New York State Museum Curator Ashley Hopkins-Benton to Present Henry Dispirito: Stonemason to Sculptor
This article originally appeared in a Rome Historical Society press release.
At 7:00 PM on June 16, 2021 Rome Historical Society will present Henry DiSpirito: Stonemason to Sculptor, a virtual program at facebook.com/romehistorical. Ashley Hopkins-Benton will discuss the life, art, and experiences of DiSpirito in Utica, NY.
Henry DiSpirito (1898-1995) was an Italian immigrant who came to Utica, NY in 1921 from Castleforte, Italy. He settled into the heavily immigrant populated neighborhood of East Utica and found work as a stonemason/bricklayer; a trade he learned from his father. Through his work on a WPA art project creating dioramas and subsequent study at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute, he was finally able to pursue art, as he had dreamed of doing, and found his calling in direct carving in stone.
Ashley Hopkins-Benton holds an MA in History Museum Studies from SUNY’s Cooperstown Graduate Program and a BA in Studio Art and Art Education from SUNY Potsdam. She is now Senior Historian and Curator at the New York State Museum and has done extensive research on Henry DiSpirito’s life and legacy. This talk will focus on DiSpirito's immigrant experience, and its impact on his art.