Stile di Famiglia
- Stainless Steel
- 168 x 96 x 96 in
- Jake Balcom
The sculpture, which was funded by a donation from Bluestone Development and their developer partner, the Caniglia Family, was commissioned by The Homeowners Association of the Towns of Little Italy. Residents initiated a call for entries, based upon a vision to commemorate the unique history of the neighborhood, one of the city's oldest, then selected the artist, Jake Balcom, from among entries. The residents worked with the artist to select a site and refine an appropriate sculpture. The sculpture is located a 1115 South 7th Street.
Balcom came up with an installation that is distinctly Italian, which is in line with the several Italian family restaurants (such as Caniglia's) that formerly defined the social life of the neighborhood. Balcom, who kept coming back to the idea of a big Italian family sitting around a table eating dinner, everyone talking about their life or how their week went, laughing and enjoying the company, has represented the very fun, friendly, and close feel for The Towns' neighborhood.
Balcon states, ”With this in mind I went down to one of our local Italian restaurants for some research/inspiration and as I was eating my favorite pasta dish there I looked down and caught myself twirling my pasta around my fork and instantly knew that this would make a fun and dynamic sculpture that would represent both the Italian heritage and the playfulness of the neighborhood as well as pay homage to the Italian restaurant that used to occupy the lot. As for the name, I finally decided on 'Stile di Famiglia' or 'Family Style' which is in reference to a restaurant serving style where food is served to guests in the same way you would at a big family dinner. I feel it represents the vibe of both the neighborhood and sculpture wonderfully and gives a nice nod to the Italian heritage in both the language and meaning”.
Lighting of the sculpture was funded by homeowners in 2011.
- Current Location: Southeast Omaha (google map)