PRESENZA - Conclusion

Panoramic View
(QTVR)

Conclusion
Photo: Steven Darby, CMC CD2004-0245 D2004-6116

This exhibition was about presence. It looked at traditions and values that Italian Canadians brought with them to Canada, and that are now part of the everyday lives of many Canadians.

It was also about relevance. It invited us to take a new look at these traditions and values, which originated in the past, and discover how relevant they are to many of the questions we are asking today.

The exhibition also encouraged an encounter. Through the themes of food, work, social life and spirituality, it invited us to see something of ourselves in the aspirations of Italian-Canadian immigrants.

Presence, relevance, encounter ... if all of this is possible, it is because human cultures pay little heed to the boundaries of time and territory. They may originate in a particular time and place, but they are learned and communicated by people, who are themselves constantly moving and meeting others.