Papo Vázquez Concert & Parranda at Real Art Ways

Papo Vázquez & Mighty Pirates Troubadours

Real Art Ways welcomes trombonist, composer and arranger Papo Vázquez for a concert and holiday parranda.

All are invited to celebrate a special night of music, food and dance.

– Afro-Caribbean Jazz Performance
– Community Holiday Parranda
– Traditonal Puerto Rican Holiday Food & Drink

Band of Pirates
Papo Vazquez – Trombone, Leader
Willie Williams – Ten. Sax
Manuel Valera – Piano
Ariel Robles – Bass
Alvester Garnett – Drums
Carlos Maldonado – Perc.
Reinaldo De Jesus – Perc.
Jose Mangual Jr. – Vocals, Perc. – Special Invited Guest

Local Musicians
Bring your instruments and join in! Musicians should RSVP to namulenb@realartways.org by Dec. 1 to participate.

Parranda
Parranda, of Parranda de aguinaldo (Christmas folk music), is an Afro-Indigenous musical form played during the holidays in various Caribbean countries including Puerto Rico, Cuba, Trinidad, and the coastal area of the states Aragua and Carabobo in Venezuela.

Leader, Composer, Innovator
“During the 1970s, Vázquez was a key player in the New York’s burgeoning jazz and Latin jazz scene. He performed with jazz luminaries Slide Hampton, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, Mel Lewis, Hilton Ruiz and toured Europe with the Ray Charles Orchestra. He is also a founding member of Jerry Gonzalez’s Fort Apache Band, Conjunto Libre, and Puerto Rico’s Batacumbele.

Vázquez is known for fusing Afro-Caribbean rhythms, specifically those from Puerto Rico, with freer melodic, harmonic elements and progressive jazz.

Recently, Vázquez was honored by Arturo O’ Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra as one of the great sidemen of Latin jazz. His most recent recording, Spirit Warrior has received accolades from fans, critics and Jazzdelapena.com, Latin Jazz Network, The Latin Jazz Corner and the New York City Jazz Record, who cited it as “one of the Best Latin Jazz Albums of 2015.” – Latin Jazz Network

Learn more a t his website.

Election Night at RAW

Tuesday, November 5 is Election Day!

Beginning at 7 PM on Tuesday evening, join our community to reflect on the day’s events and monitor the ongoing election results. We’ll stay open late.

We’ll have local and national coverage on a monitor in our lobby. In the welcoming atmosphere of Real Art Ways, follow as the results unfold during this important election.

As always, the Cafe will be open with popcorn, snacks, and beverages.

For more information about voting in Connecticut, click here.

October Creative Cocktail Hour

Come with friends, or come by yourself.
Everyone is welcome, all ages, all backgrounds –
on the third Thursday of every month.

– This month Real Art Ways collaborates with The Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI) for a a pop-up exhibition of An American Story, and screenings of Refuge. Join the CIRI movement at this thought-provoking and collaborative event.

– FIVE NEW Exhibitions on view:
– Hong Hong: Dark Segment
– Noé Jimenez: Real Wall
– Maggie Nowinski: Drawn Whole
– Sofia Plater: Cultch
– Belam Soto: Intangible Proximity

– Ed Fast and Conga Bop present: Afro Cuban Jazz and Dance-The Roots of Salsa!
Featuring: Master virtuoso percussionist Anthony Carrillo (“the best bongocero in the universe”- Eddie Palmieri); pianist/arranger Amy Quint Millan; Savana Jones; Yolanda Coggins; Sarah Hanahan; Keenan Asbridge; Brian Simontacchi; Ed Fast; Jorge Fuentes; Matt Dwonszyk; Gianni Gardner.

– Food Truck: Cousins Maine Lobster
With 20 trucks in 13 cities, Cousins Maine Lobster is serving up fresh and authentic Maine seafood throughout the country.

– Bicyclists – Ride to Creative Cocktail Hour and get in for $5. RAW members on bikes get in free.

Community. Connections. Creativity.

Photo credit: M&M Photography

September Creative Cocktail Hour

Come with friends, or come by yourself.
Everyone is welcome, all ages, all backgrounds –
on the third Thursday of every month.

This month, Hartford, CT choreographer, movement, video, and installation artist, Arien Wilkerson, makes a curatorial debut at Real Art Ways in collaboration with FriendZWorldMusic and Noble Savage Nomadic DJ’s of the Parkwell Project.

Wilkerson has curated a three-part immersive dance performance, entitled, “Adaptation” exploring the narrative of adaptation of the black human body in modern day America.

The following is a statement from the curator:

“How has your own body adapted to the modern world? How do the bodies of people of color adapt in a system of constant oppression?

The human body reacts to the information that its own body supplies. Since bodily movements are guided and shaped by the living human body, dance is a perceptual process. The human body can create shapes and postures that we manifest inseparably from consciousness itself and the wholeness of the human experience.

Visualize your muscles surrendering to gravity, see your vertebra moving away from one another, the fluids in your hands, feet, arms and legs, lift and elevate your flesh, listen to how your body adapts to your physical attitudes, your inner organs finding internal easiness, your limbs feeling independent, the space between your joints…notice a flow of energy causing an adaptation to your body.

Humans face basically the same adaptive challenges as all organisms but humans are unique in having most of their adaptations transmitted culturally. Radical culture has a biological basis in sociability, imitativeness and decolonization. From a psychological and sociological perspective, these three, 10-minute performances will explore systems of habitus, mimesis, and schemas in adaptation.”

The three ten-minute performances are as follows:

Soko, Kandia Soli, and Gumbe/Dansa

Kassa/Sofa

Iyipada (Change)

CLICK HERE to learn more about these performances.

Exhibitions on view:
Mia Brownell: Plate to Platelets
Noah Loesberg: Night Work

– Food Truck: Chief Brody’s Bahn Mi
French-Viet-style sandwiches featuring gourmet + locally sourced ingredients.

– Bicyclists – Ride to Creative Cocktail Hour and get in for $5. RAW members on bikes get in free.

Community. Connections. Creativity.

August Creative Cocktail Hour

Come with friends, or come by yourself.
Everyone is welcome, all ages, all backgrounds –
on the third Thursday of every month.

This month we’re excited to feature:

Exhibition on view:
Noah Loesberg: Night Work

– KNMDK Dance Collective
De’Sean Jones, from the internationally-renowned dance-music project, D3, leads this quartet that combines jazz with west-african rhythms and EDM to create the optimum soundscape for a weather-perfect August evening. With leader De’Sean Jones on tenor sax, MIkele Montoli on bass, Ashton Thomas on drums and Foluso Mimy on percussion.

– DJ Shaki
Shaki comes to us from New Haven, spinning rare and exhilarating vinyl from around the world. Every month, you can catch Shaki on-air at the long running community radio station WPKN 89.5FM, broadcasting from Bridgeport, Connecticut, and reaching the far corners of this world.

– Mercado Food Truck

– Bicyclists – Ride to Creative Cocktail Hour and get in for $5. RAW members on bikes get in free.

Community. Connections. Creativity.

July Creative Cocktail Hour

Come with friends, or come by yourself.
Everyone is welcome, all ages, all backgrounds –
on the third Thursday of every month.

This month we’re excited to feature:

Exhibition Opening – 6-8 PM. Meet the artist.
Noah Loesberg: Night Work

– Music: Lakou Mizik
Lakou Mizik is a powerhouse collective of Haitian roots music with a soulful energy and a mix of styles that feels mystical and familiar at the same time.
“Its songs, some of which are topical, draw on the rhythms and incantations of voodoo, the trumpeting of rara carnival music and hearty call-and-response vocal harmonies on their way to galloping, exultant dance grooves.” – New York Times

– DJ Robo returns

– Local Caribbean Food

– How Bazaar’s Mobile Vintage Shop

– Bicyclists – Ride to Creative Cocktail Hour and get in for $5. RAW members on bikes get in free.

Community. Connections. Creativity.

June Creative Cocktail Hour

Come with friends, or come by yourself.
Everyone is welcome, all ages, all backgrounds –
on the third Thursday of every month.

It’s the Summer Solstice + Pride Month! Let’s Celebrate.

This month we’re excited to feature:
– Nomad/9
– Amandla Band
– DJ ROBO
– Full Circle Kitchen Food Truck – Global comfort foods
– Pride Photo Booth
– Bicyclists – Ride to Creative Cocktail Hour and get in for $5. RAW members on bikes get in free.

Opening Reception: Park River Tool Kit by Nomad/9 MFA.
This exhibition catalogues the process of the students’ work with artist/faculty Mary Mattingly to create a public art project for Hartford inspired by the Park River. The Park River’s North Branch runs through campus before being engineered to run beneath Downtown Hartford. This river has served as inspiration for an ongoing blog, individual artworks, activities based on co-education and learning, and a Fluxus-inspired toolkit that encourages a deeper engagement with rivers. Nomad/9 MFA: Interdisciplinary, is a low-residency program at Hartford Art School, focusing on sustainable culture and cross-disciplinary art practices. The exhibition will be on view through Saturday, June 30.

Current Exhibitions:
– John Kelly: Sideways into the Shadows [on view through 6/24]
– Andrew Buck: Quarry [extended to 7/1]

Community. Connections. Creativity.

Celebremos Parkville

10 AM – 1 PM – George Day Park

Proyectos de arte • Art creation
Pintura de la cara • Face painting
Juegos de baloncesto • Basketball games
¡Jardinería, helado y mas! • Gardening, ice cream & more!
¡Gratis! • Free!

Música de • Music by:
– Mariachi Academy of Connecticut
– Hartford Hot Several
– Hartford Steel Symphony

14th Annual Connecticut Open House Day

The Connecticut Office of Tourism is sponsoring the 14th annual Connecticut Open House Day on Saturday, June 9th.

The one-day statewide event is designed to showcase Connecticut’s diverse world of history, art, and tourism. A great way for residents to discover or rediscover all that is happening in our state.

We hope that once Connecticut residents learn about the wealth of treasures in our own backyard, they will share their newly gained appreciation and enthusiasm with visiting family and friends and become Connecticut ambassadors.

On this day, we’ll offer:

– Member movie pricing to the general public.

– Free small popcorn to our Real Art Ways members.

Speak Up

Speak Up is an evening of true stories centered on a common theme, told by storytellers chosen for their skill and expertise. Brought to Real Art Ways by Matthew and Elysha Dicks, the event celebrates the craft of live storytelling in the Greater Hartford area.

This session’s cast features Speak Up veterans Ron Apter, Jeni Bonaldo, and Valerie Edelman Gordon alongside first time storytellers Donald Frank, Kerri Gawreluk, and Chris Kueffner.

All stories are 5-10 minutes long, and may not be suitable for young kids. The stories can be unique, compelling, funny and touching, and show change or growth.

The theme of the evening is Hunger.

I Am Evidence – Documentary + Discussion

Join the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence for a special screening of the new HBO documentary, I AM EVIDENCE.

This event is FREE but does require registration since space is limited. Register here: http://conta.cc/2qdA9ex

I AM EVIDENCE, produced by actor, director, and Joyful Heart Foundation Founder & President, Mariska Hargitay, exposes the alarming number of untested rape kits in the United States, bringing much-needed attention to the disturbing pattern of how the criminal justice system has historically treated sexual assault survivors. The film will be followed by a panel discussion about the state of the backlog across the country and what is being done to end it here in Connecticut.

Peter Edlund Artist Talk

Come join exhibiting artist Peter Edlund as he discusses the work in his current exhibition, Names on the Land. Light refreshments will be served.

About Peter Edlund
Edlund studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He has shown nationally and internationally, and has received honors including MacDowell Colony Residencies, a Gottlieb Foundation grant, and a Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant. He has exhibited at Jack Shainman Gallery, among many others. Edlund is originally from West Hartford, Connecticut. His work has been exhibited at Real Art Ways on multiple occasions, including a solo exhibition in 2000, Majestic America.

Read the Art New England review of Names on the Land.

Read the Hartford Courant article about Names on the Land.

Special thanks to the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture at University of Hartford and MakeHartford for assistance in creating laser-cut stencils used to produce several works in the exhibition and public art works in various locations around Hartford.

The Kitchen Sink – Tag Sale Plus

Enjoy a specialty cocktail while sifting through years of exhibition ephemera, outdated supplies and equipment, and miscellaneous objects and take some home with you!

Items for sale include (scroll down for photos – much more is available):
– Large scale stretcher bars, good for projection screens or paintings (96 in. x 75 in.)
– Empty shipping crates
– Exhibition posters, catalogues, and so much more fun stuff!

Arrive early for the best selection of gently-used art supplies.

Other Events During the Day Include:
– Bar with specialty cocktail and craft beer
– Quick Bites food truck
– Bluegrass Pickin’ Party, led by our own Lindsey Fyfe (Education Manager), 3-6 PM
– World Premier of the film, EQUATORS, by TZMoT AZTRo, 8:30 PM

Crafted Hartford

Celebrate and support local Hartford-based, craft talent in food, art, beauty, design and beverages.

Split between Hartford Flavor Company and Real Art Ways, guests can take a tour of Hartford Flavor Company, enjoy local food trucks, meet local business owners, join in craft classes and shop local artisans.

We have over 25 local businesses attending, including VASU yoga, Hartford Prints, Hog River Brewery, Story & Soil Coffee, Kate Stephan Jewelry and a host of other local merchants.

It’s a great opportunity to support Hartford and the local community!

Rearrange Me

An evening of musical contrasts and creative surprises as eight Connecticut artists play songs by each other, rearranged in their own characteristic performance styles.

Each of the eight Rearrange Me artists will be secretly assigned one of the other artists. They will then choose a song and perform it as though it was their own. This means that a folk artist, if assigned a hip-hop artist, will rearrange and perform a song by the hip-hop artist in folk style… and so forth.

Each artist will only know their own Rearrange Me assignment, so the audience and the other performers will hear the pieces for the first time together.

Produced in cooperation with Julie Beman.

Participating Artists:

Kate Callahan | Lys Guillorn & Her Band | Angela Luna | The Sawtelles

Self Suffice | That Virginia | Charmagne Tripp | Zoo Front

Hartt @ RAW

World Premieres of Electroacoustic and Acoustic Music

Hartford composers and Hartt School faculty Lief Ellis and David Macbride will present music involving winds, voices, percussion, and piano interior. Audio spatialization will be featured and audience members will be an integral part of the music making. Come experience music in a new and exciting way!

Program

Leaves and Cicadas – Lief Ellis

Fighting Futility – Lief Ellis

Selections from Sri Yantra – David Macbride:
Yantra 7 (2017) – Charles Huang, Ling-Fei Kang, Janet Rosen – oboes; Bradley Karas, Shane Rathburn, Perry Roth – soprano saxophones.

Yantra 5 (2017) – Angelica Ansbacher, Saerom Kim, Alex Kollias – bass clarinets; Connor Baba, Krissia Molina, Joseph David Spence – baritone saxophones.

Yantra 9 (2017) – Genevieve Clements, Anna Koogler, Andersen White – voices; Devon Cupo, Christopher Natale, Yudong Wang, Benjamin Yuscavage – percussion.

Lief Ellis has a diverse career that encompasses music composition, electronic performance, collaborator and educator. His works have been performed all over the country as well as having premieres in Iceland and Greece. As a collaborator, he has worked with choreographers, dancers, composers, media artists, actors, and musicians in a variety of roles that include videography, interactive programming, and tech support. He has been awarded prizes for his music composition as well as his teaching. For more information please visit LiefEllis.com.

David Macbride has written numerous works, ranging from solo, chamber and orchestral music to music for film, TV, dance and theatre, with particular emphasis on music for percussion and musical landscapes. His works have been performed extensively in the United States and abroad. Solo CDs are available on Innova Recordings and on Albany Records. As a pianist, Macbride was invited to give a recital tour of Peru by the Instituto Cultural Peruano NorteAmericano, and has performed recitals in Spain and in Mexico. Macbride is Professor of Composition and Music Theory at the Hartt School, University of Hartford. See davidmacbride.com.

Storm King Day Trip

Travel on a private coach to Storm King Art Center in Cornwall, New York and explore the spectacular sculpture park.

Current exhibits include David Smith: The White Sculptures (above) and Outlooks: Heather Hart (below).

Please note that Storm King is primarily an outdoor experience, so dress accordingly and wear comfortable shoes!

Support comes from the Samuel Roskin Trust.

Itinerary for the Day:
9 AM Depart RAW
11 AM Arrive at Storm King
11-3 PM Self-guided Exploration, Box Lunch
3 PM Depart Storm King
5 PM Arrive at RAW

About Storm King Art Center
“Widely celebrated as one of the world’s leading sculpture parks, Storm King Art Center has welcomed visitors from across the globe for over fifty years. Located only one hour north of New York City, in the lower Hudson Valley, its 500 acres of rolling hills, woodlands, and fields of native grasses and wildflowers provide the setting for a collection of more than 100 carefully sited sculptures created by some of the most acclaimed artists of our time.”

Pinned to the Wall: Panel Discussion

Join us for an informative and lively panel discussion, delving into a variety of subjects suggested by the exhibition, Stewart Crone: Pinned to the Wall.

Panelists

Peter Waite: Curator / Moderator
Marty Baron: Art collector
Stewart Crone: Artist
Peter Good: Designer / Artist
Chris Passehl: Designer
Kelly Walters: Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, UConn

Discussion Topics Include

Fine Art vs. Applied Art
Tradition vs. Innovation: can traditional techniques be used in innovative ways?
Where are lines drawn between commercial print and design and fine art?
Who is the client for fine art?
How does print democratize art? Does print devalue art?

About the Panelists

Peter Waite is the curator of the show. Peter is an accomplished painter whose work has been shown nationally and is included in the collections of the Benton Museum, The Wadsworth Antheneum, NASA, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to name a few. http://www.peterwaite.com/

Marty Baron is a financial planner and art collector living in West Hartford. He and his wife Nancy participated in Artspace New Haven’s “House Salon” tour in September of 2016, where their collection was on display and guests were given a tour by painter Deborah Dancy.

Stewart Crone is the artist of the show, Pinned to the Wall. He has a wealth of knowledge and insight into the topics surrounding his work.

Peter Good is a designer and artist, and co-founder of Cummings-Good. His work is included in the collections of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, NY; the Library of Congress, Washington, DC; The Museum fur Kunst und Gerwerbe, Hamburg; Neue Sammlung MuseumMunich; and the Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, Japan. https://www.cummings-good.com/

Chris Passehl founded his design firm in 1996. His clients include the YMCA of Greater Hartford, The Lewitt Collection, and Real Art Ways, among many others. Chris has taught at the University of New Haven, Eastern Connecticut State University, and UConn as well as advised student interns from Yale, RISD, and others. http://www.passehldesign.com/

Kelly Walters is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Connecticut. She is a multimedia designer and curator. Her artistic practice investigates the intersection of black cultural identity, representation, and language in mainstream media. She is also founder of Bright Polka Dot (an independent design studio) focusing on print, digital, pattern and textile design. Kelly has worked as a designer for SFMOMA, the RISD Museum, and Blue State Digital.

Park Art Finale

All are welcome to this family-friendly event.

We will end the summer of Park Art classes with a party and exhibition! Activities begin at 1 PM with drumming lessons with Alvin Carter Jr. and Abu Carter Sr. and dancing lessons and performance by Tang Sauce and Kailah King. Also Self Suffice – RaPoetry.

We will have free face-painting and the Ice Cream for a Dream truck!

The party will continue inside Real Art Ways with a public gallery exhibition of the artwork our students have made this summer. The artwork will be on display through Sunday, August 20.

MASS MoCA Day Trip

PLEASE NOTE: THE DAY TRIP IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT.
CALL TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST: 860-232-1006, EXT. 106.

Travel on a private coach to MASS MoCA for a guided tour of current exhibit highlights, with time for self-directed exploration.

Current exhibits include Nick Cave: Until (pictured above) and the newly-opened Building 6 with expansive galleries devoted to works by James Turrell, Jenny Holzer, Laurie Anderson, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg and Gunnar Schonbeck.

Itinerary for the Day:
8:30 AM Depart RAW
10:30 AM Arrive at MASS MoCA
11-12 PM Tour (The tour will be of highlights in the new building – Building 6).
12 PM Lunch
3:00 PM Depart MASS MoCA

Support comes from the Samuel Roskin Trust.

About MASS MoCA:
“MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest centers for making and enjoying today’s most evocative art. With vast galleries and a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, MASS MoCA is able to embrace all forms of art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and new, boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification. Much of the work we show in our light-filled spaces, on our technically sophisticated stages, and within our lovely network of late 19th-century courtyards is made here during extended fabrication and rehearsal residencies that bring hundreds of the world’s most brilliant and innovative artists to North Adams all year round.”