Joyce Mariani, direttrice esecutiva della Italian Cultural Garden Foundation e direttrice del Cleveland Film Festival, è stata inserita nel 13 Cleveland International Hall of Fame ad aprile. Mariani si unisce a questo gruppo elitario. Mariani ha un grande amore per la cultura italiana. Nel 2006 ha fondato il Cleveland Film Festival, il primo festivale di film indipendenti a Cleveland. Nel 2007 ha fondato la Italian Cultural Garden Foundation, con un budget di 1,5 milioni di dollari. Nel 2008 fonda Viva!, che organizza “Opera nel Giardino Italiano”. Per questi motivi Mariani è conosciuta come una persona dedicata alla cultura italiana a Cleveland e merita questo onore.

Joyce Mariani, Exec. Director of the Italian Cultural Garden Foundation and Director of the Cleveland Italian Film Festival was inducted into the 13th annual Cleveland International Hall of Fame April 18, 2023 along with Councilman Mike Polensek, Mayor Georgine Welo, Patricia Dowd, Pierre Bijjani and Sudarshan Sathe. 

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin gave welcoming remarks and Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic gave the invocation. TV3 anchor Russ Mitchell was the MC. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb recognized the inductees in his proclamation for having made amazing contributions to the community. 

Mariani’s deep love for the culture of Italy was handed down from her family of Florentine and Roman origin. Upon her return to Cleveland from Italy where she studied and worked, she founded the Cleveland Italian Film Festival in 2006, the first independent film festival in Northeast Ohio to showcase Italian Oscar winning films at Cleveland area theaters drawing audience from all over Northeast Ohio.

In 2007 she formed the Italian Cultural Garden Foundation spearheading a $1.5 million Renaissance Restoration Project for Cleveland’s public cultural monument to Italy in Rockefeller Park and serves as its executive director.

In 2008 she founded Viva! La Cultura Italiana cultural series presenting the cultural arts of Italy and revived the annual “Opera in the Italian Garden” after a sixty-five year absence presenting The Cleveland Opera and the Cleveland Ballet that draws over 3,000 people each year.

In 2011 in an effort to highlight the culinary arts of Italy, she began an annual “Pranzo” presenting specialized cuisine from the different regions of Italy prepared by distinguished Cleveland chefs.

She was presented the Italian Heritage Award in 2008 by Mayor Frank Jackson at Cleveland City Hall for her re-education of the public about the historical importance of the 1930 Italian Cultural Garden as a public cultural monument to Italy and for her dedication to the cultural arts of Italy. As a mezzo soprano she has performed with the National Orchestra of Italy, throughout Italy and Europe and at Severance Hall.She served on the Executive Board of the

Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation, has lectured on Renaissance gardens, and is currently writing about newly discovered historical information pertaining to the creation of the Italian Cultural Garden dedicated in 1930 in Rockefeller Park.

Previous inductees include: Senator George Voinovich, Richard Pogue, Bishop Anthony Pilla, Albert Ratner, Sam Miller, Basil Russo, May Chen, Jose Feliciano, Rev. Otis Moss, Monte Ahuja, Alex Machaskee, Valarie McCall, Milton Maltz and Clevelanders who have made a valuable and lasting contribution to our multicultural city and region.

CIHF Co-founder Dan Hanson said, “With 84 very worthy nominees, it was difficult for the committee to choose but once they did, the accomplishments of these 6 stood out and made the decision unanimous. They are tremendous representatives of Cleveland’s ethnic diversity.” 

• Joyce Mariani Joyce Mariani
• Italian Cultural Gardens Italian Cultural Gardens
• Italian Cultural Gardens Italian Cultural Gardens
• Italian Cultural Gardens Italian Cultural Gardens
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