Art Sled Derby 2014

Each month we collect and search for events happening in Hartford, but there comes a time when a relationship feels like the give and take is not balanced. So, we decided for February to only publish events that were sent in. If this list looks sparse, that is why. It shows how much is sought out, rather than submitted.

If you want your organization’s events posted in the future, send them to realhartford@gmail.com by the 25th of each month. For instance, if you have an event in March, get that info to us by February 25.

Feb 1

  • The Other Son screens at the Wadsworth Atheneum today at 2. This film, presented with Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding, Inc., is about two men — one Israeli, one Palestinian — who were accidentally switched at birth. $9 general admission.
  • The Hartford Jazz Society, WWUH 91.3FM, and Hartford Public Library present another afternoon of music. The Baby Grand Jazz series is sponsored by the Charles H. Kaman Charitable Foundation. What this means? You can show up at the Hartford Public Library at 3 today and enjoy an hour of music by Jolie Rocke Brown without any admission fee. Show up early to claim your seat.
  • Our Balls Are Inflated at the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective. Doors open at 6p.m. This is a community viewing of the Super Bowl. They say, “Not a football fan? Come anyway. Watch Idina Menzel perform the National Anthem, John Legend will sing and Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz do the half time show, and of course, all those commercials that people will be talking about for days afterwards.” There will be some snacks and soda provided. Visitors are welcome to bring own food/drink, but no alcoholic beverages. The HGLHC is located at 1841 Broad Street.

Feb 2

  • There will be a #moralmondayct #blacklivesmatter gathering at Christ Church Cathedral (45 Church Street) from 3-6p.m. They say: “Gathering of people of faith and social justice activists from across the state of CT.”
  • You know what’s romantic? Being useful. Take the “Learn to Solder” class at MakeHartford, 6:30-9p.m. $35.
  • Mark Brosseau’s paintings will be on display at the EBK Gallery through February 15. The gallery is located at 218 Pearl Street. Reception will be held on February 7th.

Feb 3

  • Regional School Choice Office Lottery Application Assistance Session: Back in our day, kids just went to the school closest to them. It’s way more complicated now. Get help with the process from 1-4p.m. at 261 Locust Street.
  • Mexican novelist and non-fiction writer, Valeria Luiselli, will be reading at Trinity College at 4:30. The author of essay collection Sidewalks and the novel Faces in the Crowd will be signing books following the reading. This event is free and open to the public. It is in the Rittenberg Lounge of Mather Hall.
  • The Board of Education meets at Burns Latino Studies (Burns School), 195 Putnam Street, at 5:30 p.m. This is a workshop meeting, meaning that the public is welcome to come and listen, but there is no hearing/comment period.
  • Real Board (Games) at Real Art Ways: Come play with the games they provide or bring your own. This free event begins at 6p.m.
  • Open House, Show & Tell, and String Thing at MakeHartford: Come take a tour of MakeHartford, Show & Tell about your current project, hang out with our String Thing folk.  There will be an awards ceremony for the competitions at the Anniversary Event. 6-9 p.m. Free.

Feb 4

  • Meet new people, expand your horizons, check out a (relatively) new venue. HYPE is having its monthly networking event at Infinity Hall Hartford, 5-8p.m. This is free, but bring money if you want a drink. The “young” in Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs is kind of hazy, so you can still participate if you are no longer in your twenties.
  • Show & Tell at MakeHartford: Bring something you’re working on, ask questions, check out the space! This is a free open house-type event. 6-9p.m. at 30 Arbor Street, #B7.

Feb 5

  • Regional School Choice Office Lottery Application Assistance Session:  Get help with the process from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford, 30 Arbor Street.
  • Thursday Common hour and Ann Plato Lecture: Post Trayvon & Michael – Popular Representations of Black Male Students by Heather Moore ‘08: Trinity College says Moore will “examine popular representations of black male students in 20th and 21st century contexts and will offer a refreshing interpretation of select characters in film, television, and hip-hop. This research argues that while black male students have been unofficially deemed the quintessential at-risk group in formal educational settings, there are strategic ways that academics, scholars, and public pedagogues should view and pointedly interact with young black males.” This lecture is from 12:15-1:30 in the North Wing’s Grand Room 104 of Hallden Hall. Free and open to the public.
  • Also from 12:15-1:30 at Trinity College, Peruvian artist, activist, and The 2015 Human Rights Advocacy Fellow‐in‐Residence, Jorge Alberto Miyagui Oshiro, will be giving a talk during Common Hour: “Arte en Espacio Público:  Las Brigadas Muralistas y el Museo Itinerante Arte por la Memoria/Art in Public Space: The Experiences of the Mural Brigade and the Itinerant Art Memory Museum in Peru.”” The free talk will be delivered in Spanish, with English interpretation. This is in the Washington Room in Mather Hall.
  • First Thursday, “Coney Island: Tunnel of Love.” Experience live ragtime music while mingling and checking out the Wadsworth Atheneum’s new special exhibition, “Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland.” 5-8p.m. $5 general admission. The film, The Gilded Lily starts at 8.
  • If you could not attend the lunch time talk, or just want to hear more, Jorge Alberto Miyagui Oshiro will give a formal talk: “El Sr. Miyagui Contraataca: Desdibujando los Límites entre Arte y Política/ Mr. Miyagui Fights Back: Blurring the Lines between Art and Politics.” This free event will be in Spanish, with English translation. 6-8p.m. in McCook Auditorium on the Trinity College campus. A reception will follow in Mather Hall.

Feb 6

  •  Join Jorge Alberto Miyaugi Oshiro in public mural painting at the Broad Street Gallery, 1283 Broad Street. 2-5 p.m. Free hot chocolate will be provided.
  • GAZE: Monthly, informal LGBT happy hour at Real Art Ways. This free event starts at 5:30p.m.
  • The Vagina Monologues: Come see Eve Ensler’s play, a series of monologues about women and our bodies. Charter Oak Cultural Center doors open at 7, play begins at 7:30. General admission is $15. Money raised goes to groups working to end violence against women.

Feb 7

  • Join Jorge Alberto Miyaugi Oshiro in public mural painting at the Broad Street Gallery, 1283 Broad Street. This is from 12 noon until 4p.m. Free chili will be provided.
  • Coney Island: Love Under the Boardwalk. The contemporary ballet company CONNetic Dance presents a performance inspired by Coney Island love stories, in conjunction with the Wadsworth Atheneum’s special exhibition, Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland. Performances at 2 and 8 today. $20 general admission.
  • Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids at Hartford Prints! from 10-1. This is a chance to make cards. There will be glitter and glue. Suggested donation: $5. Hartford Prints! is located at 42 1/2 Pratt Street.
  • Rock Your Future: This is a free work prep program for Hartford youth 14-19 who are currently in school. Learn how to create a resume, open a bank account, prepare for an interview, and more. This is 10a.m-3p.m. in the Pope Park Rec Center. This is a collaboration of the City of Hartford, Capital Workforce Partners, and Hartford Public Schools.
  • Opening reception for Louisa Barton-Duguay at Charter Oak Cultural Center. 5-7 p.m. Her multimedia  small sculpture and paintings will be on display through March 6.
  • The Vagina Monologues: Come see Eve Ensler’s play, a series of monologues about women and our bodies. Charter Oak Cultural Center doors open at 7, play begins at 7:30. General admission is $15. Money raised goes to groups working to end violence against women.

Feb 8

  • Kinyarwanda — a film about love, war, and faith — screens at the Wadsworth Atheneum, 2 p.m. This is presented with Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding, Inc. $9 general admission.
  • The Survivors Swing Band performs as part of the Baby Grand Jazz series today in the Hartford Public Library, 3p.m. Get there early to get your seat. Free.

Feb 9

  • It’s a Wrap! West African Textiles Exhibit opens at Trinity College’s Widener Gallery in Austin Arts Center. They say “this exhibit will feature dazzling textile patterns and costumes on loan from the collection of Michelle Gilbert, Joseph Knopfelmacher, and Amyas Naegele. Drawn from geographically proximate locales in West Africa: Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana Nigeria and Cameroon, the textiles exemplify various techniques – woven, stamped, appliqued, and resis-dyed. Ranging from brilliant color to subtle monochromatic designs, these fabrics are more than pleasing to the eye.” A gallery talk will be held at 3p.m. This will be followed by the opening reception. This exhibit will be on display through March 14, 2015.
  • HYPE has been organizing Family Feud-style events around different topics. This month, the conversation will be about transportation. Lisa Rivers of  CT Department of Transportation, Russell McDermott of CT Rides, and Sandy Fry of Greater Hartford Transit District will be the experts. This is free, but registration is requested. 6-8p.m. at City Steam Brewery. You can take a survey on transportation in advance.
  •  Build-A-Kit Session at MakeHartford. Bring your own kit or let them know if you need one provided. -6:30-9 p.m.  This costs $10 for nonmembers, $5 for members.
  • Amity Shales – David Endowment Lecture: The economist, journalist, and biographer will give a lecture, followed by a book signing reception. This is from 8-10p.m. in the McCook Auditorium at Trinity College. Free and open to public.

Feb 10 – no public events submitted for today

Feb 11

  • Open House at MakeHartford. Check out the space and meet others with similar interests. This free event is from 6-9p.m. at 30 Arbor, #B7.
  • Hanging Hills performs at Hartford Prints! during the store’s “Nice n’ Steady” event. They call this “a date night for the rest of us.” There will be beer and chocolate. 6-10 p.m. at 42 1/2 Pratt Street. Free, donations accepted.
  • Other People’s Stories: people tell stories that someone else told them. No notes. No first-hand knowledge. This is free and open to all, but if you have some desire to be a person telling a story, send a message to otherstorieshartford@gmail.com. Otherwise, just show up at Real Art Ways for 7:30p.m.

Feb 12

  • Kick-Off Party for Hartford Blooms Garden Tours: music and food at the Pump House Gallery in Bushnell Park. Cash bar. Free admission, but donations accepted. 5-9p.m
  • HartBeat Healthy Happy Hour: This is a “a play reading series and competition designed to tell the delicate stories of those living with mental health concerns.” The mingling begins at 5:30 with light refreshments; reading at 6p.m. A talk-back with the artist takes place following. Admission is $10, but nobody is turned away for lack of funds. This takes place at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue.
  • Hartford Rising! holds its monthly community meeting on the second Thursday of each month. Tonight, the agenda includes “review of city council passage of our ‘Community Bill of Rights’ and planning for implementation. Status of Clark School closure and impact on students and their families will also be discussed. Ongoing alliance building and participation in activities with community and civic groups will also be addressed.” This public meeting goes from 6-7p.m. at the Salvation Army Learning Center, 100 Nelson Street.
  • It’s a hot night: at 9p.m., catch some burlesque at the Russian Lady (191 Ann Street). The Beat City Beauties will be performing, with a few surprises thrown in. Tickets start at $10. Ages 21+.

Feb 13

  • Read It and Sleep: the monthly pajama party/book reading for children is back. This starts at 7p.m. Kids will be given hot chocolate, snacks, and a copy of the book read to them. This is at the Charter Oak Cultural Center.

Feb 14

The 2014 Art Sled Derby
  • Second Saturday for Families at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Today’s theme: Ode to Roman Bearden. Free admission to the museum from 10-1; family art activities and more.
  • The Hartford Art Sled Derby is back! This begins at 11 a.m. on the east side of Elizabeth Park (between Prospect, Whitney, Asylum, and Elizabeth). Bring a decorated sled to ride or just come to watch others do this. Awards are given in various categories, including for group sleds. There is no age restrictions. If it doesn’t snow in time, though, there might be a few problems. Free.

Feb 15

  • At 2, come see Eve and the Fire Horse, a film about spirituality and the lives of a multi-generational Chinese family residing in Canada. $9 general admission at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
  • The Steve Clarke Trio will perform at 3p.m. in the Hartford Public Library. There is no charge to attend the hour-long Baby Grand Jazz concerts, but get there early to get a seat.
  • MakeHartford says that its Fixers’ Cooperative “is a monthly work party in the spirit of making the most of what we have. Bring in your broken doo-dad, mending pile, project-in-progress, or things that aren’t working quite right. Fix them yourself or get help from fixers in the know; sharing skills and brainstorming are the cooperative and empowering aspects of this group.” MakeHartford does have tools and supplies available, but if you want to confirm they have what you are looking for, go to the event’s Facebook page and comment. Stay for some or the whole evening. There is no charge and this is open to the public: 6-9p.m. MakeHartford is located at 30 Arbor Street, B7 (basement).

Feb 16

  • Randy Gilman’s sculptures and assemblages will be on view at EBK Gallery (218 Pearl Street) today through March 1. The reception will be held on February 21.

Feb 17

  • Residents and stakeholders, the monthly meeting of the Frog Hollow NRZ Committee is tonight at 5. This is open to all. The meeting will be at the Center for Urban and Global Studies, 70 Vernon Street. If you would like to make a presentation or discuss a particular topic, contact the Chair a few days in advance: chair@fhnrz.com.
  • The Board of Education holds its regular meeting at 5:30p.m. in the Sports and Medical Sciences Academy, 280 Huyshope. If you intend to speak during public comment, show up a little early to sign up.

Feb 18

  • Open House and String Thing: Come for one or both at MakeHartford, 6-9p.m. Bring a fiber project you are working on or just show up to check out the space. Free and open to the public. MakeHartford is at 30 Arbor, #B7.

Feb 19

  • Guess Who’s Coming to the Atheneum: Three-day celebration of Sidney Poitier. $40 for all three days, non-members (less for members).  If you opt to just attend opening night, it’s $15 for non-members. It begins at 5:30p.m. with a reception and book signing for Poitier Revisited: Reconsidering a Black Icon in the Obama Age, edited by Ian Gregory Strachan and Mia Mask. This is followed by a book discussion at 6:30 and the screening of In the Heat of the Night at 7. This is at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
  • HYPEd on Hartford Stage: See Reverberation with HYPE. $20 for HYPE members; $30 for non-members. 6-10:30 p.m. This show is recommended for those 18+. Reservations required because space is limited.
  • Creative Cocktail Hour at Real Art Ways. They say: “On the third Thursday of every month, creative people come together for conversation, art and music. Come to this month’s CCH to welcome the Year of the Goat and celebrate Chinese New Year!” 6-10p.m.  $5 members/$10 everyone else.

Feb 20 — no public events submitted for today

Feb 21

  • The Guess Who’s Coming to the Atheneum event continues today. If you did not get the three-day pass, you can attend each film at the regular admission price. What you can see at the Wadsworth Atheneum: The Defiant Ones (1p.m.), A Raisin in the Sun (2:45 p.m.), Lilies of the Field (5:15 p.m.), and Patch of Blue (7p.m.) Sandwiches are sold between films.

Feb 22

  • Final day of the Sidney Poitier film festival at Wadsworth Atheneum. If you did not get the $40 three-day pass, you can still attend. Admission to individual films is at the regular admission price. Today, you can see: To Sir with Love (2p.m.) and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (4p.m.).
  • The last Baby Grand Jazz performance of the month features the Mihoko Trio. This begins at 3p.m. in the Hartford Public Library. Free. Show up early to get a seat.
  • MakeHartford says “Maker Kevin Marinelli, doctoral candidate in robotics and puppetry at UConn, will demonstrate his remote-control gloves, which won an award at the New York Maker Faire in September 2014.” Afterwards, they will screen Iron Man to “see where powered gloves can go.” This is free, open to the public, and a potluck. They say “Parents are expected to make appropriate decisions about whether their children will be able to sit through the movie.” 6-9p.m. at 30 Arbor, B7.

Feb 23 — no public events submitted for today

Jolie Rocke Brown performs on Feb 1 in Baby Grand Jazz series at Hartford Public Library

Feb 24

Feb 25

  • MakeHartford Open House: drop in to see the space. There is something for, maybe not everyone, but a lot of people. Wood and metal shops, 3D printer, yarn group, and more. Free. 6-9 p.m. at 30 Arbor Street, #B7.
  • The SYLLABLE reading series spotlights a different theme each month. Tonight, it’s beauty. Want to read something you’ve written about beauty? Send your piece(s) to syllableseries@gmail.com a few days before the event. Want to just listen to others? That’s an option also. It begins at 8p.m. in Hartford Prints! 42 1/2 Pratt Street. This is free and BYOB, though small donations are welcome.

Feb 26

  •  Geometric Origami Club meets at MakeHartford: Learn to make more than a crane. This free event is from 6-9p.m. at 30 Arbor, #B7.
  • Improv’d Cinema: Sea Tea Improv has done it before and they’re about to do it again.They will pick five of the worst romantic comedies they can find and let the audience vote on which one to play. Oh, you thought that was it? No. Then, they will press “mute” and do a live voice over for the entire movie. This is kind of but not really like MST3K. Event begins at 8 at Real Art Ways. $11 general admission/$5 RAW members.

Feb 27

  • Coney Island USA presents the Coney Island Circus Sideshow: View the exhibition from 5-6 p.m.; hang out at the reception for the next hour; performance begins at 6:30. General admission for this event: $20. This show at the Wadsworth Atheneum is for adults only!
  • Come to the Charter Oak Cultural Center for a free talk about Ebola: “Death, Survival and the Present: Why Grassroots Organizations are Useful.” 6-8 p.m. This is organized by Bright Star Vision. Any donations will go toward the Ebola Orphans in Liberia.
  • 75°, An Urban Greenhouse Party: jungle-themed party in KNOX’s heated greenhouses. Dress to the theme, but maybe skip the high heels because the surface isn’t compatible. They promise a “safari menu” with herbivore offerings, wine, and beer. Tickets start at $35. 7-11p.m. KNOX is located at 75 Laurel Street.
  • “All The World’s A Stage” is the theme of this edition of The MOuTH. If you have a story that you can tell in under ten minutes, send a message to HartfordMouth@gmail.com. Stories should be true and told without notes. If you want to just show up to listen, the start time is 7:30 p.m. at the Mark Twain House & Museum. $5 for listeners, free for storytellers. Profanity is allowed.

Feb 28 — no public events submitted for today

DISCLAIMERS

Contact venue if you are concerned about canceled or postponed events, or to confirm accuracy of times and admission prices. These details sometimes change.

This event listing is not meant to include every single thing happening in Hartford.