OK so this isn't exactly about Italian culture but...

Contemporary pop artist Takashi Murakami will reprise his recent L. A. success, opening a Louis Vuitton store at the Brooklyn Museum as part of his upcoming major retrospective exhibition. What does this have to do with Italian culture you say? Well, Italians are known for some of the best fashion design in the world, as well as for leather... I know, I know, but this will be fun (and it will mean that the Brooklyn Museum will be a real zoo this spring:

Lots of celebrity news to accompany this story: The Brooklyn Museum will also host a gala opening for the show, featuring Kanye West and Jay-Z sign up for gala. Following the debut of the wildly popular exhibition, ©Murakami, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles last fall, the exhibition moves to the Brooklyn Museum of Art on April 5. It will contian some ninety 90 works and will be on view through July 13.

On April 3, a gala event will be held at the Brooklyn Museum. Kanye West will perform in a mini-concert, while Jay-Z will act as a co-chair.

The vaunted French Louis Vuitton brand will install a shop at the Brooklyn Museum of Art for the run of the exhibition, featuring limited-edition (read very expensive) handbags and other leather products with Murakami designs.

Speak Italian!

Interested in learning Italian? There's not much available in Brooklyn unless you are enrolled in a high school or college offering Italian courses. However, we suggest the Scuola Italiana in Greenwich Village. Classes are offered at various levels including:

Elementary (3 levels Days and Weeknights; 4 levels Saturdays)
Italian language classes are offered through a comprehensive approach, the goal enabling one to read, write and speak with equal proficiency while gaining knowledge of Italy, its culture and history. The classes are conducted in Italian with some English used in the beginning as a support. Students are trained to conceptualize in Italian rather than translate or substitute words:

Intermediate levels (3 levels Days and Weeknights; 4 levels Saturdays)
More time is dedicated to conversing, with a continued focus on pronunciation and inflection. Each new session includes a review of earlier materials. A comprehensive application of all studied grammatical and syntactical functions is employed in written work and conversation, which also emphasizes idiomatic expressions. Students are now able to compose fictional and non-fictional essays which help aid in developing vocabulary and use of structures.

Advanced levels (more than six, varied according to ability and emphasis)
The Advanced levels are not only progressively defined but also each has a specific emphasis: some focus on review of grammar and translation skills other than conversation. Others are based on conversation and reading to develop vocabulary and cultural knowledge. Placement into our advanced levels is based on the mastery and application of all previous studies. In all groups vocabulary is expanded along with more attention devoted to writing, reading essays, plays and literature. Students are encouraged to contribute material, making these classes into an ongoing seminar which can be taken over a period of time as a means of maintaining a high level of fluency in Italian. Emphasis is given to cultural studies, usage, idiomatic expressions, and studies of contemporary Italy.

The Scuola Italian also acts as a cultural center, offering events throughout the year. Upcoming events include:

March 1 BALLETTO -- IL REGALO DELL'ITALIA AL MONDO: Marco Pelle
After all, the French appropriated something born and developed in Italy and is as popular as pizza
April 12: ITALIAN GESTUALITY: Beatrice Muzi
A peep at Italian gestures from daily life to Art History, crossing the Commedia dell'Arte, exploring the illustrious Italian way of non-verbal communication, part theatrical gesture, part an encoded language in need of a key.
June 7 : ITALIAN CAFÉ: Lamberti, Mariano, Messina, Muzi, Pelle, Zannoni
A wide-ranging moderated discussion of culture, nature, history, art, cuisine, architecture, and more, like happening upon several heated and engaging discussions at an outdoor Italian café rolled into one. No smoking!

Tuition fees vary by class. For more information:
SCUOLA ITALIANA del Greenwich Village
New York's Italian language school, established 1987
240 Bleecker Street * New York, NY 10014
(212) 229-1361
bm@scuolaitaliana.org