Dear Readers,
L’Italo-Americano’s director, Simone Schiavinato, recently wrote that we must celebrate not only the discovery of America, but the Italian American spirit that pushes forward in Silicon Valley, startups that create high tech products made in Italy and relocated in California and other states in the U.S.A. where we live as Italians and Italian Americans. After meeting many of the young men and women working in the high tech fields of Santa Clara, I heartily agree that’s “Today’s Italy !
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Fabiola Addamo, known as “Fabi” to her many friends, is a fabulous, friendly award-winning concert pianist, who after learning to speak English, via a program based on the Callan Method, arrived in San Francisco from Catania, Siciliy in 2001, with a suitcase full of dreams. And Fabiola has been busy fulfilling them ever since. Upon arrival, Fabiola worked in a North Beach pastry shop, while attending San Francisco State University (SFSU) and obtaining a degree in Italian with a minor in Anthropology. In 2005 she was hired as a translator by Google in Silicon Valley, but was soon able to join the marketing team of this big company with innovative ideas.
In 2007, “Fabi” began working at Yahoo and via their high-priced MBA program gained expertise in corporate tech and innovative products. In 2010, Fabiola joined TechWomen as a mentor and soon met other women who were interested in improving diplomatic relations and interaction between women in all nations of the world. Yahoo then asked Fabiola to be a speaker in Cairo, Egypt for the Business and Human Rights Conference on Women the company was sponsoring.
In 2012, after joining the S.F. chapter of the United Nations Association and attending their annual meeting in Washington D.C., Fabiola was invited by an attendee to join a program at Santa Clara University, called Women Leaders for the World. That same year, there was a big wave of layoffs at Yahoo and Fabi lost her job.
Undaunted, Fabi decided to devote more time to creating Art and showed her paintings to an art gallery owner in Saratoga, California, who offered her an opportunity to show her paintings there. Shortly after she received a call from an old friend she had met in 2001 while working in the North Beach pastry shop, who created a website for her art free of charge. This resulted in an art gallery exhibit at the Emerald Tablet in North Beach during the San Francisco Open Studios 2012. An English woman she met gave her an opportunity to have her art exhibited in New York City at the Prince George Gallery, and in Miami, Florida. In Scottsdale, Arizona, Fabiola signed an exclusive contract with the Calvin Charles Gallery to be her agent in Arizona.
Since then, Fabiola has had several art exhibits in San Francisco which I have personally attended and enjoyed.
Now, dear Readers, you will be able to view Fabiola Addamo’s whimsical, tech-touched, colorful, unique modern art, too and meet Fabiola at San Francisco’s 39th Open Studio. Fabiola will hold her open studio the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Code and Canvas (151 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 91403, tel. 415-374-9177).
SF Open Studios gives art fans a rare portal into the artists’ creative habitat. It’s an opportunity to visit artists’ studios, glimpse the creative process, and purchase original art directly from more than 800 local artists with works in a sweeping range of styles, mediums and subject matter. SF Open Studios simultaneously helps artists build their mailing lists, gain new admirers, and ultimately sustain a living making art. If geography prevents you from attending, visit http://www.fabiolaaddamo.com/ to see her artwork, then click on “store” to see her art products and click on “Blog” to read about Fabiola’s artistic progression.
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Fabiola Addamo is now back working in the Silicon Valley with Mobile and Search. She is also facilitating Artist expo. The amount of wall space across Silicon Valley campuses is astounding, and it’s a great opportunity to infuse these spaces with locally-created art. Tech companies also amplify their exposure as associated with these rotating exhibits.
In addition to showing her own artwork in offices that house tech companies, San Francisco artist Fabiola Addamo spearheaded the art program at IMVU. Fabiola places art in tech companies on a rotating basis and features various local artists. “The Bay Area is a metaphor for the human brain. The left side is the tech community, and the right side is the artsy community. My service can act as a bridge to reconnect this unique Silicon Valley brain”, says Fabiola.
Fabiola Addamo’s art residencies with IMVU, Adobe, and StumbleUpon have yielded more than just added exposure and growth for her personal artistic endeavors; Addamo’s collaborations have resulted in social change. Addamo’s tech company exhibitions partner with nonprofits and a percentage of the art sales go to a good cause (Global Women’s Leadership Network and Open a Door Foundation, to name a few). This partnership with tech companies links communication between local artists, tech companies, and the greater good. Addamo believes that by connecting with local artists, tech companies can build a distinct culture and strengthen their overall values, as well as enhance creative thinking and empathy among employees.
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For Readers who prefer “snail mail”, here is Fabiola’s contact info:
Fabiola Addamo Art & Design
2000 Broadway Street #619
San Francisco, CA 94115
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