On a dreary day in January, artist Angel Sánchez Ortiz delivered dozens of his vejigante masks to the Park Library. The artist — formerly of 
Holyoke, now living in Delaware — demonstrated that these pieces of artwork are not meant only to be displayed on the wall. They can be worn. Some have movable pieces, like jaws that open and close.
The brightly painted papier mâché and coconut masks are like those seen in the Carnival de Ponce in Puerto Rico, an event comparable to the Mardi Gras. The vejigante mask is often meant to be frightening.
These masks will be on view at the Park Branch of the Hartford Public Library from February 1, 2012 through March 2, 2012. This branch is located at 744 Park Street.
Not enough snow to prevent local shops from opening and just enough for children to go sledding down hills like the one along Park Terrace. Continue reading 'Winter in Pope Park'»
Before they began meeting at the Lyceum, Redeemer Hill, freshly launched on Easter Sunday in 2011, had been holding its services at City Steam Brewery.
Even they acknowledge the quirkiness of this. Continue reading 'Hartford Pew Review: Redeemer Hill'»
Not a corset, but part of a woman's dress that requires a corset. It looks smaller than a size zero.
Back in 2002, when Abercrombie & Fitch sold thong underwear for children, many understandably interpreted this as the beginning of the erosion of America’s moral fabric.
They were wrong.
There’s proof — in the form of a corset designed to be worn by a four-year-old girl — at the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) that this trend of sexualizing young girls did not begin this century.
Starting on January 14th, CHS will be leading two behind-the-scenes tours every second Saturday of the month to give visitors the chance to see other quirky items, such as as a body preserver. This was a type of casket with space for ice, a spigot for draining out melted ice, and horse hair insulation. A lever allowed mourners to adjust the position of the corpse for better viewing. Emily Dunnack, the Head of Education Programs at CHS, said that other strange-to-us death customs from the past included making jewelery out of the deceased person’s hair, and evidence of this is also among items at CHS. Continue reading 'What’s Behind the Mantel?'»
A little fashion spotted on Lewis Street
There was a lot of buzz yesterday about the iQuilt project, which many had not heard of despite it being in existence since 2008.
One space this plan focuses on is Bushnell Park.
The photos below were taken on Tuesday, the same day as when Doug Suisman of Suisman Urban Design shared many ambitious ideas about how the iQuilt plan can impact the park. These photos are taken from the perspective of a pedestrian/cyclist commuter, though an effort was made to include some of the park’s attractions. These photographs show the range of conditions and maintenance in Bushnell Park as of January 2012.
Part of the East Coast Greenway runs between the Armory and the Legislative Office Building. This path continues over a highway on-ramp, along the railroad tracks and viaduct, and into Bushnell Park. Sand continuously covers part of this path because of poor maintenance. None of the neighboring entities (Bushnell Park, State of Connecticut, Amtrak, etc.) take consistent responsibility for dealing with the erosion issues.
Continue reading 'Walking Tour of Bushnell Park'»
Art, Environment, Hartford, Urban Renewal, access, architecture/design, commentary, downtown, parks, photos, self-indulgence, tax money in action, transportation
“There should be fewer bailouts for the auto industry” said the man who built this temporary tower of blocks in Minuteman Park last weekend.
Local photographer Bettina Hansen has been interviewed by The Image, Deconstructed for her series of black and white photographs taken around Hartford using nothing more than her phone. You can see her photographs on the site Hartford on the Phone and read about the motivation for this project on The Image, Deconstructed.
With schools closed today for the holiday, many families lined Park Street to watch the small parade. The “three kings” riding camels were the highlight.
The parade began near SAMA (Spanish American Merchants Association) at 95 Park Street. Here, people could pose for photos beside the camels while waiting for festivities to get moving. Continue reading 'Feliz Día de Reyes'»
Where was this photo taken (months ago)?
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