LOS ANGELES, CA; Italoamericana is an exhibition narrating Italian illustration through the works of some of the most celebrated and appreciated artists in the American market. Fourteen designers are currently being showcased in the gallery at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Los Angeles, 1023 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024 now through October 26, 2019. 

These artists and designers brought prestige to the Italian scene and received major awards from American critics including, Society of Illustrators, Art Directors Club, Chicago Museum of Design and many others. On exhibition is a collection of works created for the pages and covers of the American newspapers: The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and The Wall Street Journal.

On display are works from the best of the new generation of illustrators, a sector that have become the flagship of Italian creativity.

Featured are Olimpia Zagnoli (gold medalist at the Society of Illustrators of NYC), Emiliano Ponzi (gold at the ADC in New York), Ale Giorgini (awarded by the Chicago Museum of Design), Francesco Bongiorni (silver medal at the Society of Illustrators of NYC), Gianluca Folì (gold medal at the Society of Illustrators of NYC), Matteo Berton (gold and silver at the Society of Illustrators of NYC), Simone Massoni (silver at the Society of Illustrators of NYC), Mauro Gatti (Emmy Awards 2017), Jonathan Calugi (Young Guns at the ADC in New York), Van Orton, Francesco Poroli, Anna Parini, Irene Rinaldi, and Riccardo Guasco.

To kick off the exhibition, artists Francesco Poroli, www.francescoporoli.it [2], and Mauro Gatti, www.maurogatti.com [3] gave a workshop on Friday, October 20, 2019, which preceded the show’s opening. Both Poroli and Gatti were entertaining and enlightening. They shared their creative process with humor and encouraged all those interested in pursuing a career in the creative arts. 

Gatti strongest advice was to be yourself, know your limits and use them to your advantage by sticking to what you really enjoy creating.  As Judy Garland put it best, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” Gatti should know, he unapologetically exclaimed that he owes his success to being the go-to illustrator for anything to do with poop! Yes poop, and farts too, of course.

Poroli and Gatti closed the workshop by each sharing their personal work ethic. Mauro Gatti summed his up as, “1. Work hard, 2. Have fun, 3. Don’t quit, 4. Repeat.” Francesco Paroli considers his mantras to be, “1. Creativity is a muscle, you just need to train it. 2. Done is always better than perfect. 3. Yes is more.”

Italoamericana: Italian illustration takes on America at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Los Angeles, [4] 1023 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024 now through October 26, 2019. 

Artist Darrell Fusaro is a decorated U.S. Coast Guard veteran, author of “What if Godzilla Just Wanted a Hug?” and a longtime contributor to i-Italy Magazine. For more information visit ThisWillMakeYouHappy.com [5]