Ethan Boisvert, Metro 66

Exhibition dates: June 6 – July 20

Reception, June 6 | 6:00-8:00pm

Charter Oak Cultural Center and Sankofa Kuumba will present a Juneteenth Celebration on Wednesday, June 19th at 5:30pm.

We are looking for artists, musicians, dancers, spoken word performers and organizations to join in our Juneteenth performance. Learn about Juneteenth here.

If you would like to participate please contact Sankofa Kuumba at 860.242.2999 or email psnkcac@aol.com

Exhibition Dates: June 6 – July 20

Reception: Thursday, June 6, 6:00-8:00pm

In conjunction with iQuilt, Charter Oak Cultural Center has facilitated the creation of a real, tangible community quilt. It is the result of workshops led by master quilter, EdJohnetta Miller, along with Wanda Seldon and Letty Cotto, that have taken place throughout Hartford since last summer. Quilters, non-quilters, young and old have all contributed their voice to this magnificent piece. Join us for the unveiling! As an added bonus, there will be an exhibition of quilts by EdJohnetta Miller and Wanda Seldon.

Hartford Opera Theater presents Little Women, by Mark Adamo

Sat. June 1, 7:30pm | Sun. June 2, 2:00pm

Tickets: $25 preferred seating, $10 general admission

Tickets are available at www.hartfordoperatheater.org in advance or at the door. Doors open ½ hour before performance times.

Please join Hartford Opera Theater for an operatic take on Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel about the bonds of sisterhood and family in an ever-changing world. For more information go to the Charter Oak  website  www.charteroakcenter.org

JAZZ MONDAYS AT BLACK-EYED SALLY’S

May 20 | Josh Evans Quartet | no cover

May 27 | Closed Memorial Day

June 3 | New Tricks, Featuring Mike Lee & Ted Chubb | no cover

June 10: | Camille Thurman Quartet | no cover

June 17: | Kris Allen Quartet | $5 cover

June 24 | Stephen “King” Porter | no cover

FREE

Bring your family and wear your pajamas! Cuddle up with a cup of hot chocolate and cookies, and listen as a lovely story is read by a guest reader. This Friday, Jackie Bright will read, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

As a special treat, the first twenty five families take home a free copy of the book! A great way to build a library for your children.

Join us for this warm and inspiring evening as we celebrate and honor our first graduating class. Free

Oak Cultural Center is pleased to host the 35th annual exhibition of artwork from the Prison Arts Program.

Inmates in the State of Connecticut work all year towards this exhibition that will feature a ceiling-to-floor installation of over 300 artworks from over 125 inmates.
The Prison Arts Program was initiated in 1978.  The Program works within the Connecticut Department of Correction – with inmates, staff, administration, volunteers and contractors – to make a constructive and positive difference in our community.  This difference is visible and tangible.  Most often, this difference – a change in direction, attitude, possibility, understanding and environment – is witnessed within the world of the prison itself.  With the Annual Show, as with the many other exhibitions and publications produced by the Prison Arts Program during the year, this constructive and positive difference is, in some way, visible to the public.

Community Partners in Action (CPA) is a nonprofit agency founded in 1875, which works to build community by providing services that promote accountability, dignity and restoration for people affected by the criminal justice system.

Exhibition dates: April 25 – June 1

Charter Oak Cultural Center is pleased to host the 35th annual exhibition of artwork from the Prison Arts Program.

Inmates in the State of Connecticut work all year towards this exhibition that will feature a ceiling-to-floor installation of over 300 artworks from over 125 inmates.
The Prison Arts Program was initiated in 1978.  The Program works within the Connecticut Department of Correction – with inmates, staff, administration, volunteers and contractors – to make a constructive and positive difference in our community.  This difference is visible and tangible.  Most often, this difference – a change in direction, attitude, possibility, understanding and environment – is witnessed within the world of the prison itself.  With the Annual Show, as with the many other exhibitions and publications produced by the Prison Arts Program during the year, this constructive and positive difference is, in some way, visible to the public.

Community Partners in Action (CPA) is a nonprofit agency founded in 1875, which works to build community by providing services that promote accountability, dignity and restoration for people affected by the criminal justice system.

Brad Roth, Artistic Director of Shared Ability Dance and Youth Arts Institute Teaching Artist, dances with Bulkeley High school student during weekly inclusive dance class.

FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARCH 19, 2013

Contact:

Katie Hanley, Youth Arts Institute Director

Katie.hanley@charteroakcenter.org

860.249.1207 x114

Charter Oak Cultural Center partners with National Inclusion Project to serve Hartford Youth with Disabilities

Hartford, CT – According to statistics published by Hartford Public Schools, there are 3,658 students with disabilities in Hartford.  Roughly 7% of this population has intellectual disabilities and 5% have Autism Spectrum Disorders. Charter Oak Cultural Center’s Youth Arts Institute(YAI) has been providing arts-based classes open to these students for nearly four years.  This year, Charter Oak is honored to announce it has been chosen as a 2013 training partner of the National Inclusion Project, an organization that partners with organizations that are intentionally reaching out in their communities to include children with disabilities in their recreational programs. The objectives of this partnership are to ensure the best possible value and benefit for all involved. These benefits include direct participation elements and indirect benefits such as community awareness created about inclusion.

“It is the goal of our Youth Arts Institute to provide free and accessible arts programming for young people in Hartford.  This training partnership with the National Inclusion Project is not only a resource to us in that endeavor, but is also a major recognition that we are doing something special here.  With this we continue our journey to include young people with disabilities in the arts”, stated Charter Oak Cultural Center’s Youth Arts Institute Director Katie Hanley.

As part of the partnership, the National Inclusion Project will provide 6 hours of Let’s ALL Play 101 training for all Youth Arts Institute(YAI) program staff and faculty (taking place March 20^th & 21^st), as well as a Let’s ALL Play manual and ongoing consulting and networking. In addition, a member of the YAI staff will have the opportunity to attend the National Inclusion Project Conference in April in North Carolina.

National Inclusion Project, started by entertainer Clay Aiken in 2003, has established itself as a leading voice for inclusion working with a “Who’s who” list of youth organizations – YMCAs, Best Buddies International, Boys & Girls Clubs, CampFire USA, 4H– and now, Hartford’s own Charter Oak Cultural Center! In 2008, both of the Project’s cutting edge inclusion models – Let’s ALL Play and the K-12 Inclusive Service Learning Program – were closely evaluated with overwhelmingly positive results.  Children with and without disabilities in these programs saw growth in motor skills, social skills, and self-esteem, and the impact of the friendships made will last long into the future. For more information on National Inclusion Project, please visit http://www.inclusionproject.org.

Charter Oak Cultural Center, housed in Connecticut’s oldest synagogue building, is a non-profit, multi-cultural arts center committed to preserving the Jewish Heritage of our building, giving access to the arts to all people and doing the work of social justice. Charter Oak has long been an arts showcase for the region’s ethnically and culturally diverse communities. We offer performances, exhibits, classes, free after school programs for inner city youth, lectures and cultural programming that nourish the mind, soul, body and spirit of young and old alike. Our mission is to provide access to the arts for all.  For more information, please visit our website at www.charteroakcenter.org or become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/CharterOakCulturalCenter

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