Miguel Angel Galluzzi Gives Lecture at Second-Annual Frank J. De Santis Lecture Series on Italian Americans

The Second-Annual Frank J. De Santis Lecture on Italian Americans took place on Thursday, March 15th, 2012, at the Petersen Automotive Museum. This year’s guest speaker was Miguel Angel Galluzzi who presented his lecture “Perspectives on Italian Design” during the museum’s exhibition “Sculpture in Motion: Masterpieces of Italian Design”.

Galluzzi is an award-winning motorcycle designer who created the iconic Ducati Monster. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design’s Transportation Design Program in Pasadena, California in 1986. Galluzzi worked for Opel before working for Honda’s V-Car/Omega design studio in Offenbach, Germany and later in Milan. In 1989, Galluzzi began working for Cagiva, Ducati’s parent company at the time, in Varese, Italy. He stayed at Cagiva for 17 years before becoming Styling Director at Aprilia in July 2006. He was promoted to Vice President of Design for Aprilia’s parent company Piaggio Group. As of January 2012, Galluzzi is helping found the Crimson Design Center USA in California.

In 2011, the Frank J. De Santis Lecture Series was established as an essential component of the George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies. In addition, the lecture series honors De Santis who remains a tireless advocate of Italian Studies. This lecture series will be an annual event that will draw upon the contributions that Italians and Italian-Americans make to humanity. It will provide an opportunity for community members to meet on the CSULB campus to share the best things about Italy, such as food, conversation, and thought-provoking speakers.

The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies was formally inaugurated in 1998, after CSULB’s College of Liberal Arts received a generous donation from George L. and Reva Graziadio. The Graziadio’s contribution, along with the community monies and matching funds from the University, made the CSULB Italian Chair Campaign a model of community-university collaboration that benefits students through the establishment of degree and credential programs. The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies is a tangible expression of George and Reva Graziadio’s philanthropic educational vision and their commitment to Italian Studies as a global resource in all professional endeavors.

L-R: Dr. Clorinda Donato and Miguel Angel Galuzzi