PIACE (Progressive Italian American Cultural Exchange) is a multidisciplinary cultural initiative dedicated to exploring contemporary Italian American identity through creative practice, cultural history, and public dialogue.
Founded in response to the absence of progressive, artist-centered Italian American organizations, PIACE creates space for artists, scholars, and community members who feel underserved by legacy heritage institutions. While many existing organizations focus on preservation alone, PIACE centers living culture—supporting new artistic production, critical inquiry, and evolving forms of expression. Notably, there are currently no major Italian American heritage foundations that fund the creation of new artworks; PIACE was formed to help address this gap.
PIACE produces public programs including lectures, artist talks, exhibitions, screenings, communal meals, and participatory events that examine how cultural signifiers—food, language, ritual, craft, and material practices—shift through migration, assimilation, and reinvention. Programs emphasize experimentation and reinterpretation, encouraging participants not only to learn about Italian American culture, but to actively shape its future.
The organization is committed to inclusivity and reflects the multiethnic, interracial, and diasporic realities of contemporary Italian American communities. By fostering collaboration across disciplines and generations, PIACE promotes cultural literacy, challenges stereotypes, and affirms identity as dynamic rather than fixed.
PIACE operates through partnerships with cultural institutions, academic centers, galleries, and community spaces, and is developing a national chapter-based structure that allows local organizers to adapt programming to regional histories while remaining connected through shared values. All programs are public-facing, accessible, and designed to generate dialogue, creative exchange, and meaningful community engagement.