Connecticut Travel

If you are in the mood to learn a new skill check out the new program, traditional West African Drum and Dance Workshops being offered at the Klein located in Bridgeport in January. They are offering a children’s/beginners course and an intermediate/advanced course from January 11-20 and on January 28, and February 4.

The courses are taught by Tenisi and Baba Jide Davis, who have been drumming, dancing, and studying with world-renowned master performers since the ages of 5 & 7 years old. The Davis brothers have since shared the stage with the Ballet Merveilles de Guinee, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company, The Sankofa Kuumba Dance ensemble, and many more. Now their goal is to spread culture, history, self-love, and fun through the arts and traditions of Africa.

Tenisi’s additional educational work at The Klein includes starring in the play Frederick Douglass: An American Slave and instructing the Klein Theatre Arts video production course. He has been recognized by the Greater Bridgeport NAACP and won the Berry M. Gordy Artistic Award.

Only 10 slots are available per class to ensure 6-foot distancing can be comfortably maintained, so don’t wait to reserve! Bridgeport students and families of 3 or more receive special pricing. The full course (10 days)is $200-250 ($20-25 per class) Check out the event page for schedule/class times, pricing, and payment plan details.

As it begins its 50th year the Stamford Art Association will present the “New Members Show” that will include multimedia work by 7 new Stamford Art Association members – Elizabeth Katz, Barbara Mathis, Stacey Sinapi, Elena Roman de Soto, Valentina Valliant, Marc Vandemeer, and Tracy Visceglia. Please join them virtually on their website as we showcase the talents of the new members of the Stamford Art Association. Each new member brings a different style, technique, and medium to the roster of member artists.

The Stamford Art Association began in 1971 when 24 local artists created the Association and Townhouse Gallery to showcase regional and community-based artists. They thank the public for their support over the years and the ongoing creativity, inspiration, and impact. They look forward to celebrating our 50th year with more community outreach, partnerships, and our gallery spaces’ reopening, as well as the inauguration of our garden art space.

Established in 1971, the Stamford Art Association is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization whose members include painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers and multimedia artists. In its 48th year, our mission as an arts organization is to provide a forum where emerging and professional artists can exhibit their work to the community and compete in juried shows. We host an international exhibit yearly, the Faber Birren Color Award Show, and a High School Student Show for Fairfield County students.

The Association’s Townhouse Gallery holds eight consecutive shows each year, six of which are juried exhibits and two are solo exhibits, with prominent jurors from art schools, galleries, and institutions in New York and surrounding areas, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, Bruce Museum, and Museum of Modern Art. All artists, not just members, are welcome to submit their work for the exhibit. Annual competitions draw submissions from local, regional, and national artists. The SAA also curates the 3 annual “Art at the Ferguson” exhibits at the Ferguson Library.

The Stamford Art Association is supported by grants from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the City of Stamford and the Kuriansky Foundation and generous donations from individual artists and friends.

Are you wondering how to start off 2021? How about immersing yourself in the beauty of nature in the Litchfield Hills with a first-day hike. The Litchfield Land Trust, White Memorial Conservation Center, Litchfield Hills Audubon, Friends of Topsmead, and Litchfield Community Greenway invite you to celebrate the coming of a new year by experiencing some of the region’s most beautiful natural areas. They have even rounded up the following suggested hiking experiences.

New Year Vistas
Apple Hill Trail – White Memorial Conservation Center (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Prospect Mountain Preserve Trails – Litchfield Land Trust (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.

Scenic Serenity
Bird Blind & Wildlife viewing – Friends of Topsmead (Friends will be at the parking lot at 10:00 am on 1/1/21 if any assistance is desired.) A songbird trail tour given by the Friend of Topsmead, Janet Blauvelt, who has established and maintained birdhouses at Topsmead.
Boyd Woods Audubon Sanctuary – Litchfield Hills Audubon Marie Kennedy will be there at 9:00 am 1/1/21 for those who would like a guide.
Medicine Rock Trail – The Litchfield Land Trust (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Vineyard/River Trail Loop – White Memorial Conservation Center (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.

Local History
Boyd Woods Audubon Sanctuary – Marie Kennedy will be there at 9:00 am 1/1/21 for those who would like a guide.
Ice House Ruins Trail – White Memorial Conservation Center (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Shepaug Crossing Trail – Litchfield Land Trust (Access to trail maps and trail descriptions). Self-guided hike.
Topsmead Grounds – Friends of Topsmead (Friends will be at the parking lot at 10:00 am 1/1/21 if any assistance is desired.)
Litchfield Community Greenway – Flat scenic walkable & bikeable trail that follows the Old Shepaug Railroad. Two-mile route from bottom of South Lake Street to North Shore Road.

What better way to usher in the new year than to immerse in nature. These wonderful places are accessible any day of the year!

The Warner Theatre will present the next production of the 9th Annual International Playwrights Festival – PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE by Reed Halvorson (SC) – from the Warner’s Nancy Marine Studio Theatre beginning Friday, January 1 at 7:00 pm. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Playwrights Festival will be a virtual event – each production will be recorded in the Warner’s Nancy Marine Studio Theatre over a period of several weeks and then streamed via YouTube and Facebook every other Friday from November to April.

The mission of the International Playwrights Festival is to recognize the work of emerging and established playwrights and to build a link between the playwrights, the theatre community, and our audiences. The festival is a celebration of new works by playwrights from across the country and around the globe. For the ninth year, 150 plays were accepted for consideration from across the United States and as far away as China and New Zealand.

Each production will be available to view online for a period of two weeks before being taken down. There is no fee to watch but donations are always accepted. This virtual festival is made possible with a generous donation from The Marine Family.

Streaming for PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE will begin Friday, January 1, 2021, at 7:00 pm and be available online until Thursday, January 13, 2021, at 11:59 pm. The production is directed by Sharon W. Houk and features Colleen Renzullo, Erin Shaughnessy, and Spookie Carl.

ABOUT PUT ON A GRUMPY FACE by Reed Halvorson (SC)
Tabitha has experienced a meteoric rise to celebrity thanks to her cat, Tardar Sauce, the feline affectionately known as “Grumpy Cat.” When Tardar Sauce begins to act differently, she begs her newest assistant, Lisa, to save them both. This energetic play satirizes the world of fleeting celebrity synonymous with pop culture.

ABOUT REED HALVORSON: Reed has called Greenville, SC home for 15 years. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He is in his 5th year as the HS Theatre teacher at Christ Church Episcopal School where he teaches amazing young artists. His constant inspiration is his 14-year-old daughter, Carly.

The remaining streaming schedule for the winning playwrights:

GOOD MORNING by Anne Lucas, MA (1/15-1/28)
PERMANENT INK by Charlene Donaghy, CT (1/29-2/11)
FOLDED by Bara Swain, NY (2/12-2/25)
EXTENDED PLAY by Ben Marshall, NJ (2/26-3/11)
RELATIVITY AND ME by Len Cuthburt, Ontario, Canada (3/12-3/25)
MOTHERHOOD by Lawrence Aronovitch, Ontario, Canada (3/26-4/8)
SAUL by Colleen O’Doherty, NE (4/9-4/22)

About the Warner Theatre
Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as “Connecticut’s Most Beautiful Theatre.” Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat studio theatre, 200 seat restaurant, and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre-K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA’s mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as a historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, visit our website: www.warnertheatre.org

On Thursday, December 17 at 6 p.m. the Litchfield Historical Society is hosting a free zoom program called the Spirit of Christmas Past: Four Centuries of Christmas in New England with Kenneth Turimo. To register email register@litchfieldhistorical.org.

This well-illustrated lecture traces the development of the celebration of Christmas from the time it was outlawed in 17th Century New England through the beginning of the 21st Century when all the trappings of a traditional Christmas were in place. For many, the celebration of Christmas today is the most important holiday of the year. But many of the customs which we take for granted as part of the current holiday festivities and religious celebrations are actually a product of more recent history. The presentation will look at how Christmas was transformed from a rowdy celebration to a family-centered event. Among the topics discussed are how the Christmas tree became popular, halls were decked, and Santa Clause came to town.

Kenneth C. Turino, Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development at Historic New England has published several articles on the history of Christmas and has a book in development.

The Institute for American Indian Studies https://www.iaismuseum.org located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut is hosting its’ first online auction this year from December 3 – December 16, 2020. This online auction offers fans of the museum and of Native American art to switch from being observers of art to active collectors. Whether you are a long time collector of Native American art and artifacts, art-curious, or a first time collector, this online auction offers a rare opportunity to purchase items specially curated by the Institute for Native American Studies.

The Institute’s online auction is offering nineteen items at a variety of price points that make looking and bidding easy and fun. The proceeds from the auction will raise essential funds for the Institute’s core mission and will help to underwrite new educational programs and exhibitions. The artists represented in this first online auction play an intrinsic role because all items featured are authentic and have been carefully curated by one of the leading Native American museums in the country.

Bidding on one of the four Iroquois Corn Husk dolls offered, a hoop-dancer, a lacrosse player, with bow and arrow, and a doll with a shield is the chance to own an iconic figure that represents a cherished Native American legend. The Iroquois People’s legend of the Corn Husk doll tells the story of how the first doll was made by the Corn Spirit. It says that this doll had a beautiful face and played with Iroquois children. When the doll saw its reflection, it became vain and treated the children badly. After many warnings, the Corn Spirit took the beautiful features away from the doll as a lesson in humility. Since that time, the Iroquois people do not put a face on their Corn Husk dolls to remind them not to think that they are better than anyone else.

Another hard to find item offered are handmade one-of-a-kind porcelain dolls by Navajo artist Cheryl Yazza of Four Corners. The dolls are not only realistic they are also highly collectible. Yazza creates her own molds and hand pours the porcelain. After she fires the porcelain three times, she meticulously hand paints each face. The clothes are handmade and the jewelry is hand stung or hand sewn on the clothes. Bidding starts at $125 for dolls that often cost over $500.

Two of the most unusual items in this auction include an authentic fox bow quiver wall hanging by Navajo artist Curtis Bitsui that comes with a certificate of authenticity. This wall hanging was made by hand using genuine Red Fox fur including the tail, leather fringe, beads, a medicine wheel, and prayer feathers. It also has a hanging cord making it easy to display. The handwoven twined bag by Abenaki artist Vera Longtoe Sheehan is another gem offered in this auction. This twined bag is based on traditional fiber arts that have been passed down for countless generations. It represents the way Vera preserves the tradition of her ancestors with the knowledge of Wabanaki culture to create one of kind bags like this work of functional art. The auction also offers a distinctive selection of jewelry from turquoise cuff bracelets to necklaces and earrings.

If you are in the market for a truly stunning sculpture, don’t miss the chance to bid on the piece called “Strength of our People” by Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux artist, Janice Albro of South Dakota. The sculpture is signed and numbered 3 out of 20 pieces that date to 1993. This spectacular bronze depicts a fire with smoke rising up, forming into the image of the head of a person holding a pipe that transforms into a skull and finally into a crow. The crow symbol signifies wisdom, some Native American tribes believe that the crow has the power to talk and is considered the smartest bird. The crow is also the sacred bird of the Ghost Dance.

To join the Institute in celebrating the exhilarating intersection of collecting and patronage visit https://www.auctionninja.com/institute-for-american-indian-studies and start bidding! The sale closes on December 16, 2020, at 3 p.m. Pick–up for items is available at the Museum from Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Shipping is available for an additional fee.

About the Institute for American Indian Studies
Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have the 16th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT