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The Federici Studio Collection

Passaic County Community College is home to the Studio Collection of Paterson sculptor Gaetano Federici. Now on permanent exhibition in the historic Hamilton Club Building, the collection was donated to the College by the Nicholas Martini Foundation to be displayed and maintained.

The Martini Foundation had purchased the Federici Studio Collection in order to preserve it and keep it intact for the enjoyment of the public. The sculptor left a studio filled with plaster sculptures, molds, plaques, tools, furniture, photographs, and other memorabilia when he died in 1964. Objects from the collection are on view throughout the building, and Federici’s studio workshop has been re-created in a room on the third floor.

The Federici Studio Collection has been designated an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, a partnership between the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation dedicated to the celebration and Preservation of our nation’s threatened cultural treasures.

The collection (more than 500 objects) is important in terms of preserving the historic, artistic, and cultural heritage of Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, and America. Tours are available for school and community groups and the general public. Please call (973) 684-5444 or email [email protected].

 
For more information, visit www.federicicollections.com/

Federici at work on a bust of Benjamin Franklin, 1927

The bronze version of this plaster model of Benjamin Franklin is located on the pediment above the entrance to JP Morgan Chase Bank (formerly Franklin Bank) at Market and Hamilton Streets in Paterson.


Bishop McLaughlin, 1957

Federici is pictured with a statue of Paterson’s first bishop Thomas McLaughlin, which was sculpted in preparation for the larger bronze version in front of St. Johns Cathedral.  The monument was his last major commission.


Christopher Columbus, 1953

This plaster statue is a full-size model of the Columbus monument now located in Federici Park in Paterson. Originally, Federici’s bronze sculpture was placed in Eastside Park and the dedication was held on Columbus Day in 1953.


Federici at work in his studio, 1949

Here Federici finishes Ingrid Bergman as Joan of Arc. The artist is surrounded by sculptures that are now part of the Federici Studio Collection on permanent display in the Hamilton Club Building at Passaic County Community College.


Federici workshop display, 2001

Gaetano Federici left a studio filled with plaster sculptures, molds, plaques, tools, furniture, photographs, and other memorabilia when he died in 1964. The sculptor’s studio workshop has been re-created with a sampling of these objects in a room at the Hamilton Club Building.