Chicago Italians

About us
The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, directed by Tina Cervone, is the cultural office of the Consulate General of Italy in Chicago. Founded in 1985, the Institute is one of five cultural agencies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the United States. It is located in the heart of Chicago along the Magnificent Mile. The Institute serves as a convenient source for information about Italian life and culture that showcases Italy’s classic and contemporary heritage with particular reference to art, music, cinema, design, architecture, science, and technology. The Institute is also home to a school of Italian language and culture, as well as a venue for art exhibitions and film screenings. The Institute works alongside the Consulate General of Italy in Chicago to forge relationships with local universities and research institutions. We promote English translations of Italian authors with local publishers and publicize information about Italian prizes in art and literature. We also work with ENIT (The Italian State Tourist Board) to promote tourism and travel to Italy.

Services

The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago offers the following services to the public:


• Courses in Italian language and culture at the Institute’s school, Italidea
• Two sessions annually to take the exam that determines knowledge of Italian as a foreign language.
• A library available to the public to view and borrow books, dvd’s, magazines, cd’s, and Italian newspapers.
• Information and documents on Italy in the field of culture.


Collaboration

For concerts, art, theater, cinema, and all other events within the breadth of culture, the Institute avails itself to collaborate with local institutions such as the Artic Instiute, Chicago Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Cinema/Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Chicago, Facets, Fermilab, Field Museum, Gene Siskel, Goodman Theater, Loyola University Museum of Art, Milwaukee Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Science and Industry, Newberry Library, Shakespeare Theater, and the Smart Museum.

The major festivals in which the Institute is proud to participate are, The Chicago Humanities Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Colorado Festival of World Theater, and the European Union Film Festival.

In addition, the Institute participates, together with the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Chicago (ICE) and Italidea, the internal body for language study at the Institute, in all the major educational conventions on the teaching of a foreign language.


Cultural Committee of the Italian Cultural Institute


Prestigious representatives from the scientific, artistic, and literary communities along with friends of Italy take part in the Institute’s advisory board. They include:

Giorgio Bellettini – Professor and Senior Physicist of the Italian Group CDF, at Fermilab

Francesco Bonami – Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art

Richard Born – Curator, Smart Museum, University of Chicago

Bruce Boucher – Curator, European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, The Art Institute of Chicago

Francesca Casadio – Scientific Expert, The Art Institute of Chicago

Charles Coleman – Director of Programming, Facets Multimedia

Gary Cestaro – Professor of Italian, DePaul University

Brian Dickie – Director, Chicago Opera Theater

Dominic Di Frisco – PR, President of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans

Philip Gossett – Professor of Music University of Chicago

David Holloway- Director, Voice Department, Roosevelt University

Valentine Judge – Director of International Programs, Department of Cultural Affairs City of Chicago

Peter Kuntz – Executive Director, Chicago Humanities Festival

Michael Kutza - Founder and Artistic Director, Chicago International Film Festival

Armando Maggi – Professor of Italian, University of Chicago

Lynn Osmond - President, Chicago Architecture Foundation

Francesca Pons Madden – Curator of Special Projects, The Field Museum

Francesca Puggioni - Lecturer, University of Chicago

Damiano Rondelli – Chief of Hematology, University of Illinois, Chicago

Thomas Simpson – Professor of Italian, Northwestern University

Rod Slemmons - Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography

Marina Vecci – Production Administrator, Lyric Opera of Chicago

Paula Waters - President, Chicago Milan Sister Cities Committee

Carla Zecher – Director, Center for Renaissance Studies, Newberry Library

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Name : Dennis Farina

Date of birth : 29 February 1944

Birthplace : Chicago, Illinois, USA

Height : 6' 1½

Profession : Actor
Dennis Farina Detailed Biography


Lovable tough guy character actor Dennis Farina was already well into his first career as a Chicago cop before he was able to turn his occasional acting gigs into a prodigious new line of work.

Raised in Chicago by Italian immigrant parents, Farina joined his hometown's police force in the mid-'60s, settling into a life of law enforcement. When he was hired to be a local consultant on Michael Mann's film Thief (1981), however, Farina wound up with a bit part as the villain's heavy. Farina continued to moonlight as an actor for several years, appearing in local theater and occasional movies, including Final Jeopardy (1985) and the Chuck Norris vehicle Code of Silence (1985). Though Dennis Farina never took an acting class, Farina was a natural; after Michael Mann offered him the lead in the series Crime Story in 1986, Farina left the police force to play a TV cop. During his 1986-1988 stint on the series, Farina also played FBI agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glen's part in Silence of the Lambs [1991]) in Mann's stylish thriller Manhunter (1986), was the Birdman of Alcatraz in the TV movie Six Against the Rock (1987), and a cop in TV movie mystery Through Naked Eyes (1987).

Drawing on his no-nonsense charm as well as his eclectic life experience, Farina continued to shine in roles on both sides of the law, such as serial killer Angelo Buono in The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) and the lead prosecutor in the TV docudrama Blind Faith (1990). As nimble with comedy, Farina went up against Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin as a mobster in the popular buddy yarn Midnight Run (1988). Dennis Farina's versatility firmly established by the 1990s, Farina's early '90s work ranged from playing a billionaire in People Like Us (1990), to Banquo in a New York gangland version of Macbeth, Men of Honor (1991), as well as supporting roles in the comedy Another Stakeout (1993), Bruce Willis actioner Striking Distance (1993), John Turturro's Italian-American family drama Mac (1993), and vicious neo-noir Romeo Is Bleeding (1994).

Farina's appearance as John Travolta's nemesis, hilariously bumbling tough guy Ray "Bones" Barboni, in Barry Sonnenfeld's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty (1995), led to his most notable hit since Midnight Run. His career hitting a new high, Farina co-starred with Bette Midler as reunited exes in Carl Reiner's That Old Feeling (1997), and starred as a Sicilian bigwig in the high-profile TV miniseries Bella Mafia (1997). Though his Marshall Sisco made only a brief appearance in Steven Soderbergh's esteemed Elmore Leonard adaptation Out of Sight (1998), Farina was pitch-perfect as Jennifer Lopez's protective dad. After joining the superb corps in Steven Spielberg's award-winning Saving Private Ryan (1998), Farina returned to series TV, playing smooth detective Buddy Faro (1998); the series, however, lasted only one season.

Returning to films, Farina followed his role as the police captain who recruits The Mod Squad (1999) with another comic turn as a New York gangster who sets the diamond larceny plot in motion in Snatch (2000), adding a dash of Hollywood celebrity (along with Brad Pitt and Benicio del Toro) to British lad director Guy Ritchie's sophomore effort. The releases of two of Farina's next films, Barry Sonnenfeld's caper Big Trouble (2001) and Edward Burns' romantic comedy Sidewalks of New York (2001), were delayed after the terrorist attack on New York on September 11, 2001. Sidewalks of New York surfaced later in 2001, but the romantic comedy failed to charm a large audience. Big Trouble finally made it into theaters in the first half of 2002, but despite the big name cast, Sonnenfeld's farce joined such high profile fare as Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Collateral Damage (2002) and the espionage actioner Bad Company (2002) on the list of 9/11-delayed flops. Farina's next film, the broad, witless comedy Stealing Harvard (2002), also failed at the box office. Farina returned to television during the fall 2002 season with a lead role as a comically monstrous Meet the Parents-esque father-in-law on the sitcom The In-Laws (2002). Despite initially withering reviews, The In-Laws managed to show signs of ratings life.

This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, Dawn Sansone who was born in Illinois on January 02, 1978 and passed away on November 06, 2001 at the age of 23. We will remember her forever.
Those of you who knew Dawn, Knew she was full of life, A sweet and feisty little firecracker who's smile could warm an eskimo. She was taken away from us without warning and has left large holes in the hearts of all who had the chance to see the smile that came from her always. Life will never again be complete without her being a physical part, Her heart will beat among us who loved her forever and ever

Please visit her site and leave your thoughts and wishes....Thank you
http://dawnsansone.memory-of.com/

Montclare

Population Estimate: 14,976
Avg Family Income: 65,364
Median Age: 48

Originally, this Northwest neighborhood was home to many of the famous mobsters of Chicago. Today, the solid middle-class neighborhood is more similar to a quiet suburb. Speedbumps and round-abouts slow down traffic in neighborhoods and near the many schools. Mars Candy and Radio Flyer are two well-known companies with their headquarters in Monteclare. Homes are larger here than in other parts of the city. But many residents fall in love with this area and plan to stay, meaning there are few homes for sale at any given time. There is a good variety of housing: apartments, Victorians, English Tudors, Georgians, frame and brick constructs, bungalows and ranch-style homes.