Located in the 14,000 sq. ft. Fresno County Fair Museum, Community Cultural Center, which is where you will find the Italian Heritage Museum Exhibit - one of the most comprehensive exhibits on Italian culture in the Western United States. Phase One of this exhibit debuted in 2021, featuring a replica of Tuscan architecture, the exhibit focuses on the four interactive touch screen displays in which you can explore the rich history of Italian traditions, culture and achievements beneath a beautiful rendition of the Creation of Adam originally painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome.
Project Description
The group was led by Michael Giovannetti and Nate Dibudio, both of Fresno. Michael was a professor at Fresno State and was instrumental in gathering content for this display. We wanted to create a feeling of an old world Tuscan villa. The idea was to install 4 vertical interactive touch displays within a shell made of stone and clay tiles. We sourced fantastic photos of a cobblestone street with stone buildings. The image was split into 4 equal segments and divided equally between the 4 displays creating a panoramic display when viewed when entering the structure.
The Community Committee of the Italian Heritage Exhibit has been working with Solutions by Design since its inception, to develop this very special display. We are most appreciative of the entire Solutions by Design team for their excellent work, talent, expertise, and dedication. “Grazie Mille!”
We wanted to carry the old world theme throughout the experience. The content was divided into 20 segments and each was represented by an icon that populated the main page once the guest activated the device and the screensaver disappears.
The display is feature rich with a ton of content. Photos and stories of the past and present…featured Fresno Italians that have made their mark on society and even a map of old town Fresno with resident locations. Oral Stories from locals are featured throughout.
The Italian Heritage Exhibit is a state-of-the-art treasure housed in the Heritage Museum of Fresno County at the Big Fresno Fair, featuring four large touch screens, beautifully designed, programmed, and maintained by Solutions by Design.
As with most of our displays, this display is ever changing and we are adding new content and features continuously. The group put a call out for locals to submit their favorite recipes for Italian dishes. These recipes will be available on the display and can be emailed or texted home to the individual.
A pictorial display was added to the right of the structure depicting more of the history of the Italian Americans in Fresno.
User Interface
Icons representing the various groups and individuals with dropdown submenus throughout the exhibit makes navigation easy. Guests can access a volume of videos, photos, narratives and much more at a touch. Italian culture runs deep in the Central Valley. Our icon menu system includes:
- Agriculture
- Arts & Entertainment
- Communities & Settlements
- Italy
- Journey to America
- Food & Dining
- Business & Industry
- Language & Traditions
- Sports
- Stories of Service
- Social, Cultural, & Religious Institutions
- Government & Education
A key feature of the display includes a graphic mapping system which features the Old Italian DIstrict of downtown Fresno. Guests can scroll block by block and locate the residence and or business of their choice. Pop-up menus highlight various family photos of the past residents along with a description of the family.
We have a large volume of oral histories or interviews of prominent Italians in the community. These include civic leaders, athletes, artists etc. Each reflects back upon their ancestry and shares stories of the past.
Content includes narratives, videos, photographs and animations.
Hardware
- 4 65” Vertical Multi-touch displays
- 4 directional speakers mounted above the displays