New Orleans Museums
Book your Cultural Experience with www.NewOrleansOnline.com
Home Art Historic Homes History Childern/Family Multicultural Mardi Gras Religious Nature
 
American Italian Renaissance Foundation's Museum and Research Library

American Italian Renaissance Foundation's Museum and Research Library
www.airf.org

American Italian Renaissance Foundation's Museum and Research Library
American Italian Renaissance Foundation's Museum and Research Library

537 S. Peters St.
New Orleans, LA 70130 [Map It]
(504) 522-7294
Fax: (504) 522-1657
Neighborhood: Arts/Warehouse District

Attraction Information

Attraction Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10am-4pm
Admission Costs: free (donations are accepted)
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Free Parking: No


Description:
American Italian Museum

A visit to the American Italian Museum tells the history of Italian Americans in the Southeast and their many contributions to Louisiana and the United States. But there is much more!

Here, the visitor will learn about the Italians’ role in Mardi Gras. On display is the gown opera singer Marguerite Piazza wore as the first Queen of Virgilians, the Italian Mardi Gras ball. Music lovers will learn about Nick LaRocca and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, musicians who pioneered this music form in the early 1900s and other famous Italian musicians.

Family genealogists will find a plethora of information in the foundation’s library, including the Giovanni Schiavo Collection, the world’s most significant collection of Italian-American history. Researchers will also find a living tape library, newspapers, vertical files, a music library and naturalization records. The museum also contains photographs, articles, family histories and memorabilia.

Another fascinating collection is the Dr. John Adriani Collection, a noted anesthesiologist who developed many procedures in anesthesiology which are in use today and author of several important textbooks on the subject. The Adriani Collection consists of medical records, personal journals, textbooks, and memorabilia.

One unique display tells the story of the St. Joseph’s Day altar, specifically in relation to the Sicilian immigrants to New Orleans. Each March 19, local Italians celebrate the feast day by lavishly decorating church altars with freshly made Italian foods. This is the Italians’ way of commemorating a centuries-old miracle granted by St. Joseph. Today, local altars are filled with gorgeous foods, Mass is said, and the food is donated to the poor.

Admission to the American Italian Renaissance Foundation Museum and Research Library is free (donations are accepted). The Museum is located at 537 South Peters in the Warehouse Arts District. It is open Tuesday through Saturday 10am until 4pm For more information, call (504) 522-7294 or visit: www.airf.org.

 

For more on New Orleans, visit The Official Tourism Site of the City of New Orleans, New Orleans Online.
Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts Flights Cars Vacation Packages
Arrival Date
Departure Date
More Search Options
Museums Map
Hilton New Orleans Riverside
New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation
Contact us at the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation
For more information about New Orleans, visit NewOrleansOnline.com
NewOrleansMuseums.com: The Official City of New Orleans Museums Site
All contents © 1996-2004 New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation unless otherwise specified herein. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED