‘See-Cily’ series explores culture of Sicily

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The “See-Cily Series” features more than 30 photographs by Antonino Riggio, a native of Leonforte from Sicily’s province of Enna.

“This series wants to bring to light Sicily in its glory and tradition—the region where peacefully Muslim, Jewish and Christians lived and worked at the court of the Emperor Frederick II and where Pitagora was born during the Greek domination.”

—Elisabetta Sanino D’Amanda, RIT’s College of Liberal Arts

Sicily is one of the pearls of southern Italy, the cradle of Mediterranean culture and home to Mount Etna, temples, archeological sites, rugged mountainside, beautiful beaches and major cities such as Palermo, Catania, Syracuse and Ragusa.

University Gallery at Rochester Institute of Technology proudly presents the “See-Cily Series,” an exhibition featuring photographs by Antonino Riggio, a native of Leonforte from Sicily’s province of Enna. The exhibition, curated by Valentina Morello, opens with an artist reception at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, and runs through March 22.

The exhibition was developed through the efforts of Elisabetta Sanino D’Amanda, senior lecturer and Italian program coordinator in the Department of Modern Languages & Culture at RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, and University Gallery Manager Jessica Erickson—in collaboration with Rosalba Pisaturo, instructor of Italian in the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures at RIT’s College of Liberal Arts.

“Rochester has a large Sicilian American population, specifically from the Caltanissetta area but not only,” said D’Amanda. “In this series, we bring them the opportunity to revisit their heritage through the Sicilian opera and folk history lectures and learn about the homecoming of Frank Zappa’s family through the film Summer ’82: When Zappa Came to Sicily, a film which participated at the 2013 Venice Film Festival.”

In conjunction with the exhibition, RIT’s College of Liberal Arts is sponsoring several free lectures and film screenings open to the public. All begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at University Gallery.

• March 11—Sicilian Folk Life lecture with Rosalba Pisaturo
• March 12—Cinema on the Island: from Vittorio De Seta to Salvo Cuccia with Elisabetta Sanino D’Amanda
• March 13—Sicilian opera lecture and screening with Rosalba Pisaturo
• March 17—Screening and master class with director Salvo Cuccia, Detour De Seta (2004)
• March 18—Screening and master class with director Salvo Cuccia, Summer ’82: When Zappa Came to Sicily (2013)

The series is a partnership between the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at RIT’s College of Liberal Arts and Nazareth College.

University Gallery is located in James E. Booth Hall adjacent to RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies—home to the entire archive of graphic and product designs by renowned international designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For information, contact Elisabetta Sanino D’Amanda at exdgla@rit.edu, or University Gallery Manager Jessica Erickson at 585-475-2404 or jleugs@rit.edu