NIAF #ItalianADay
“The work I do is not done alone. My blood is peopled with the dreams, hopes, failures, joys and achievements of those who came before me. My art is formed and informed by my Italian Heritage. Per tutta la mia famiglia e reletivi - con amore.”
“Today’s #ItalianADay is a special submission of Pat Benincasa:
Pat Benincasa is an award-winning artist and first-generation Italian American. She grew up in the Detroit area with her brother Gary, and parents Frank Benincasa and Ida Rizzuto, who were both born in the town of Mangone, outside of Cosenza in Reggio Calabria. Her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents lived in the Detroit area and all special events and family occasions were shared with her Italian relatives. Benincasa attended Wayne State University for her Master of Fine Arts and Master of Arts degrees and then moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota in the mid 70’s. There, she began developing her art, which – as she says – “is formed and informed by my Italian heritage.” According to Benincasa, storytelling holds a compelling place in her DNA. For her, being Italian and an artist are two sides of the same coin – one feeds the other. Growing up, there was never a separation between the two.
Her work is based on the potent language of geometry expressed in multiple ways with dimensional glass, painting and sculpture and using materials in non-traditional ways. Benincasa’s career includes sacred commissions, designing a school-city park, and an Artist Residency at the Toronto School of Art. In 2006, she created the Joan of Arc Scroll Medal for military women and men at no cost to them. After being interviewed by the Agence France- Presse about her medal, the story appeared on websites around the world. In addition to the military, five thousand+ medals have made their way to people fighting illnesses, in recovery, or facing huge changes in their lives. Her Joan Medal was on the cover of an Italian publication, Il Segno, and referenced in the Roger Senzig book: L’Affaire Jeanne D’Arc. Her paintings are in collections throughout the U.S., including a stunning 7-ton glass and steel skylight sculpture, “Falling Water Skylight,” created for the Minnesota Judicial Center located on the St. Paul Capitol Grounds, which has been archived at the Minnesota Historical Society. Benincasa’s current work, was awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd Places in the 2017 American Art Awards in Category 24: Innovative. To view Ms. Benincasa’s work, visit www.patbenincasa-art.com.”
