Henry DiSpirito: Exploring the Immigrant Experience and the Realities of the American Dream
Suggested Teaching Instructions
NYS Social Studies Framework
8.2 A CHANGING SOCIETY: Industrialization and immigration contributed to the urbanization of America. Problems resulting from these changes sparked the Progressive movement and increased calls for reform.
(Standards: 1, 2, 4; Themes: MOV, SOC, TECH, EXCH)
8.2a Technological developments changed the modes of production, and access to natural resources facilitated increased industrialization. The demand for labor in urban industrial areas resulted in increased migration from rural areas and a rapid increase in immigration to the United States. New York City became the nation’s largest city, and other cities in New York State also experienced growth at this time.
Students will identify groups of people who moved into urban areas, and examine where they came from and the reasons for their migration into the cities. Students will explore the immigrant experience at Ellis Island.
11.7 PROSPERITY AND DEPRESSION (1920 – 1939): The 1920s and 1930s were a time of cultural and economic changes in the nation. During this period, the nation faced significant domestic challenges, including the Great Depression.
(Standards: 1, 4; Themes: ID, TCC, SOC, CIV)
11.7a The 1920s was a time of cultural change in the country, characterized by clashes between modern and traditional values.
Students will examine change in immigration policy as reflected by the passage of the Quota Acts of the 1920s.
Artifacts:
The End of Fascism/Man Destroying a Swastika, linocut, ca. 1940, H-2022.4.1
Henry DiSpirito immigrated to Utica, New York in 1921 after experiencing the horrors of the first World War in Italy, and watching the beginnings of the rise of fascism. He created this linocut (a carved linoleum black used for making prints), the only one he was know to have made, to express his deep sadness and anguish about the impact of war and fascism. The imagery he depicted in hopeful - a worker is shown using a hammer to smash a swastika and fasces, both symbols adopted by fascist regimes.
The Refugees, Mother and Child, plaster sculpture, ca. 1953, H-2019.20.6 and The Refugees, watercolor on paper, ca. 1940, H-2017.34.25
Water Carrier and Tarantella, direct carved wooden sculptures, ca. 1960, H-2019.20.8 and H-IL2024.2.3 These two works, both directly carved in wood, represent scenes DiSpirito remembered from Italy. The Water Carrier represents his mother, Anna Riccardi DiSpirito, who he did not see again after he immigrated. Later in life, DiSpirito recalled his youth in Italy and the image of his mother and other village women bringing water from the village well: “. . . the peasant women who would go to the well to get water with their jugs on their heads, showing off their equilibrium with their movements . . .”
o Proctor Park, watercolor and pastel on paper, ca. 1950, H-2017.32.3 Facing difficulty getting into work as a stonemason/bricklayer (the field he was trained in) due to union conflicts, DiSpirito eventually found work in a WPA project, creating dioramas that represented the history of the Mohawk Valley. This work led to his study of sculpture—prior to this, his interest in art had been in painting. He teacher pointed out that he knowledge of working with stone gave him skill as a sculptor, and encouraged him to try direct carving. DiSpirito eventually found work as a stonemason, and also worked very hard at his career in art, and often the two would overlap. At the Munson, in Utica, he worked on building the wall in the parking lot (and added a carving to it), and also exhibited his art there (they were the first museum to acquire his work). In this painting, he included stonework in Utica’s Proctor Park, which he also worked on building.
The Return from Work, charcoal on paper, ca. 1940, H-2017.34.27 Henry DiSpirito labored as a stonemason/bricklayer, but also felt also felt a sense of apartness from his friends who were also immigrants and
Supporting documents and images:
WWII Draft card, Henry DiSpirito, February 14, 1942
Utica City Directory, 1933
Le Mie Memorie (Henry DiSpirito’s memoir), excerpts available in Educator’s Guide: Henry DiSpirito: Stonemason to Sculptor, Lesson for Educators on Immigration, (pages 11-12)
Other reading/resources:
Excerpts from the memoir of Henry DiSpirito
o Educator’s Guide: Henry DiSpirito: Stonemason to Sculptor, Lesson for Educators on Immigration
o Breathing Life Into Stone: The Sculpture of Henry DiSpirito, Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Fenimore Art Museum, 2013
o Henry DiSpirito, Stonemason to Sculptor, lecture on Youtube for the Oneida County History Center