This multimedia MEDIUM set of stories was jointly authored by Yara Al-Athel, Tiajna Amayo, Juan Carlos Castillo, Nick Cicchitelli, Laura Cross, Catherine Gessner, Dana Ghanem, Emily Marks, Pedro Molina, Devin Van Houten and Frankie Wong (alphabetical order). Editors were Susan Moeller and Daphne Wales.

(MY)GRATION • A Link to the Past

Ancestors I never met connected me with family I didn’t know I had. Come and meet them.

“I used this photograph to confirm for them our identities.”

Follow the trajectory of my object as it migrates from Calabria, Italy to Caracas, Venezuela and New York, NY, USA.

A Link to the Past Migration

“Migration is not a now thing. Migration is an always has been thing.”

PHOTOGRAPHS represent not only one’s memories, but one’s ancestry.

Social and economic issues forced the Cicchitelli family to separate 100 years ago. Nick’s object was a photo he used to reconnect with his family over social media. The photo pictures his great grandfather and great grandmother, Luigi and Anna, who immigrated to America at the turn of the century.

After Nick’s great grandfather’s siblings emigrated from Italy to America and Venezuela, a whole generation lost contact due to the inadequate means of communication during the time. However, with the advent of social media, Nick was able to connect with people that share his last name and used the photo to prove his legitimacy as a possible relative. This lead to him finding many relatives and cousins he didn’t know existed. During the Salzburg Global Seminar, Nick believes that he has a greater understanding of the power of media to affect political and social issues. After finishing his second masters in public administration, Nick hopes to be involved in the policymaking process in his community.

To migrate to another story in the series click on one of the object photos below OR click to return to the (MY)GRATION home page.