CLEVELAND — As director of the Italian American Museum of Cleveland, Pamela Dorazio Dean puts a lot of thought into what goes on the walls. 

The stories and experiences of members of northeast Ohio’s Italian American community are reflected in the museum's first exhibit — Faith, Family, Ambition: the Italian Americans of Northeast Ohio.

“Faith in their church, faith in their new country, faith that they were going to be successful when they came to the United States. Family as the support network to make that journey and to make that settlement happen, and then ambition is really the driving force that Italian Americans have to be the best that they can be at what they do,” Dean said. 

Dean is also the curator of Italian American history at the Western Reserve Historical Society. She said there was a need for a space where Italian artifacts and history could be put in the spotlight after a neighborhood organization-run museum located in Little Italy closed in 2007.

“There was a hole left in the neighborhood. Like, people come here, they know there's history here. They know it's a historic, ethnic neighborhood. There was no place for them to really understand what the neighborhood was about and to understand that story,” she said. 

This museum, located on Little Italy's Mayfield Road, is a vision of Basil Russo, president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America.

“People are very excited that we're here as a place for them to come back and reminisce about their time living in Little Italy or one of the other Italian neighborhoods,” she said. 

Dean said through her work, she’s honored to help Italian American history alive.  

“To interpret history for people and present history for people is a career goal of mine, but because I get to do it for the Italian American community, it's very personal for me as well. I think I have just a little bit more passion for what I do because of that personal connection,” she said.