In May, signs went up in the windows of 12111 Mayfield Road in Cleveland’s Little Italy announcing the Italian American Museum of Cleveland (IAMCLE). It is slated to open sometime this summer.

IAMCLE was founded on Columbus Day 2020 when Hon. Basil M. Russo, National President of the Italian Sons & Daughters of America, and Hon. Deborah J. Nicastro, Board Chair of the Italian American Museum of Cleveland, signed the lease for the space. Since then, a lot of behind-the-scenes planning has been happening to prepare for the summer opening. 

Serving as Director of IAMCLE will be Pamela Dorazio Dean, who has held the position of Curator of Italian American History at the Western Reserve Historical Society for 15 years. She will continue as curator, holding a dual position with WRHS and IAMCLE. Board of Directors for the new museum include: Hon. Deborah J. Nicastro, President, Marie Frank, Hon. Basil M. Russo, Patricia E. Russo, and Matt Zone. 

For more information and to get on an email list for news and event announcements, visit www.iamcle.org or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..