Dawn Marie Galtieri has devoted most of her professional career to nurturing Voice of the City, a small multi-arts nonprofit she founded 24 years ago in Chicago. “Our mission is to build community through making art and teaching art,” she explains. The nonprofit has a staff of two — Galtieri, who serves as executive and artistic director, and Chris...

On the day the U.S. commemorates Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Americas, Italian Americans in the Chicago area are demanding the city return three statues of the explorer that were removed due to protests. In 2020, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the removal of the statues from Grant Park, Arrigo Park and South Chicago. At the time, Lightf...

Columbus Day is Monday, October 9, and for many Italian Americans the annual national holiday now comes with the sting of having to fight for their place in American society all over again. “In this age of cancel culture, we’ve gone from perpetuating the contributions Italians have made to America to defending them,” Ron Onesti, President of the Jo...

When Riccardo Muti stepped down from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra last season, after 13 years as its conductor, the ensemble promptly turned around and named him music director emeritus for life. In a two-part season opener at Carnegie Hall this week, it was easy to hear why. Under Muti, the Chicago Symphony is all power and finesse with no unsig...

ABC7, Chicago's most watched television station, is celebrating the city's vibrant Italian American community with the broadcast of the 70th Annual Columbus Day Parade. The live event is hosted by ABC7 sports reporter and Windy City Weekend host Ryan Chiaverini, reporter Liz Nagy and meteorologist Greg Dutra reporting all the festivities from the s...

Jonathan Goldsmith has some of his wine shipped in from the southern Italian island of Ischia, his mozzarella di bufala comes from the Caserta province just north of Naples. When he sees that a family is about to welcome a new baby, he presents a bottle of Prosecco to the expectant mother — to drink at a later date, of course. And when he’s not in...

Cellar master and Tuscan wine ambassador Beppe d’Andrea will be in Chicago this October to host a pair of events at Tuscany on Taylor Street and Stefani Prime. Beppe will be meeting guests, detailing the history of Ruffino Wines, and providing additional insight into some of the night’s featured wine selections. The Ruffino Wine Experience will tak...

A pair of business titans will be honored at the Italian American Chamber of Commerce gala on Oct. 21 at CineCity Studios in Chicago. Joe Perillo, owner of Perillo Auto Group, and Bill Terlato, president and CEO of Terlato Wines International, will receive excellence awards at the event. After serving in the U.S. Army for three years, Perillo pursu...

The Italian Trade Commission in collaboration with ANFAO, Italy’s eyewear manufacturers association, is sharing further details about their upcoming "Extraordinary Italian Eyewear" events happening in Seattle on October 10 at The 101 and in Chicago on October 12 in Cafe Brauer at Lincoln Park Zoo. Extraordinary Italian Eyewear is designed to introd...

Art museums like to offer exhibitions of different size and scope. At one end of the spectrum are blockbusters, attention-grabbing shows with dozens of works that shake up the understanding of an artist or movement or put forward some novel thematic treatment. At the other, are focused, jewel-box presentations. Instead of trying to make any big art...