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Italian Americans in California

The “Naive Wooden Sculptures” of Theodore Santoro

(08 07 2012) Laura E. Ruberto

An Italian American self-taught artist from Oakland, California, adds yet another chapter in the story of Italian Americans and material culture.

Il Fanciullo del West: Shorty Joe Quartuccio’s Country Western Sound

(12 10 2011) Laura E. Ruberto

A Few Notes on California’s Sicilian American country music history.

Leo Politi, Saint Joseph, and Las Golondrinas

(17 03 2011) Laura E. Ruberto

Children’s literature, the Watts Towers, and Italian-Californian celebrations of Saint Joseph’s Day.

The Case of the Missing Fasanella Painting

(02 03 2011) Laura E. Ruberto

How I uncovered that the City of Oakland, the Oakland Public Library, the Oakland Museum of California, and the Oakland International Airport have misplaced Ralph Fasanella’s...

Vince Guaraldi--“the sound of Yuletide on these shores”

(24 12 2010) Laura E. Ruberto

Some Italian-American notes about the man behind the music of Charlie Brown’s Christmas.

A Tourist Visits Italian in California

(16 11 2010) Joseph Sciorra

In recognition of co-blogger, Laura Ruberto, who intelligently expounds on West Coast iterations of Italian America, I offer my touristic encounter with things Italian in the...

Italian America’s Eureka Moment

(08 10 2010) Laura E. Ruberto

Finding Romano Gabriel’s Wooden Sculpture Garden along the Italy-California border.

Hollywood, Italian Americans, and the Golden Coast

(30 07 2010) Laura E. Ruberto

John Fante’s and Richard Quine’s 1956 film, "Full of Life," constructs California Italian culture, one brick at a time.

Californians Sell Little Italy, One Crate at a Time

(02 12 2009) Laura E. Ruberto

Fruit and Vegetable Crate Labels in California and the Italian Americans They Created

Searching for the Ethnic Angle in John Baldessari’s Art

(19 08 2009) Laura E. Ruberto

On a visit to a retrospective of this California artist, I consider traces of the Italian immigrant background in his work.

The Gate on the “Golden Gate”

(20 09 2008) Laura E. Ruberto

Reading Valenti Angelo’s “Golden Gate” to my five-year old son.

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