Breaking Walls – An Emigrant/Immigrant journey through Southern Italy
April 20 / August 31, 2017

Breaking Walls
An emigrant/immigrant journey through Southern Italy

Paintings and Ceramics by William Papaleo

An exhibition at the Calandra Institute

April 20, 2017 through August 31, 2017

Opening reception Thursday, April 20, 6pm

Over twenty years ago, William Papaleo moved to Naples to practice the art he had learned in the U.S. A third-generation U.S. American with ancestors from Italy, Papaleo is different from most Italian American artists who use Italy to set up a sense of the past and reconnect to it through travel. Their art, more oſten than not focuses on the family and their own reactions to retiring to the home of their ancestors. What you find in Papaleo’s art is something new, something all other Italian Americans have not dealt with, and that is the role of the immigrant in today’s Italy. It is through art like this work, that we can we reach beyond the real, and sometime we even achieve the impossible.

– from Distinguished Professor Fred Gardaphe’s exhibition catalogue essay

The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute
25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor
New York, NY 10036
Info: (212) 642-2094

For contact: Rosemary Serra

The Joe Papaleo Writers’ Workshop in Cetara, Italy > July 8 – July 15, 2017

Join The Writing Institute for a seven-day exploration into writing and painting in Cetara, an hour’s drive from Naples, on Italy’s resplendent Amalfi Coast, from July 8 – July 15, 2017. Daily sessions will be held in the grand Torre di Cetara with generative writing exercises led by authors Pat Dunn and Kathy Curto, as well as afternoon painting sessions with our host, Bill Papaleo. Both Kathy and Bill credit Bill’s father Joseph Papaleo, head of the Sarah Lawrence College writing program for thirty years, with their own creative passions.

There is a strong bond between the realms of writing and painting. During this special week, writers will have the opportunity to take a deep dive into the senses to embolden, color, and enliven their own writing acumen. This exploration into the seaside palette and its many textures will unleash feelings and emotions sure to migrate to the pages each of us will write in this Italian coastal haven.

If you wish to attend this summer’s The Joe Papaleo Writers’ Workshop in Cetara, Italy, please apply here

Applicants must include a Statement of Purpose (up to 500 words) stating their current writing experience and their goals for this week in Italy. A short bio/resume is also requested, but experience as a writer is not a prerequisite for acceptance to this program.