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By Kerri Provost, September 1, 2011 9:38 am

Continue reading 'Flooding, from a Safe Distance'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 30, 2011 8:57 am

The following is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Rather, these are my snobbish selections of what sounds most interesting in the upcoming month. Also, to mark the ten years since September 11, 2001, there will be numerous events, re-broadcasts, etc. For this calendar, I am only including those that appear to promise not to pander to reactionaries, nor foster chauvinism.

August 31- September 4th

Quidam: Cirque du Soleil at the Civic Center.

September 1st

Art After Hours: Escape to India. The Wadsworth Atheneum’s monthly party will feature Indian cuisine, dancing, henna body painting, and a fashion show by Sadhna’s, a downtown clothing boutique. The event begins at 5pm and concludes after the screening of Monsoon Wedding.

The Art of Carlos Hernandez-Chavez: “I am My Mother.” The opening reception will be from 5-8pm at the Pump House Gallery, located at 60 Elm Street at the edge of Bushnell Park. This collection of work by “Hartford visual artist, muralist, photographer, musician, arts educator and activist Carlos Hernandez-Chavez” will be on display through September 29th. Continue reading 'Happening(s) in September'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 21, 2011 6:41 pm

Those who rode their bicycles last Thursday had a different experience than those who took the bus or trolley for the annual community garden tour. Those using motorized transportation went to the Watkinson Community Garden after departing from the Niles Community Garden*, while the cyclists opted to visit some alternative locations.

Continue reading 'Touring Community Gardens by Bicycle'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 19, 2011 9:42 am

A sukkah is a temporary, outdoor tent or hut, constructed for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Charter Oak Cultural Center along with Riverfront Recapture will be presenting Sukkah City, as part of the harvest festival. This will be installed at Charter Oak Landing during early October.

To make it happen, they are looking for architects and artists to submit designs. Six will be selected for construction, and winning designers will receive a $100 stipend. Artists of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply; being Jewish is not a requirement. Continue reading 'Sukkah City: Call for Artists'»

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By Kerri Provost, June 21, 2011 2:54 pm

Not fatigued yet by all these development meetings? Here are four more to add to your schedule then:

June 22: Handel Performing Arts Center on the corner of Albany Avenue and Westbourne Parkway will host the discussion pertaining to Asylum Hill, Blue Hills, Parkville, and the West End.

June 23: Metzner Recreation Center at 680 Franklin Avenue. This meeting is for the Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, South End, and Southwest neighborhoods.

June 27: Hartford Public Library will host the meeting for Downtown, Frog Hollow, Sheldon/Charter Oak, and South Green.

June 29: Parker Community Center at 2621 Main Street will host meeting for Clay Arsenal, Northeast, and Upper Albany neighborhoods.

The meetings about Livable & Sustainable Neighborhoods are described as opportunities for the public to learn about how the One City One Plan projects are being implemented. Literature sent from the City of Hartford says this will pertain to “infrastructure, community development, and anti-blight projects” happening “over the next two years.” A press release from the City indicates that this is part of the One City, One Plan. The One City, One Plan — the Plan of Conservation and Development through 2020 — was developed after receiving input from NRZs and the public. The projects vary from neighborhood-to-neighborhood. All of these meetings run from 6-7:30pm.

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By Kerri Provost, January 29, 2011 9:55 am

Once again we’ve entered the season of The Vagina Monologues. If you just want to watch, there are four Hartford venues where you can catch a performance:

Charter Oak Cultural Center: February 4th and 5th at 7:30pm. Proceeds benefit Interval House, My Sister’s Place, and TransAdvocacy. $15 general admission; $10 for seniors, Charter Oak members, and Let’s Go! members; $5 students.

Trinity College: February 17th at 7pm in the Washington Room.  Proceeds to benefit Interval House and Survivors of Violence in Haiti. $5 for students and low-income; $10 non-student.

University of Hartford: February 25th and 26th in Auerbach Auditorium. Proceeds will benefit Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services. Speaking parts will be available for University of Hartford students, staff, and faculty. More information will be provided as it is made available.

Capital Community College: March 11, 2011. Speaking parts will be available first to students and then to the community. More details on this to come as information is made available.

If you’re someone who likes to join in, don’t worry about having acting skills. There are no strict auditions, as one of the guidelines for performing this play is that anyone who wants to be involved can be in some manner. The time has come and gone for planning meetings for the performance at the Charter Oak Cultural Center, but community members and students alike will be able to participate in the one at Capital Community College (students get first dibs).

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By Kerri Provost, January 25, 2011 2:20 pm

Bluegrass might not be the first thing that you’d equate with the culture of skateboarding, but maybe it ought to be. This Thursday, there will be a Bluegrass concert and pasta dinner at the Charter Oak Cultural Center to benefit the future skatepark in downtown. They are requesting a $15 donation, but state that nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. This BYOB event will kickoff at 6pm.

Another item of interest is an ongoing Graffiti Art class at the Hartford Public Library. It is free and began last Friday, but will meet five more times. This runs from 3-5pm on Fridays: 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, and 2/25. This is organized through True Colors. The class is held in the Program Room on the library’s third floor. Although their Facebook page does not indicate this, the class is intended for teens only, as I found out after showing up thinking it was for everyone. Regardless of the age restriction, it is great that our public library allows for potentially controversial events, even while nearby towns’  libraries fear allowing their patrons to think for themselves.

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By Kerri Provost, January 18, 2011 6:13 am

This home was found in the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood, not far from another Casa Linda.

Colt Park takes up about half of the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. It includes Dillon Stadium, Kinsella Magnet, Butler-McCook Homestead, Polish National Home, Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius Church, the Connecticut Creative Store, Sports and Medical Science Academy, and a whole lot of revitalization efforts in recent years. This neighborhood has about three times the population of Downtown, but only one-third the amount of violent and property crime that Downtown experiences. While looking at data, I learned that my neighborhood, which has been described as “rough” and “dangerous” actually has less violent crime (at least reported) than Downtown.

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By Kerri Provost, January 4, 2011 6:13 am

These photographs are actually of two different houses. These are just two of several along the same street in the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood that basically look identical to one another. These are part of what was an entire village built by Colt, as housing for factory workers. What remains today is just a fraction of what existed during the Coltsville era. You can read more about Coltsville here.

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By Kerri Provost, November 30, 2010 8:45 pm

Upcoming Live Holiday Performances

A Christmas Carol is being performed at Hartford Stage through December 31st.

Ebeneeza opens on December 3rd. It will be performed at Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts on 12/3 and 12/4, West Indian Social Club on 12/9 and 12/10, and at the Mark Twain House & Museum on 12/17, 12/18, and 12/19. There are also four separate out-of-town performances this year in Manchester and West Hartford.

The Nutcracker Suite will be performed in Millard Auditorium at the University of Hartford on 12/18 and 12/19.

There is no shortage of festive performances at the Bushnell. The Travelers Chorale 86th Annual Holiday Concert (12/9), Handel’s Messiah (12/10 and 12/11), Hartford POPS! Spectacular (12/18), and   The Nutcracker (12/18 and 12/19).

Charter Oak Cultural Center will be hosting a Kwanzaa celebration on December 26th.

Upcoming Holiday Films

The Wadsworth Atheneum will be be hosting several films and live events.

The Star Wars Holiday Special will be screened at La Paloma Sabanera on December 14th.

At Cinestudio, Baraka will be running from December 15-18th and It’s a Wonderful Life will play from December 19th through December 23rd.

White Christmas will be showing at Real Art Ways on December 20th.

Is there anything I’ve missed?