First Generation Artifacts

First Generation Artifacts

I became interested in creating this work after attempting to research the possessions that Italian Immigrants brought to America. The difficulty I had in finding specific records of possessions inspired me to create a record of my own. I chose to focus on objects brought to America during the great immigration of the early 20th century. These objects embody the Italy and culture the immigrants left behind, but also contain many of the hopes and dreams for a future in the New World.

Stories and family traditions are built around their possessions, which in many cases, are the only traces from the first generation. I am fascinated by these artifacts for a number of reasons. These objects were created in a time when handwork and craft were considered the only mode of construction; they embody the personality of their place and time. It is easy to see the hand of the maker and the wear from the original owner in these century old objects.

I was interested in casting these objects in bronze to archive the originals in their current condition and impede their further deterioration. Soon after arriving to America, many immigrants found it necessary to embrace traditions of the New World and leave their old country behind. Many of the possessions brought over from Europe in the early twentieth century and the stories that surrounded them have since disappeared. In some cases, oral traditions have allowed some members of the first generation live on and a few of their possessions to survive.