Between 1876 and 1914, 14 million people left Italy during what was one of the largest migrations in history; millions more would emigrate in the years following World War II. Using the visual arts as a vehicle, ITALIANITÀ, a new temporary exhibition at the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA), showcases the complex nature of the Italian Diaspora, and celebrates the beliefs, traditions, and defining characteristics connected to this movement.

In the arts, the term diaspora refers to artists who have migrated from one part of the world to another, or whose ancestors have. Their dissimilar experiences influence their creative identities, and in many cases, diasporic artists create alternative narratives, and challenge the structures of the established art world. ITALIANITÀ, which translates to “Italian-ness”, features more than 20 artists and work spanning nearly a century.