Making 'Of Lamb' on display at Real Art Ways through December 11th
December tends to be a whirlwind of activity, between festive events, office parties, and the gatherings for family and friends. Here are just a few of December’s open-to-the-public highlights:
December 1, 2011
December 1st is World AIDS Day, which means it is also The Day With(out) Art. Real Art Ways will be participating by screening Untitledall day. This is free. While there, check out the “Making ‘Of Lamb’” exhibit.
A watercolor artist tells me it’s a shame Hartford is not recognized for having such an abundance of artists. Across town, a photographer reminisces about the thriving artists’ community in the Colt Building; years ago, the artists were pushed out as the building went through a “revitalization” resulting in more expensive and fewer units. Even with apparent setbacks like loss of studio space, this past weekend should have removed any doubt that Hartford is an arts city.
Among Friday evening’s fare: the grand opening of The Dirt Salon. This space at 50 Bartholomew Avenue houses several studios and a stage. The first floor offered standard art opening food; the second floor featured sangria and paella. Classes will be offered at this space.
Homegrown Dance can be seen moving to music provided by the Ray Gonzalez Orchestra. The upbeat performance at Billings Forge on Thursday evening was free to all. This was part of the MashUP event which included open artist studios and a cooking class.
With Cook’s efforts, eleven local museums agreed to stamp the passports. An unexpected bonus, which was kept fairly quiet until the passports were printed, is that there are some additional benefits, like free admission to Mark Twain House, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, and the Wadsworth Atheneum, to name a few. Even several institutions that will not be stamping the passports have agreed, at least through August 2012, to grant passport holders free or discounted admission/tickets. Among them: CT Ballet, The New Britain Museum of American Art, Playhouse on Park, and Bushnell Theater.
For questions about the passports, contact Brian Cook directly.
Here is your monthly list of hand-picked events. There may be others, but those did not make the cut:
November 1st
Hartford Candidates Forum: Candidates from all parties and running for all offices this year have been invited to participate in a forum hosted by the Greater Hartford NAACP. This will be held in the Northend Senior Center at 80 Coventry Street, from 6 to 9 in the evening. The local NAACP’s president, Muhammad Ansari, says “this forum will provide an opportunity for residents in North Hartford who may not have been able to attend events in other parts of the city.” UPDATE: forum cancelled due to Storm Alfred. It will not be rescheduled.
Get HYPEd at ON20. The casual networking event, open to members and non-members of HYPE, will feature a free raffle. The prize? A tasting dinner for two at ON20. This event runs from 5:30-8:30pm.
November 4th
Women’s Oppression and Liberation Forum: three of the six panelists will include Nellie Bailey, the host of weekly radio program “Inside Housing” on WHCR; Monami Maulik, founder and executive director of Desis Rising Up and Moving; and a representative from Hartford Vecinos Unidos. The event begins at 7:30pm and will be held at La Paloma Sabanera.
Even with her decades of accomplishments — music, print, and photography — Patti Smith is not pretentious. On Thursday afternoon when she arrived for a brief talk with the media, there was no entourage, no wall. Instead, she was profusely apologetic about how little time she was able to spend talking, as she was needed for soundcheck.
Wishing a “Happy Rimbaud’s Birthday” to everyone, she breezed through the installation, Une Saison en Enfer (AKA “The Rimbaud Room”), providing background about the litters, which were modeled after a sketch Rimbaud did of his own. Smith said Rimbaud was “carried down a mountain” on a litter when he had gangrene. The large litter has inscriptions of Rimbaud’s last words, something not obvious upon first glance.
When asked about a display case containing books and other Rimbaud-related artifacts, Smith said some of it is “just really for fun,” and possibly disappointed others by explaining that one of the books on display was not the one she wrote about stealing in Just Kids. Continue reading 'Camera Solo: Rooms of Patti Smith’s Own'»
Comments (9) 
It must be the season, again, for helping 
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Even if the Frog Hollow group did not win a major award in the Hooker Day Parade, Saturday would have been fantastic anyway. The parade was larger than in past years, with even more random weirdness than usual. 
Even with her decades of accomplishments — music, print, and photography — 
