"Something Old, Something New. . ." continues the Balch Institute's tradition of presenting timely, interesting, and informative exhibitions on our multicultural heritage. Of the three major celebrations of the cycles of life (birth, marriage, death), weddings tend to be the most exuberant and traditional. What better place to see the blending of cultures than at a wedding? And, what better way for the Institute to illustrate cultural continuity and change than with an exhibition of the many varieties of ethnic weddings that have occurred, and still continue to occur, in this land.

This exhibit, originally mounted at the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies in 2001, explores many aspects of the experiences of the new African immigrants living in our midst. The exhibit was the result of 2 years of fieldwork in the African communities of greater Philadelphia.  Anthropologist Leigh Swigart collected oral histories from community members, and Vera Viditz-Ward documented community activities through hundreds of photographs. The materials here represent a sample of some of the wonderful stories told in that show.

Most of us have heard of Lee Iacocca the industrialist, Robert Venturi the architect, Brian De Palma the film-maker and Gay Talese the writer. They have all contributed to the emergence of Italian-Americans as a major force in the cultural and business life of the nation.

Asian immigration to the United States has, until recently, been limited. The New World was settled primarily by Europeans and the majority wished to keep it that way. That is why the Chinese, after they helped build the Central Pacific Railroad, were excluded from immigrating to the United States by an 1882 act of Congress. Similarly, by the notorious "Gentlemen's Agreement" of 1907, the government of Japan agreed to limit the emigration of its people to this country. Californians, who resented the phenomenal success of Japanese farmers, were thus mollified.

The structure of social organizations and community life has grown up and adapted itself to the needs of successive generations of Polish immigrants to America from mid-nineteenth century to the present.