Oral and Photographic History Project

In the early 2000s, the Italians of Montclair Oral and Photographic History Project provided digitization for photographs, documents, and personal artifacts of Italians and Italian Americans in Montclair, with the mission to uncover, record, and preserve the precious traces of the Italian American community in Montclair from the late 19th century through the early 21st century.

Researchers from Montclair State University met with seniors from the local Italian American community to share the project’s vision. Participants in these early meetings brought some photos and artifacts that became the first materials digitized by the project.

The gallery below includes foundational documents of the project, including the interview guide and recruitment materials.

The project digitized hundreds of documents, photographs, and objects, which can be viewed by visiting the Family Collection tag, and conducted over 50 oral history interviews with Italian American Montclair residents. The gallery below pictures participants in the project.

Library Exhibit

In the 2000s, the Montclair Public Library hosted an exhibit and associated programming on the history of the Italian American community in Montclair, curated by Donato DiGeronimo and drawing on materials from the Oral and Photographic History Project.

To Know Where You Are Going, Know Where You Have Been

To Know Where You Are Going, Know Where You Have Been was a statue proposed for construction at Montclair’s Bay Street New Jersey Transit train station, located in the Fourth Ward Pine Street neighborhood which had long been the center of Montclair’s Italian American community. The proposal design included an obelisk designed to honor both the Italian and Black histories of the Fourth Ward. A prototype of the statue was created and entered as a potential design, but it ultimately was not selected for installation.

Schools

This collection, gathered from community members with significant contributions from the Pondisco family, offers a glimpse into the local educational experience of Italian American children in Montclair. A large portion of the collection centers around Glenfield School, which was primarily attended by Black and Italian students. The materials provide insight into the experiences of these communities within the school system, shedding light on the cultural dynamics and the stories of students who were educated in Montclair.

History Center Exhibit

In 2004 and 2005, the Montclair History Center hosted two exhibits based on the oral histories, photographs, and ephemera collected by the Italians of Montclair Oral and Photographic History Project.

Community members were invited to the exhibit with the invitations and press materials below.

The gallery below shows the exhibit materials, as well as the audience at the opening reception.

In addition to the physical displays, the exhibit featured a rotating film of photos collected through the Oral and Photographic History Project, shown below (split across two galleries due to number of images).

The exhibit was also covered in the Italian press.

Tauriello Family

In the early 2000s, the Italians of Montclair Oral and Photographic History Project provided digitization for photographs, documents, and personal artifacts of Italians and Italian Americans in Montclair, with the mission to uncover, record, and preserve the precious traces of the Italian American community in Montclair from the late 19th century through the early 21st century. This collection was generously provided for digitization by Linda Tauriello.

To view other collections digitized through the project, visit the Family Collection tag.

Russo Family

In the early 2000s, the Italians of Montclair Oral and Photographic History Project provided digitization for photographs, documents, and personal artifacts of Italians and Italian Americans in Montclair, with the mission to uncover, record, and preserve the precious traces of the Italian American community in Montclair from the late 19th century through the early 21st century. This collection was generously provided for digitization by Tom Russo.

To view other collections digitized through the project, visit the Family Collection tag.

Pondisco Family

In the early 2000s, the Italians of Montclair Oral and Photographic History Project provided digitization for photographs, documents, and personal artifacts of Italians and Italian Americans in Montclair, with the mission to uncover, record, and preserve the precious traces of the Italian American community in Montclair from the late 19th century through the early 21st century. This collection was generously provided for digitization by the Pondisco family.

To view other collections digitized through the project, visit the Family Collection tag.