will be welcoming guests to QHS’ virtual exhibition and art talk in the opening remarks, as well as a presentations from scholars and historians.
Clare Stokolosa, an award-winning Bayside-based artist, will give a the night’s keynote speaker and will give a presentation about her work and inspirations. She will also host the art sale, with 20 percent of the proceeds to be donated to the QHS.
“Collaborating with the team at the Queens Historical Society for this event has been a great experience and I look forward to being part of this exciting and informative program,” said Stokolosa. “I will share how growing up in Queens, my Italian American roots, and spending time in Italy has inspired my paintings.”
The event will feature a presentation on the history of Italian immigration to Queens by QHS Curator Daniela Addamo, a discussion by linguists from the Endangered Languages Alliance on the Sicilian and Neapolitan dialects, and interviews by QHS board member Maria Becce.
Special performances by The Landrum School of Performing Arts students and classical jazz saxophonist Alex Madeline, who will provide a musical intermezzo.
There will also be guest appearances President & Chairman of the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee Joseph Sciame and Maria Palandra, Ph.D. Director of La Scuola d’Italia.
For those interested in purchasing Stokolosa’s paintings, a pre-sale is also underway until Oct. 23 with a 10 percent discount.
To attend or for more information on the celebration, visit www.queenshistoricalsociety.org or the Eventbrite link.
