Category: Arts and Culture

Learn about New Haven Scholarship Fund Feb. 2: FREE Money for College!

New Haven Scholarship Fund has awarded over $8.5 million in scholarships to more than 8,500 New Haven public high school graduates. The funds can be used at any college or trade school, in or out of state. You do not need a specific GPA.

Awards are based on financial need. Please call to register (203) 946-8117. Breakfast will be served. Parents are highly encouraged to attend with their students.

Saturday, February 2, 10:30 a.m. at the Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison St.

Institute Library Administration Restructures

The Board of Directors of the Institute Library has decided to restructure the administration of the library to operate with greater fiscal prudence and ensure the organization’s long-term sustainability. The executive director position has been eliminated, effective Jan. 11, 2019, and a new position of operations manager has been created.

The decision to restructure came after many months of analyzing the library’s financial and fundraising challenges. Finally, it became clear that repairing the physical structure of the building, including a leaking roof, needed urgent and costly attention. The library will continue to remain open and serve its membership while it works through these challenges.

The Board is pleased to announce that Eva Geertz, a New Haven resident, former board member, and longtime local bookseller, has accepted the operations manager position, effective Jan. 14, 2019. Eva has spent most of her career working with books, primarily as a bookseller specializing in out-of-print and rare books. A loyal library member since 2002, who has volunteered countless hours on the library’s behalf since 2008, she is pleased to be able to assist the library in this transitional phase.
“We look forward to a smooth transition as Eva takes on this newly created position next week,” stated Maryann Ott, chair-elect of the Board of Directors. “Members, volunteers, donors, and the Greater New Haven community are the life-blood of the library, and we will continue to depend on the support of all who value our beloved institution.”

The Institute Library, founded in 1826, is New Haven’s oldest independent lending library, one of 20 historic circulating libraries in the U.S. The library, located in its own 140-year old building on Chapel Street in downtown New Haven, has an extensive book collection, including many rare and first editions. The library hosts a number of programs, including Listen Here, a literary theater program co-presented with the New Haven Review; the Poetry Institute, a collective who present monthly open mic poetry sessions; Story Sharing, a program co-facilitated with the CT Storytelling Center; and more. The library also has a contemporary art gallery with rotating exhibits focused on words, language, collections and archives.

For more information about the Institute Library, please visit www.institutelibrary.org. Its address is 847 Chapel Street. The phone is (203) 562-4045.

United in Struggle for a Better World — People’s World Amistad Awards

by Joelle Fishman, CT People’s World

This year’s People’s World Amistad Awards will take place on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m. at the First and Summerfield United Methodist Church, 425 College St, New Haven. We come together “United in Struggle for a Better World – Unidos en La Lucha por un Mundo Mejor.”

We are excited to announce this year’s awardees, Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, Shellye Davis and Louise Simmons. Three women on the front lines resisting the policies of white supremacy, hate, division and fear that threaten democracy and our future. Three fierce warriors in the forefront demanding workers’ and immigrant rights, social justice, peace and equality for a better and sustainable world.

A solidarity tribute will be made to Nelson Pinos and his family in sanctuary at the church since last November. Special recognition will be given to Chaz Carmon, director of Ice the Beef Youth, for his extraordinary talent and dedication to provide opportunities for young people in the performing arts. A reception will follow.

Eva Bermudez Zimmerman made history as the first Puerto Rican candidate for Lt. Governor in Connecticut. An SEIU union organizer representing childcare workers, her passion for justice began as a child and touches communities everywhere.

Shellye Davis is president of the Hartford Labor Coalition and co-president of the Hartford Federation of Paraeducators affiliated with AFT Connecticut. She is a leader for the rights of public sector union members and the people they serve.

Louise Simmons is an acclaimed educator and labor-community activist. She was a City Councilperson in Hartford (People for Change Party), has led many racial and economic justice organizations and has chaired CT Center for a New Economy board.

The annual Awards are presented to allies by the Connecticut People’s World Committee on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the Communist Party USA. We come together in hope and unity as increased economic and racial inequalities, climate change and war give rise to new organizing by youth, low-wage workers and the 99% toward a society that puts people and planet before corporate profits.

 

Arts of the Syrian Revolt

by Stan Heller, Middle East Crisis Committee

There’s no way to pretty-up the immense suffering in Syria, but at our program at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, we used photos, photos of artwork and music as a way to keep spirits up. The audience of mostly Syrians was very appreciative.

Featured was a world class professional photographer whose work has appeared in many news sites and newspapers. Dylan Connor, a teacher, professional singer and member of the Syrian-American Congress spoke and sang. He visited the Jordanian “Free Zone” right next to Syria this year and distributed aid to Syrian refugees and recorded their stories.  We showed Connor’s music video “Idlib” and he sang songs including “Man of Peace” which was part of Little Gandhi, the first Syrian film considered for an Academy Award. In addition to viewing the art we discussed the remaining liberated zones in Syria, Idlib in the northwest, Rukban in the south and the third of the country controlled by Kurdish forces. In Connor’s music video we saw large crowds waving the original flags and chanting the same slogans that appeared in 2011.

The event was sponsored by Promoting Enduring Peace, the Middle East Crisis Committee and cosponsored by nearly ten other groups.

Interestingly enough the New Haven-based Syrian artist Mohammed Hafez has an exhibit in the city of Fairfield at a different university. It’s called “Collateral Damage” and it will run until Dec. 15. It’s at the Fairfield University Museum in the Walsh Gallery, Quick Center for the Arts. Hafez’s works, which highlight the trauma of refugees and the destruction inside Syria, have gotten enormous attention.

Gandhi Peace Award to Jackson Browne

by Stanley Heller, Promoting Enduring Peace Administrator

Promoting Enduring Peace is giving its Gandhi Peace Award this year to singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. He will receive the award on Friday, Sept. 14, at the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts at Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent St., New Haven. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Starting the program will be two speakers: Frida Berrigan, who has worked for years warning of the dangers of nuclear weapons, and Chris George, Executive Director of IRIS — Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services. Singers Ben Grosscup and Luci Murphy will provide entertainment. Tickets can be reserved online for a donation. The Eventbrite link is https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gandhi-peace-award-2018-tickets-48315261247.

Jackson Browne is the first artist ever to receive the Gandhi Peace Award. The award recognizes Browne’s extraordinary contributions of time and talent to the inseparable causes of world peace, environmental harmony, and social justice. The award comes with a cash prize and a medallion forged from “peace bronze” composed of metals salvaged from the control systems of U.S. nuclear missiles. Consistent with tradition, Browne has been invited “to present a message of challenge and hope” to those present. A reception will follow.

The Gandhi Peace Award, named after Indian anti-imperialist and nonviolence advocate Mohandas Gandhi, derives its international renown from those who have accepted it over the years. Among the 54 awardees are Martin Luther King, Jr., Benjamin Spock, Dorothy Day, Daniel Ellsberg, César Chávez, Amy Goodman, Bill McKibben, Medea Benjamin, Tom Goldtooth, Omar Barghouti and Ralph Nader.

Browne has organized or participated in thousands of benefit performances to support the environment, social justice, and human rights as well as causes such as music and arts education in public schools and has worked with two former Gandhi Peace Award recipients, Amnesty International (1978) and the Children’s Defense Fund (1990). Browne has composed and performed songs widely regarded as among the most literate and moving songs in popular music, defining a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion, and personal politics. In 2004 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

 

Download Films for Free on Kanopy and Hoopla!

All you need is your library card from the New Haven Free Public Library!

Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 titles, including award-winning documentaries; acclaimed, rare and hard-to-find titles; classics films; and world cinema with collections from The Great Courses, Kino Lorber, and PBS among many others. Users are able to access Kanopy through a variety of devices and platforms, including Roku, Apple TV, iOS and Android.

Hoopla offers a huge collection of films, TV shows, educational videos, documentaries, music, audiobooks, e-books and comic books to enjoy straight from your browser, tablet, or smartphone! Easy to use with your library card — and no waiting!

June 21, New Haven’s First Make Music Day

by Jennifer Gelband, Arts Council of Greater New Haven

The first annual Make Music New Haven, a wild and wonderful mix of hundreds of free outdoor musical events, will make its debut on Thursday, June 21, with performances 10 a.m.-10 p.m. throughout Greater New Haven in community centers, restaurants, backyards, front stoops, libraries, local businesses, parks, patios and auditoriums. The Arts Council of Greater New Haven is spearheading Make Music New Haven, a part of Make Music Day, a global music celebration that takes place on the summer solstice each year and brings people of all ages and skill levels together to make music.
This year, New Haven is among 52 U.S. cities across the country, and the entire states of Vermont and Rhode Island, to host thousands of Make Music performances as part of the world’s largest annual music event.

“New Haven is a rich, creative cultural hub with so many talented artists,” said Daniel Fitzmaurice, Executive Director of the GNH Arts Council. “This program is a fitting addition to our community, and we look forward to celebrating our local artists in every neighborhood. Make Music New Haven will give all of our residents and visitors a chance to experience the city’s diverse music in their own backyards – or explore the sights and sounds of other neighborhoods.”

Make Music Day began in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, and has spread to over 750 cities across 120 coun-tries. Completely different from a typical musical festival, Make Music concerts are performed by anyone who wants to take part and enjoyed by everyone who wants to attend. From classical to folk, hip hop to opera, Latin jazz to punk rock, live music of all kinds resounds on streets, side-walks, porches, plazas, parks, gardens, store fronts, and other public spaces on the longest day of the year.

Make Music New Haven is currently seeking participants, venues, community groups, and arts organizations who want to be a part of this historic inaugural event. For more info, please contact [email protected]. To get involved and to view the full schedule of events, visit makemusicnewhaven.org.

Listen Here! Classic Short Stories Read Live

Listen to short stories selected by the editors of New Haven Review and read by actors from New Haven Theater Company at the Institute Library, 847 Chapel St., New Haven. Talk back with New Haven Review moderator.

Tuesday, May 15, 7 p.m. Theme: Lovelorns: “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck and “Janus” by Anne Beattie.
Tuesday, June 19, 7 p.m. Theme: Moving in Strange Circles: “Zanzibar” by Beena Kamlani and “The White Umbrella” by Gish Jen. RSVP

What’s to eat? Freshly baked treats each night. What’s to drink? Tea, chai, hot chocolate… Please note the Institute Library is one flight up and not wheelchair accessible. For more information, visit us at www.institutelibrary.org.

Meet the Illustrator of The Legend of Miss Kendra

by Eleanor Montgomery, NHFPL

On Wednesday, April 4 at 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., there will be an exciting program in the Young Minds Area on the second floor of the New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St.

The Legend of Miss Kendra has been illustrated (by Tanya Leonello) and published as a hardcover book! This month over 2,000 copies of the book will be distributed free to each of the elementary school children in the New Haven schools where the ALIVE program [Animating Learning by Integrating and Validating Experience] is being conducted. Join the Mayor and other community leaders in marking this event!

The Legend describes the story of resilience born of suffering, of strength overcoming helplessness, and knowledge arising from the truth of experience. Miss Kendra is becoming embedded within the New Haven community as a guardian figure who helps children cope with chronic and toxic stress of everyday living. She represents the essence of so many real people in New Haven who have been working each day to help our children. Each of us, indeed, is Miss Kendra!

Come and celebrate our legend, meet the illustrator, get your own copy, and share in the discussions with friends and colleagues. Light refreshments will be provided.

3rd Saturday Cinema: The War to End All Wars

Film and discussion series at the NHFP Library, 133 Elm St., marks 100 years since the end of World War I. Post screening discussions will be led by New Haven resident and European art, history and politics connoisseur Jacinto Lirola.

March 17 at 2 p.m. Paths of Glory (1957) Director: Stanley Kubrick

April 21 at 2 p.m. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Director: Lewis Milestone

May 19 at 2 p.m. Grand Illusion (1937) Director: Jean Renoir

For more info contact Seth at [email protected] or 203-946-7450

Listen Here! Classic Short Stories Read Live

Listen to short stories selected by the editors of New Haven Review and read by actors from New Haven Theater Company at the Young Men’s Institute Library, 847 Chapel St., New Haven. Talk back with New Haven Review moderator.

So what are we reading at the Institute Library? Tuesday, March 20, 7 p.m. Theme: Vengeance Is Mine. “Fleur” by Louise Erdrich and “A Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Tuesday, April 17, 7 p.m. Theme: Weight of History. “Evening Prayer” by Stephen Carter and “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” by Sherman Alexie.

Bring yourself, your ears, your love of literature. What’s to eat? Freshly baked treats each night. What’s to drink? Tea, chai, hot chocolate…oh, just come already!

The Arts Council Announces New Office Space at 70 Audubon St.

by Jennifer Gelband, Marketing Director

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven has moved its headquarters at 70 Audubon Street to another suite of offices across the hall on the 2nd floor, previously occupied by Con-necticut Public Radio. The Arts Council owns the second floor of the building and had occupied the previous space since the building was constructed in 1990.

“Vital government funding for the arts in Connecticut is at an all-time low,” said Daniel Fitzmaurice, Executive Director. “This change represents a fiscal and programmatic opportunity to expand our mission to serve artists, creative or-ganizations and our region. I can’t wait to start the renovation!”

The new space will include administrative offices and community venue, which Arts Council members can reserve at no cost for meetings, performances, and events. As of Dec. 1, the Arts Council has rented their previous space to The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

“We have enjoyed a great relationship with our neighbors at The Arts Council for many, many years….” said Angela Powers, Senior Vice President of Planning and Operations at the GNH Community Foundation. For more information about the Arts Council, see www.newhavenarts.org.

Black History Month Events at the Wilson Library

by Marian Huggins, New Haven Free Public Library

This year’s Black History Month theme for the library fea-tures two prominent writers: James Baldwin and Langston Hughes. Along with partners from Project Longevity, we will show the film I Am Not Your Negro, a work adapted from an unfinished James Baldwin manuscript. The screening will be held at the Wilson Branch, 303 Washington Ave., New Haven, on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.

James Baldwin, described as an “American Novelist and Social Critic,” unearths the hard truths about racism in America while describing his responses to the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcolm X.

Langston Hughes, whose birthday by the way is Feb. 1, was a prolific poet and social activist as well. His writing could be biting, but was usually cloaked either in humor (as in the Jesse B. Semple Stories) or softened by the hopefulness of a future when all would be accepted, like in the poem “I, Too”:

I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

The Urban Life Experience Book Discussion Series will feature a biography of Langston Hughes for our February meeting, Feb. 24 at noon. New readers are welcome and readers can choose whatever biography (or autobiography) written for teens and adults they’d like to read for the discussion. The Langston Hughes biography is in conjunction with our Black History Month celebration and it fits in with the cultural and social justice theme of the discussion group. The book discussion will be followed by the film Hughes’ Dream Harlem at 1:30 p.m.  Wilson Branch, New Haven Free Public Library, 303 Washington Ave., (203) 946-2228.

PAR Featured on WPKN Radio. Listen.

On Jan. 8, Scott Harris, host of Counterpoint on WPKN Radio (89.5 FM), interviewed Paula Panzarella, one of PAR’s editors and Planning Committee members.

The Planning Committee felt this interview would be a great way to introduce PAR to the many progressive organiza-tions active in the peace movement, the struggle for immi-grant rights, work with Black Lives Matter, promotion of environmental projects, the struggle for civil rights, criminal justice issues, the push for healthcare for all, etc. Many thanks to Scott Harris and WPKN for agreeing to give PAR this opportunity to reach a new audience.

We hope that groups which were not familiar with PAR will send us articles and their event listings so PAR readers can learn about the work they are doing and get involved. PAR readers can listen to the interview on the following link: http://counterpointradio.org/2018/mp3/180108d-ctpt-panzarella.mp3.

Scores Rally in Bridgeport for Jerusalem

Stanley Heller, MECC

Despite near-freezing weather, 50 to 100 people rallied in McLevy Square in downtown Bridgeport Dec. 17, 2017, to stand with Palestinians who have denounced Trump’s public announcement that he’ll move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

The rally was organized by CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) and the Bridgeport Islamic Community Center. Jerusalem was seized by Israeli forces in 1967, but no country in the world has its embassy there. One reason is that almost 40 percent of the city’s inhabitants do not have Israeli citizenship since they are Palestinians who have only been given residency status. Israeli soldiers have killed a number of people in the protests including a legless man named Ibrahim Abu Thuraya who was in his wheelchair behind the wall between Gaza and the rest of Palestine.

Sign Petition: New York Times: Suspend Thomas Friedman

Yale may have had New York Times columnist impart his “wisdom” to students in December, but the Coalition to End the U.S.-Saudi Alliance wants the NYT to suspend him.  Friedman wrote a long piece of flattery about the Crown Prince (and effective ruler) of Saudi Arabia, claiming he was bringing an “Arab Spring” to the country his family owns.  Abandoning journalistic and moral criteria, Friedman ignored the Saudi war on Yemen that has been so horrific. To sign the petition go online at http://www.SaudiUS.org.

MECC to Hold Fundraising Party

In February, the Middle East Crisis Committee (35 years old in 2017) will hold a fundraising party to keep its projects going in the new year. MECC produces “The Struggle” which is shown weekly on over 30 TV stations in the northeast and in South Bend, IN.

There will be food and music and auctions of items like autographed books by Wendy Pearlman and Timothy Snyder, and the graphic novel Palestine by Joe Sacco.  Date and location of the event has not been determined, probably in the afternoon in New Haven.

Details will be in the next PAR newsletter and posted on the website http://www.thestruggle.org, or call (203) 934-2761.

Reflecting on Tyranny, Wars and Lies

by Stanley Heller, Administrator, Promoting Enduring Peace

Come Tuesday evening Nov. 28 to the United Church Parish House in New Haven to hear one of the most well-known and provocative thinkers of the decade. Yale professor Timothy Snyder will deliver the Mark Shafer lecture for Promoting Enduring Peace. His academic credentials and books would be reason enough for attendance. He speaks five languages, reads ten and is an expert about the rise and horrors of 20th century tyranny. Yet it’s his Facebook post that got our attention.

Less than a week after the presidential election Snyder made a long Facebook post reflecting on what had just happened.  Mincing no words he warned the public about how easy it would be for the United States to fall under dictatorial rule.  He made a list of practical measures for individuals to take.  This post from a distinguished Yale professor shook a lot of people. It was shared 18,000 times. In the months that followed he expanded it into a book: “On Tyranny.”

See more about Timothy Snyder in the insert. Please come to what should be an important lecture. The United Church Parish House is located at 323 Temple St., New Haven.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There’s free parking in the lot at 60 Wall St. It’s advised to come early to get a seat.

More information at www.pepeace.org.

Art Supplies – reBoutique – Workshops. Upcoming Classes at EcoWorks

Friday, November 3, 6 – 8 p.m., Wine On9: Trivets On9

Join us for Downtown New Haven’s Wine On9. Our craft activity will be making trivets from wine corks! Can be used as trivets, wall hanging or jewelry racks. This activity is free. Led by artist, singer, songwriter Shula Weinstein. EcoWorks will be open during these hours for shopping too!

We are also hosting the Wine On9 wine tasting. To participate in wine tasting, tickets can be purchased from Down-town New Haven.

Saturday, November 18, 1 – 3 p.m. Embroidery for Beginners with McKenzie Chapman. Create a beautiful, embroidered hoop to hang in your home! This is a beginner’s workshop, so you’ll learn basic embroidery stitches while completing a lovely pattern. The pattern will be pre-traced onto the fabric and already stretched onto a 6 inch hoop. You’ll be learning the satin, back, lazy daisy, and french knot stitches. Leave with new skills and a cute hoop you can be proud of! Facilitated by McKenzie Chapman who embroiders clothing, hoops and makes patches for her Etsy site. All materials provided. Ages 14+ $20.

Register at ecoworksct.org.
EcoWorks, Inc.
262 State St.
New Haven
(203) 498-0710.

Open Thursdays 1-7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m., plus special events.

Reception and Book Signing with Tim Wheeler Oct. 7, People’s Center

Tim Wheeler is former editor of People’s World and will be hosting a reception and book signing Saturday, October 7, 2017 at 2 p.m. at the New Haven Peoples Center, 37 Howe St.

Tim will read from his newly published autobiography “News From Rain Shadow Country” (part 1) and sign books. This book includes his growing up years on the Olympic Peninsula and some of the great labor battles and other struggles that he covered for People’s World. (see below)

The reception is sponsored by the Connecticut People’s World Committee. Reply to: 203-624-4254 or e-mail: [email protected]

Tim Wheeler estimates he has written 10,000 news reports, exposes, op-eds, and commentaries in his half century as a journalist for the Worker, Daily World and People’s World. “News From Rain Shadow Country” is a selection of that writing covering his childhood and youth growing up on a dairy farm near Sequim, Washington in the 1950s and his retirement on the family farm in recent years.

The Cold War blacklist targeted Wheeler’s father, forcing the family to take up farming. Yet these stories are filled with triumph over hatred and fear, the wide circle of neighbors the Wheeler’s befriended, the surprise visits to the farm of folksinger, Pete Seeger, and Barack Obama and others.

He writes of the trials and tribulations of fellow farmers, fishermen, loggers, millworkers, and retail workers, like the employees of WalMart. He devotes a chapter to the Quileutes, Makahs, and other tribes in their defense of sovereignty and treaty rights. He writes as a Marxist that working people must unite, stand against the corporate right wing to win jobs, equality, a livable environment and world peace. He embraces the motto: “People and Nature Before Profits.”

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