If a professor were sipping grappa in your nonno’s cantina, you could say academic rigour was meeting grassroots art. You might say the same of a new research project on ethnic belonging and cultural production at the University of Toronto’s Frank Iacobucci Centre for Italian Canadian Studies. The Queer Italian-Canadian (QIC) Artists Project is demonstrating that academia and artists can make for a perfect pairing.
The QIC Artists Project is seeking to give visibility to the lived experiences and creative production of Italian-Canadian artists who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. The project brings together writers, performers and visual artists who are exploring what it means to be both queer and Italian-Canadian. Co-directed by community advocate and literary editor Dr. Licia Canton and University of Toronto professor Dr. Paolo Frascà, the project aims to open up conversations through a growing body of art, storytelling and public engagement.
Their starting point is an examination of the heteronormative and traditional values that have played an integral role in the preservation and integration of Italian communities into the Canadian mainstream. Through analysis and creative works, the project begins to fill the gap left by the erasure of histories of sexual and gender diversity in Italian-Canadian communities.
Co-lead Dr. Licia Canton says the aim is to document the tensions and connections between queer and Italian-Canadian identities, showing how they can be productively and inclusively integrated.
“The bridging of two communities that were not communicating with each other before will go a long way to contributing to the knowledge base,” suggests Canton.
Canton describes the scope of the project and what sets it apart from previous initiatives.
“It doesn’t just feature artists. It creates space for intergenerational dialogue, academic rigour and collective healing.”
Since 2021, the research team has conducted 26 in-depth interviews with queer Italian-Canadian artists. The interviewees reflect a diverse range of gender and sexual identities, including lesbian, bisexual, gay, trans, non-binary, women and men. The content spans first to third-generation migrants with roots in both northern and southern Italy, living in urban and suburban communities across Canada. Sixteen of these interviews are now featured on the project’s public digital platform.
Co-lead Dr. Paolo Frascà explains the public education component of the project.
“We’re bringing this conversation to the dinner table and to the classroom. It’s about giving validity to those who identify as queer and Italian-Canadian, and providing exposure and knowledge to those who want to learn.”
He notes that even within the queer community there can be layers of racism and discrimination.
“We can start to bridge these distances through personal stories,” comments Frascà.
The project’s research has fostered a more nuanced and diverse understanding of Italian-Canadian communities by challenging mainstream ideas of italianità. The opening image on the project’s website by Ariana Magliocco captures this spirit beautifully. In Out of the Closet and Into the Cantina, Magliocco uses collage and multi-media visual prose to explore questions of queerness, community and cultural acceptance.
For scholar-in-residence Federica Miglietta-Della Poeta, it was validating to see her identity on an academic website. When she learned that the research project included markers of queer, Italian, Canadian and ethnography, her reaction was visceral.
“Oh my God! This is me!” Miglietta-Della Poeta recalls thinking.
Through the literature, art and interviews, she discovered a wider community of people with similar experiences.
“At first it all felt so specific. But then I realized how universal these sentiments really are. By the end of the project, I remember feeling that I’m really not alone. And that’s very reassuring,” Miglietta-Della Poeta explains.
In her QIC interview, journalist, writer and editor Anna Nobile reflects on the role that art can play in stimulating dialogue.
“My hope is that we continue to create, share our work, and engage audiences so we can break down differences and communicate where we’re coming from.”
When asked about her hopes for the future of Italian and queer identities and their ability to co-exist, Nobile stresses that embracing one’s identity doesn’t mean abandoning heritage.
“We can honour our ancestors, our families and our cultural values, and still be who we are.”
To learn more about the Queer Italian-Canadian Artists Project, please visit qic-artists.com.
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