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By Kerri Provost, November 29, 2011 8:32 pm

“We’ve become complacent” about AIDS, a community member said during Tuesday’s World AIDS Day forum in the Hartford Public Library.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, she said, society talked about AIDS. Now, not so much. She called for the need to have conversations in places like barbershops. grocery stores, and in Spanish; then, she passed her microphone to another audience member, who delivered comments in Spanish.

This sentiment was echoed by panelists. One of them, Yvette Highsmith-Francis, the Director of Community Health Center, Inc., said we should be having these dialogues at Thanksgiving dinner and when having pedicures.

Even in 2011, misinformation about the transmission of HIV exists. Highsmith-Francis told the audience about an encounter with a woman in her forties who believed she could “catch AIDS” from hugging someone. Continue reading '“Getting to Zero” Community Forum on HIV/AIDS'»

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By Kerri Provost, November 19, 2011 7:29 pm

The first annual Harvest Market was a success!

Customers did not have to deal with harried crowds and screaming children; instead, the crowd was a happy one. It felt less like grocery shopping and more like a cocktail party with the option of buying kale and potatoes (minus the hooch).

Besides being able to comparison shop for fruits, vegetables, and herbs, there were vendors selling coffee, jewelry, jams, soup mixes, beans, bicycles, bread, bags, kettle corn, tacos, cider, cheese, and more. Visitors to the Knox Parks greenhouse on Laurel Street were able to sample foods while listening to live music. A table was set up for kids’ arts and crafts.

Several people were overheard saying that this kind of market should happen every week.

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By Kerri Provost, October 31, 2011 4:59 pm

Although many areas in the state have experienced complete devastation, other sections were relatively untouched. A walk from Frog Hollow to the Connecticut River involved no fallen power lines, a few down trees, and many branches strewn about.

All businesses appeared to be open.

Roads were clogged — particularly around gas stations — with impatient and careless drivers. Late last night, the lines at the pumps were only two or three cars deep. East of the Connecticut River, only a few gas stations were open because of the power outage.

Damage could be seen on the State Capitol grounds, in parks, and in residential areas alike. Continue reading 'Storm Alfred: Wreckage and Beauty'»

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By Kerri Provost, October 12, 2011 9:27 pm

The Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon will be held this Saturday morning, and every year, despite endless notices, I hear from people who are shocked that their buses were delayed or that their route to work was disrupted.

It seems that this year, even more notice has been given, between signs posted on certain streets, to the use of the “Amber Alert” signs on the interstate. Some downtown employers have distributed this information to their employees. With the canopies now taking over Bushnell Park, it’s hard to not know that something big is going on this weekend.

According to the marathon’s website, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Pearl Street, Ford Street, State Street, and the Founders Bridge will be closed to traffic. Asylum Street, Farmington Avenue, and South Whitney will be closed from 7:30-11:30 in the morning. Capitol Avenue and Broad Street will be closed from 7:30-9 a.m. and from 7:30-9:30 a.m., all of the following will be closed: Sheldon Street, Van Dyke Avenue, Weston Street, Rev. Moody Overpass, Market Street, Prospect Street, and Park Street.

If you plan to move about in those areas during Saturday morning and early afternoon, the easiest way to go about that is on foot or bicycle.

For those who want to check out the runners as they cross the finish line, Bike Walk CT will be providing secure, valet bicycle parking in Bushnell Park from six in the morning until one in the afternoon. There are bleachers set up near the Soliders & Sailors Memorial Arch.

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By Kerri Provost, September 28, 2011 3:42 pm

“Isn’t this the happiest day?”

Nancy Wyman, the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, enthusiastically posed that question to the crowd at Tuesday’s naturalization ceremony, held in the atrium of the Hartford Public Library.

The 28 new Americans came from 18 different countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Chile, China, Colombia, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, and Saint Lucia; the largest number of new Americans came from Poland. Continue reading '28 Immigrants Take Oath of Allegiance'»

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By Kerri Provost, September 27, 2011 12:01 am

“Our materials are for the whole community,” Henry Dutcher, the Director of the Enfield Public Library, announced on Monday evening.

Last January, an Enfield resident complained about how the town library was planning to screen Sicko. Instead of simply opting to not view the film, he took the complaint to a council meeting. With unprecedented speed, politicians pressured the library to cancel. After gaining a reputation for being backwards, Sicko was permitted to be shown in Enfield last February. Dutcher reminded the crowd at the Hartford Public Library that the materials in public libraries are not just for “one, two, or a dozen individuals”; they are for everyone.

During Monday’s “Beware of the Book” program, five people read passages from banned books, one commented on the frequently banned (and censored) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Dutcher spoke at length about the choice to show Sicko. This event was moderated by Colin McEnroe and was introduced by Andrew Schneider, Executive Director of the ACLU of Connecticut.

Councilperson Luis Cotto read a passage from Bless Me, Ultima, a coming-of-age story that many have found controversial for religious reasons. Susan Schoenberger, author of A Watershed Year, read from Ulysses. Schoenberger said that as a writer, she admires Joyce’s unwillingness to self-censor. For those familiar with Joyce, the attempt to ban his work might seem unnecessary, as it is so inaccessible to most readers that the majority would give up before even being able to decipher to “objectionable” passages. Dennis House read from The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, which he described as “crass” and filled with bad spelling; a grandmother in California pushed to have the potty-humor book pulled from her local public library. Continue reading 'Freedom to Read Celebration'»

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By Kerri Provost, September 20, 2011 8:04 am

Although nothing has been announced on its website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed, the Market at Hartford 21 is reported to be closing temporarily. The statement was given to the Courant by the store owners’ lawyer; the owners themselves have not been forthcoming with any information. They are apparently working on revising their business plan. Store employees, however, have reported that a large number of jobs have been lost. Upon opening, the store was praised because over half of its employees were Hartford residents.

This closure is an inconvenience, but it does not mean starvation for Hartford residents. Read about other grocery options here, here, here, and here.

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By Kerri Provost, September 13, 2011 7:20 pm

It was supposed to be a solo show.

Instead, Poster Boy’s art shared a space with yet-t0-be-altered canvas; the exhibit was also moved outdoors. This unsanctioned display on Hamilton Street (by the railroad tracks) is what audiences will have to settle for if they did not manage to see the show that was completely set up last week and then removed from the gallery at Trinity College this morning. The new display featuring two altered billboards was created last night; it does not include the works intended for the exhibit at Trinity College.

When I spoke with the artist, he said that officials at the college dubbed the show “postponed until further notice.” Poster Boy, however, called it censorship. Initially, when the solo exhibit was arranged, nobody there expressed concerns about the nature of the work: billboards that had been altered and then removed. Apparently no one did a quick search of the Internet until late last week to learn about Poster Boy and what is involved in modifying advertisements. He is known for his work on ads and signs within the New York subway system.

Given the amount of appropriation that occurs in modern and contemporary art, cracking down on this particular exhibit seems surprising. Artists like Andy Warhol, Banksy, and Shepard Fairey are known for practicing various types of appropriation. The billboard above, altered by Poster Boy, was inspired by L.H.O.O.Q by Marcel Duchamp. The work — a readymade — by Duchamp features the addition of facial hair to the Mona Lisa. Poster Boy’s rendition makes the Mona Lisa into what the billboard already suggests passersby do, but adds letters meant to be read aloud in English; the Duchamp version, intended to be read aloud in French, is a raunchy pun.

Altered billboard by Poster Boy on Hamilton Street in Hartford

Brooklyn Street Art aptly describes how the “viewer [of Poster Boy's work] is forced to consider the difference between what is legal and what is right.” Continue reading 'Poster Boy Exhibit Moved from Trinity College to Hamilton Street'»

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By Kerri Provost, September 8, 2011 7:51 am

The recent totally-unscientific-but-fun poll told me a few things: nobody buys all groceries from one vendor, Whole Foods is very popular, and people want food to be local and fresh. While digesting this data, I visited four stores in Hartford to see which ones most closely met your criteria of the ideal store; I looked at other aspects, including whether or not I could reasonably shop for basic food and household items. I looked at the two most popular grocery stores in the city, along with two that fewer people shopped at. Continue reading 'A Tale of Four Markets'»

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By Kerri Provost, September 6, 2011 10:24 am

A memorial bench has been added to the bridge that connects the Connecticut Science Center side of the Riverfront Plaza with that of the Marriott/Connecticut Convention Center. It invites pedestrians to sit and linger on this walkway which offers a nice view of downtown and the Connecticut River. The bridge extends the space used for strolling and jogging. Rollerblading seems to be making a comeback and fits in with the environment. The bridge itself has already experienced a professional rope skipping demonstration.

But wait! Continue reading 'Mixed Messages'»