Italian stories come alive at Waikato Museum

Italian stories come alive at Waikato Museum

21 NOVEMBER 2007
For Immediate Release

Visitors to Waikato Museum have the opportunity to experience a summer of Italian culture as Qui Tutto Bene – The Italians in New Zealand exhibition opens this Saturday [24 November 2007].

Waikato Museum has developed a distinctly local component to the Qui Tutto Bene exhibition that explores stories of Italian migrants to New Zealand and has recently completed a two-year season at Te Papa Museum. Qui Tutto Bene was brought to the Waikato Museum with support from Te Papa Museum and the Hamilton Italian community. Il Sapore Locale – The Local Flavour will sit alongside Qui Tutto Bene and captures local stories from Italians in the Waikato region with a strong focus on the themes of family and community.

Waikato Museum director Kate Vusoniwailala says Qui Tutto Bene’s opening with the incorporation of Il Sapore Locale highlights a further dimension of Waikato Museum's commitment to showcasing stories from our local community.

“Adding a local flavour to the Qui Tutto Bene exhibition through the development of Il Sapore Locale has fostered strong relationships between the museum and our local Italian community. The opening of the exhibition at Waikato Museum offers our whole community the same opportunity.

“Qui Tutto Bene invites all Waikato Museum visitors to experience the richness and diversity of our Italian community. We hope the exhibition will provide a fun, learning experience from which greater understanding and relationships will be nourished across our community's cultural diversity.

“Already, the exhibition has resulted in the formation of a new Italian community group in Hamilton which signifies a platform from which further connections can be made within our community’s diverse ethnic groups.”

Several associated free community events will run alongside the Qui Tutto Bene exhibition including the Saturday Afternoon Italian Experience from 1-15 December 2007, a nine-week series of Italian cultural workshops from 31 January-27 March 2007 and a Carnivale evening on 5 February 2008. More information is available on the Waikato Museum website: www.waikatomuseum.co.nz .

ENDS

© Scoop Media